Adult Baptism Social Protocol?

[just_lily]

DH and I are pursuing membership in our church, and one of the requirements is adult baptism (by immersion). So we will be taking the big dip at the end of September.

Does anyone know the social protocol about this? I know that after baby baptisms there is usually a little party and cake, and we did the same after our daughter's dedication. So I am wondering if we should maybe have people over for coffee and sandwiches afterwards? Is that indulgent and pretentious, or is it just the way it is? There have been a couple of baptisms done while we have been attending this church, but nobody that has been good friends with us.... so if they had a little reception, I wouldn't have known about it.

I want to recognize that this is a *big deal*, without being self congratulatory about it.

Thoughts?

[lilyka]

I have never known anyone to have any sort of reception following an adults/teens baptism.

Does your church have a coffee hour of any sort? maybe you could host it.

Will there be other people being baptized? it would be really cool if there was a celebration for all of you.

Will your families be coming? Perhaps just celebrating afterwards with your family or very close friends.

For our family the Godparents threw the reception, they even took care of calling up people and inviting them. It was nice having Godparents to the play the role of proud parents, ya know.

[just_lily]

I am not sure one way or another yet if there will be anyone else being baptised the same day. The church secretary just called us this week to tell us it had been scheduled.

We do have a coffee time / socialization after service, but it isn't anything that anyone hosts. Volunteers just put on the giant percolators in the morning so it will be ready after service.

We will be inviting my inlaws, and I suspect they will come, if only for the opportunity to hang out with their granddaughter. All the rest of our family lives too far away. They would be definitely be coming over for lunch no matter what.

We don't have God Parents in my denomination, so we don't have anyone to host. I am just as happy to not have anything to be honest. If we did do something we would just probably invite the members of our bible study group (which is 7 couples and 9 kids!) and not the whole congregation or anything like that!

[lilyka]

If you are close to the people in your Bible study why not go to a park for a pot luck picnic at a park kind of thing. If you want to do something.

I certainly don't think you are obligated to do anything. I have never been involved in anyone celebrating an adult baptism. Especially in protestant circles (The protestants I know who have had baptisms, especially adult/older child, never seem to make a very big deal of it. Baptism being a very big deal in my current church was the first thing that caught my attention). Most of the baby dedications I have been a witness to have not have parties either. Just one family ever and and it was just everyone meeting at a pizza arcade after church. They brought a cake.

so no, you are totally not obligated and I doubt anyone would notice that you didn't do anything.

[Sol_y_Paz]

I was a teenager when I got baptized. Nothing special afterwards was done that I remember. We were baptized in front of the congregation and it was a happy time.

[kcstar]

The Catholic church typically performs adult baptisms at the Easter Vigil service. The church I grew up at held a little reception with cake and punch downstairs after the mass was over.

I'm fairly certain that the cake and punch were provided by the church, and not an obligation of the Catechists.

[AllyRae]

Originally Posted by kcstar

The Catholic church typically performs adult baptisms at the Easter Vigil service. The church I grew up at held a little reception with cake and punch downstairs after the mass was over.

I'm fairly certain that the cake and punch were provided by the church, and not an obligation of the Catechists.

This is what happened with me as well.