"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
(Matthew 28:19)
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink the up, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (1st Corinthians 11: 26)
In the Presbyterian Church, we recognize two sacraments: Baptism and Communion (the Lord's Supper).
Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month as a regular part of our worship services. Bread and grape juice are used and are usually brought to the people by elders. The pastor gives an invitation to all at the communion table, and then the words of institution are used. At Heritage, we hold the individual pieces of bread and take them all together as a sign of our unity in the body of Christ. When the small cups of grape juice are passed to the congregation, each person drinks the cup when he/she feels spiritually ready to do so. We do this as a sign of the call of Christ to each person individually.
There are two types of bread on our communion plates: regular and gluten-free. The regular bread is either baked by a church member or purchased at the grocery story and cut into chunks. The gluten-free bread is also put in small plastic cups with lids to avoid any problems for those who have a sensitivity to gluten.
All are welcome to receive Communion, including children; we ask that the parents make the determination as to whether or not their child is ready to understand what Communion means.
Baptism is done as a regular part of the worship service and not as a private, family affair. The one to be baptized is being welcomed into the family of Christ. During baptism, the individual members of the Presbyterian Church are asked to pledge their support and love to the newly baptized - whether this person is a child or an adult. Godparents or family members who wish to stand up with the one to be baptized are encouraged and welcomed.
We accept all baptisms done in any Christian church. There is no need to "re-baptize" someone in order to be accepted as a member of our church.