Sacraments are liturgical practices that express God’s redemptive love through tangible ways. Within the Presbyterian tradition, there are two sacraments: baptism and communion.
Baptism
Baptism is a covenant with multiple commitments: God’s commitment to us, the faith community’s commitment to the one being baptized, and the commitments that families make to God, their children, and to the church. When we baptize an individual (typically, but not always, an infant or young child), we are proclaiming that they are claimed by God and recipients of God’s unconditional grace.
If you would like to know more about baptism or schedule a baptism for your child, contact Nancy Myer, Staff Associate for Children’s Ministries, (nancy@upcch.org or 919-929-2102).
Communion
Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is the sign and seal of our communion with Christ. Through communion, we give thanks to God, remember Christ’s sacrifice, invoke the Holy Spirit, and recommit ourselves to love and serve God and one another. The elements offered are grape juice and bread (nut-free and gluten-free).
Communion is offered on the first Sunday of the month. We offer communion via intinction (dipping a piece of bread into a common cup of juice). Communion is open to all; there are no barriers of belief or lifestyle that exclude anyone. That said, no one is obligated to receive the sacrament.
