Baptism does not save you. It’s clearly established in the Bible that you are saved only by accepting God’s free gift of grace.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

The word baptize comes from the Greek word baptizo which means “to immerse or submerge.”

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
Matthew 3:16 (NIV)

Every baptism in the Bible was done by immersion. The book of Acts shows us that this was the norm for every believer. At Awaken Church, we believe that if you’re physically able, you should get completely submerged.

And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
Acts 8:38-39 (NIV)

Some churches baptize infants and others don’t. While Christians can debate this, we should never divide over it. At Awaken Church, we don’t baptize infants because every baptism recorded in the Bible occurred when someone was old enough to make a faith decision. Instead of baptizing infants, we encourage Christian parents to participate in baby dedication. This is a ceremony in which parents formally call upon God’s blessing on their child and publicly commit to raise their child in accordance with Scripture.

We believe in baptizing kids when they are old enough to understand what it means and have made a personal decision to make Jesus the leader of their life. If your son or daughter has decided to follow Jesus and you feel they understand what baptism is (and isn’t) and why it’s important, we ask that you meet with one of our Awaken Kids’ Ministry Directors.

Believers in the New Testament were baptized the same day. As soon as a person decides to believe in Jesus, they can and are encouraged to be baptized. While getting baptized the same day was the practice in the New Testament, it’s often not possible today, but that’s okay! At Awaken Church, we offer baptism services as soon as we have sign ups.

Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
Acts 2:41(NLT)

Your infant baptism was certainly a very special moment for your family. Once you personally come to an age where you can decide for yourself to follow Christ, believer’s baptism is the next step. Don’t be afraid to get re-baptized as an act of worship and obedience to Christ.

If you were following Jesus and got baptized in another church, there is no need to get re-baptized at Awaken Church. The Bible presents baptism as a one-time event, as it signifies salvation to be a one-time event. Nowhere in the bible do we see an example of Christians being baptized multiple times.

The only reason to get re-baptized is if you stopped following Jesus but now you are following Him again and you want to mark this moment with baptism.

You can wear shorts and a dark color shirt. We will provide a shirt and a towel for you on the day.