Baptismal stones remind members of baptism
There are small ways that Christians can remember their baptisms, such as looking at photos or talking to their sponsors about the day. The members of St. Peter, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada, now have a physical reminder of their baptisms in their baptismal font. The font, located at the entrance of the church, holds baptismal stones with a name and baptismal date inscribed on each stone.
The idea for the font came as St. Peter’s was refurbishing the church. The design team incorporated the natural fountain look seen in the yards of nearby houses with the rock-solid structure symbolizing God’s truth. A river made of stones leads from the font to the front of the church. From the river came the idea for the baptismal stones to always remind members of their connection to St. Peter’s, as well as remind them of their baptisms.
On Jan. 8, Baptism Sunday, the church held a special service where the engraved stones were laid out on a table, corresponding to each baptized member from the past ten years. Members, old and young, helped each other to find their stone and place it in the water of the font.
“It was probably one of the highlights of my ministry here,” says Dan Habben, St. Peter’s pastor. “It was a very Christian, caring moment—the kind of picture that the church should always be.”
The tradition of the stones is still being forged. Habben says he hopes to continue the service each year on Baptism Sunday. Anyone who was baptized in the last year would then receive a stone at that service to put into the water.
“You don’t really foresee how something like this can touch someone, but a lot of times it does,” notes Habben.
Gabriella Moline
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Author: Gabriella Moline
Volume 104, Number 5
Issue: May 2017
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