Our special services can be divided into two categories: sacramental services, and services that celebrate or commemorate a special event, such as a marriage or the passing of a community member.
Sacraments
In the New Church we celebrate two sacraments: Baptism and the Holy Supper. These are often conducted during regular Sunday morning services, but they may also be conducted in private in a home or hospital setting, or in a private service at the church.
Baptism: This sacrament is a symbolic introduction into the church and into the truths it teaches—truths that will form the basis for future spiritual life and growth. People may be baptized as children or in adulthood. Baptism is a gateway to full adult membership in the church.
Holy Supper (communion): In this sacrament we eat unleavened bread and drink wine. Participants are invited to come to the front of the church, where they receive the elements from the pastor while kneeling in prayer or meditation. The Holy Supper is open to all adults. We offer this sacrament roughly four times a year. The bread and wine are symbols of the love and wisdom with which God feeds and sustains our spirits, and we receive these elements as a symbol of our desire to receive the spiritual gifts He offers.
Weddings & Other Special Services
Arrangements for communion, baptisms, confirmations, betrothals, weddings, home dedications, and memorial services may be made with the pastors at any time.
Marriage: The New Church's teachings on marriage are unique, and precious to us. They reveal the fundamental spiritual differences between men and women, and the ways in which these differences complement each other. They describe marriage as a spiritual covenant between a husband and a wife, and as a deep-reaching and complementary partnership that can last to eternity. They explain what's at the heart of a healthy marriage, and they also show how a couple can work to restore peace and happiness in a struggling marriage. Visit our denominational site to read more about marriage, and love in marriage.