By Maureen Wright
Do you remember your baptism? I do not. Like many Presbyterians, I was baptized as an infant, so the memories of my baptism are shared memories. The only physical reminder of my baptism is my baptismal certificate, which is tucked inside my baby book in the bottom of a box in our basement. Some of you were baptized at the time you professed your faith, often referred to as believer’s baptism. You remember the people present, answering the questions, professing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the water on your head. Whether your memories of your baptism are shared memories or not, there was surely “a visible and generous use of water” (Book of Order, W-3.0407). Whether you were sprinkled or immersed, there is a good chance that the words of Matthew 28:19 were used, “I baptize you in the name of the Faither and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
As we conclude the fifth month of implementation of the Strategic Plan, I have been thinking about baptism, its role in the life of faith, and how baptism equips us to serve God. The words of Services of Commissioning keep coming to mind. Those being commissioned hear these words before they are commissioned for their work, “The grace bestowed on you in baptism is sufficient for your calling because it is God’s grace. By God’s grace we are saved and enabled to grow in the faith and to commit our lives in ways that serve Christ.” (Book of Common Worship. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018.) God’s grace is sufficient – because it is God’s grace. God’s grace enables us to serve – because it is God’s grace.
The implementation work currently focuses on the work of the Transitional Nominating Committee and the three staff search committees: the Communications Coordinator and Treasurer/Business Administrator Search Committee, the Lead Presbyter Search Committee, and the Connectional Presbyter Search Committee. It is amazing to me that God’s grace is at work in both the committees and in the lives of those who they are seeking to invite to serve. God is saying to the committees, “My grace is sufficient because it is my grace. You have all that you need – the faith, the call, the discernment, the gifts and talents.” To those who apply and are nominated to serve as staff, God says, “You have all that you need – the faith, the call, the discernment, the gifts and talents.” To those invited to serve on committees of the Presbytery, God says, “You have all that you need – the faith, the call, the discernment, the gifts and talents.”
Using this lens of God’s grace bestowed in baptism, the Presbytery of West Virginia, a baptized covenant people, has all it needs to be the Presbytery envisioned and described in the Strategic Plan adopted at the November 2024 Stated Meeting. God’s grace will bring the staff needed. God’s grace will lift up Presbytery leadership. God’s grace gives us all we need to move into our new structure. If you are serving on a search committee, if you are serving on the Transitional Nominating Committee, if you are invited to serve, remember your baptism. God’s grace bestowed on each of us is sufficient for this work because it is God’s grace. Thanks be to God!