Life’s Milestones at GCC
Glenview Community Church would love to be a place for you to celebrate life’s important milestones! From birth to death and everything in between, GCC is here to support you and your family.
The United Church of Christ, like many Protestant denominations, recognizes sacraments and rituals as key milestones throughout a person’s life. The two sacraments are baptism (welcoming and cleansing) and communion (unifying and continued spiritual nourishing). Additionally, we celebrate rituals including confirmation, marriage, and services of thanksgiving for the life of someone who has died.
Baptism
Baptism is the sacrament that initiates a person into the Church and, by extension, its faith, life, and hope. Baptism is a covenant – a promise made before God – between the congregation, the person being baptized, and their parents/sponsors. In it, the parents/sponsors (or the person being baptized, if of an age to decide for themselves) promise to raise the person being baptized to live a life according to the moral teachings of our faith and to entrust the person being baptized to God’s care. In recognition of their role in nurturing the faith of all, the congregation promise their love, support, and care to the one being baptized.
Baptism is a choice. While baptism can occur at any age, it is commonly done in infancy by the choice of the parents. For a variety of reasons, parents may decide not to have their children baptized; there are opportunities for baptism later in life when the one being baptized is able to make the decision for themself. As baptism is a pre-requisite for confirmation, confirmands who have not yet been baptized will be able to make this covenant during their 8th grade year prior to the confirmation ceremony. Finally, adults are also welcome to be baptized later in life. If you are new to Christianity, or simply were not ready to make the baptismal covenant in your youth, we would be happy to welcome you into our Church community with an adult baptism!
Confirmation
While baptism welcomes a person into the universal Church, confirmation is the process of joining a local congregation for the first time, becoming a voting, worshipping, giving member of that congregation. Confirmation (and subsequent new member receptions, when people move to new congregations) is a way for those being confirmed to reaffirm the promises made at baptism. For teens who were baptized as infants, this is their first opportunity to make these promises for themselves.
The confirmation process involves a period of study and reflection, in which confirmands learn about the Bible and the Church, and to discern what they might envision for their faith journey moving forwards. Our traditional confirmation path is the Pathways middle school program, with the 8th grade year’s curriculum being confirmation classes. In May, we celebrate and welcome our newest members in a confirmation ceremony for those 8th graders who complete program.
Missed the middle school window but still interested in being confirmed? Adults who wish to be confirmed are invited to reach out to one of our ministers to coordinate one-on-one confirmation instruction in lieu of the Pathways confirmation classes. We would love to support you in your faith journey, no matter what age you are!
Marriage
Marriage is a covenant that celebrates the love and commitment between two people. In the Christian tradition, marriage is not only a legal union but also a spiritual one – rooted in mutual love, respect, faithfulness, and care. In this covenant, the couple promises to support one another through all of life’s seasons, seeking to grow together in faith and in love.
At GCC, we believe that marriage is a joyful and meaningful milestone. Couples seeking to be married in the church are invited to work with one of our ministers in preparation for their wedding day. This preparation typically includes planning a service that reflects both the couple’s relationship and their faith.
Whether you are a long-time member of GCC or newly connected to our community, we would be honored to walk alongside you as you prepare for marriage! If you are interested in being married at GCC, we invite you to reach out to our church office or one of our ministers to begin the conversation.
Death
While death is the conclusion of our earthly journeys, we believe that it is not truly the end, for Christ offers us everlasting life in the Kingdom of Heaven. When deaths do occur, we commend the deceased into the merciful arms of God and the everlasting peace of Heaven. For the living who remain behind, services of thanksgiving and remembrance are important rituals to provide space to grieve and lift up the joyous memories of our departed loved one.
Funeral or memorial services are often one of the first steps in the process of grieving the passing of a loved one. GCC and its clergy are able to host funeral and memorial services in our sanctuary or chapel. Please reach out to our church office or one of our ministers if you need to discuss funeral or memorial service arrangements.
GCC has two memorial gardens, an interior courtyard garden accessible via the Commons and an exterior garden adjacent to the circular driveway and Elm St. Both of these spaces are designed to provide a peaceful place for family and friends to visit their loved ones. To learn more about our memorial gardens and the processes for reserving a cremains plot or requesting a remembrance plaque, visit our Memorial Gardens page or reach out to the church office.
Each November, we hold a remembrance service to commemorate church members, family, and friends who have passed away within the last calendar year. This service involves a solemn recitation of the names of the departed, lighting candles in their honor, and saying prayers for both the departed and those left behind. Through these actions, we are offered another opportunities to give thanks for the lives of those we lost and to reflect on their continued legacy and memory.
