Backgrounds for baptism

[hussra]

One of the things I'd like to do in the future, once we get our somewhat delayed permanent projector install, is to start using projection for infant baptism services.

Those of you from a credobaptist tradition may prefer to look away now. I am not seeking to start a theological argument which has been gone over many, many times in different fora.

We hold all infant baptisms during our main Sunday morning service, on the 3rd Sunday of the month. I know many other churches tend to do baptisms separately, away from the main congregation, often on a Sunday afternoon, but we do them all in the main service.

I've been looked through the MXC in the past for backgrounds relating to baptism, without a great deal of success. Do any of you from the liturgical traditions (I'm looking at you, Gene!) have anything you use? Or might there be some mileage in working together on a set for baptism services? I'd be interested in working on a set rather along the lines of Gene's communion backgrounds but with the various headings of the baptism service (Prayer over the Water, Baptism, Signing with the Cross, etc.) and some appropriate imagery.

Best wishes,

Richard

[kbob]

There are a few nice images in the mxc that could be your jumping off point-we use a variation of one of these for the intro background, but we then switch to IMAG so everyone can clearly see (in fact, baptisms are how we started our IMAG ministry-we had many that complained they couldn't see during the baptisms...). I like variations on the splash of water myself, and we've had many compliments on those we use.

Maybe with a lower thirds style title and name graphic overlaid (though I'd recommend doing it on the upper portion of the slide due to visibility issues unless you're screen is very high) using the aforementioned colors. One for the introduction, one for each name, and one for each of the various points of the service you mentioned (Prayer over the Water, Baptism, Signing with the Cross, etc.).

A liturgical set for the various events sound interesting too...beyond just the baptisms...

But this is from the least traditional church you'll ever see, or close to it...

[hussra]

I guess the most plausible two from the MXC that I found were this one:



and this one:



which certainly provide a starting point. I like the imagery of the pouring water in the first.

Hmmm....

Richard

[Gene]

I generally use a waterfall image, like the Stephen Faucette image that I used as the background of this:

Sometimes I'll do IMAG, particularly for child baptisms.

What are all the named parts of the baptism that you use?

[hussra]

I like that waterfall.

Originally Posted by Gene

What are all the named parts of the baptism that you use?

Can't remember offhand, will look at our current booklet tonight.

There are too many bits, that's for sure. The initiation services were the one part of the Common Worship "package" that didn't get properly road tested in real parishes before being authorised and published. And you can tell. We're in the middle of experimenting with some slight rearrangements of the material (some legal, some perhaps not...) to see if we can make the whole thing a bit more digestible.

The whole thing has been devised so as to make the whole service a "Baptism service" which also contains readings and a sermon, rather than a regular service which also contains a baptism.

We're also finding that families are inviting increasingly large numbers of friends and relatives along. Which is a great evangelistic opportunity - a month ago I helped to lead the largest for some time where both families brought along about 100 guests, plus we had about 50 regulars, pretty much filling the building. A little light IMAG would have made things a lot better for those in the overflow area, but I didn't find out about the numbers in time to make arrangements.

[ncmacasl]

there are several "pool of water" backgrounds that are "neutral" enough to be used as motion background on top of other text.

http://www.muddyrivermedia.com/media...2008/waterpool

This free one from Muddy River would work nicely.

[hussra]

Originally Posted by Gene

What are all the named parts of the baptism that you use?

Try this:

• Preparation
• Presentation of the Candidates
• Decision
• Prayer over the Water
• Profession of Faith
• Baptism
• Signing with the Cross
• Giving of a Lighted Candle
• Welcome
• Commission
• Blessing
• Dismissal

plus readings and prayers. Phew! No wonder the services seem to go on and on.

[[Admin] skstarkiller]

And here we just dunk em.

[Gene]

I'm still trying different fonts, and playing around with the image, but how close is the attached to what you have in mind?

[hussra]

Originally Posted by skstarkiller

And here we just dunk em.

Dunking seems to be coming back into fashion in Anglican circles here; the Archbishop of York has started a new Easter tradition in York of Easter morning open-air baptisms with a blaze of publicity.

Originally Posted by Gene

I'm still trying different fonts, and playing around with the image, but how close is the attached to what you have in mind?

Oooh, I like that. Perhaps the praying hands could rotate with other elements specific to that section, like a cross or a candle or ...?

[Gene]

Originally Posted by hussra

Oooh, I like that. Perhaps the praying hands could rotate with other elements specific to that section, like a cross or a candle or ...?

That's the plan. At least for sections I can think of things and find images for

[ncmacasl]

Originally Posted by Gene

I'm still trying different fonts, and playing around with the image, but how close is the attached to what you have in mind?

do you mean the water-holding kind of font or the typeface kind of font