Newly Baptized

Ronnie and Katya say their Baptismal Vows

Ronnie and Katya, siblings in the sixth and fifth grade at Colegio San Andres, decided they wanted to be baptized. When Amy asked Ronnie, during baptismal preparation, "Why do you want to be baptized?" he replied, "I want to be closer to God."
With all that has been going on in the Anglican Communion lately, it may seem like the Church is about to come to a standstill, at least that's how it gets reported sometimes from what we read. Bishops posturing, priests and congregations leaving or threatening to leave one branch of the Communion for another, news reporters framing the whole conflict as if the Episcopal/Anglican Church is about to fall apart! But, maybe they should get out into the streets and barrios where church is happening-- the places where the State Department tells Americans absolutely not to go. There is some church happening there- Anglican Church. What they'll find is the Episcopal/ Anglican Church growing, people being baptized, people joining the Church, filling it up, and celebrating the resurrection of our Lord until 2:00 in the morning.
Whatever the outcome of the current debate in the Anglican Communion, Christ's church will continue to grow, despite those who threaten to tear it apart in the name of God, in the name of their opinion, in the name of power... All we really need are people to say 'yes' to what God is calling them to do, which takes them out of where they're comfortable and into where Christ abides, with the poor. There is no salvation outside the Church, I've heard it pronounced-- but the truth is, as Jon Sobrino says, there is no salvation outside the poor, because that is where Christ is to be found. If this is indeed true, then those that say they have found Christ in some other context may need to examine themselves in light of this hard truth. Like a sledge hammer it can shatter your preconceived notions about your own faith and relationship with Christ, and bring about a renewal based in reality. -Vince













Katya is baptized



A very nervous Ronnie is baptized