Dolgeville UMC Baptizes
Three God and Life Participants

Three young people who participated in a year-long God and Life program asked to be baptized after studying scripture on baptism and making personal choices to follow God.

The Dolgeville United Methodist Church in Dolgeville, NY offered the God and Life curriculum as part of its combination Sunday school / Youth Group program. Led by Jeanette and Tom Antonoff, 15 young people completed the requirements and received their awards in June 2004. Because of a strong emphasis to “Bring a Friend,” this group of young people included both churched and unchurched youth. Some of the participants had never set foot inside a church except to attend weddings.

Jeanette Antonoff became aware of the God and Life program through her involvement in Girl Scouting. After reviewing the curriculum, she presented the program to the entire youth group who then chose to pursue the award. All fifteen participants received recognition, including six who were active Girl Scouts. The parents of the Girl Scouts were especially grateful. Religious recognitions are prestigious awards, and to earn it on their own would have been difficult. Completing God and Life with their peers as part of Sunday school was especially meaningful.

“God and Life was a wonderful experience,” says Jeanette. “We followed the program just the way it was laid out in the book. It made our planning time very simple and the questions in the outline opened the door to some great discussions.”  The program incorporated both Bible study and community service. Jeanette was surprised to hear that one of the favorite activities was taking notes on sermons. Participants were required to take sermon notes for one month. The young people found that they paid better attention, got more out of the sermon, and actually enjoyed taking notes. 

Each participant wrote a faith statement as a result of what they learned from the God and Life program. Five volunteers shared their statements with the congregation during the recognition service. The youngest participant in the group (a seventh grader) shared the following statement: 

“I believe in God.  I believe he is with me always.  He’s there so I’m not alone and when I am weak he gives me strength.  He’s there for me so I don’t have to do it alone and I can accomplish great things by doing his work.  I believe Jesus is our Savior and the Son of God.  God is what I believe in and the God and Life program only made my beliefs stronger.” 

But the best “feedback” on the program is the simple fact that three teenagers made personal responses to Christ and asked to be baptized. Rev. Joseph Kim performed the baptisms. It was his last service before leaving the congregation. In fact, he asked for special permission from the District Superintendent to remain in the pulpit an extra week to do the baptisms. These young people had not been brought up in the church and had never been baptized, but their friends invited them to youth group. It was through their witness and through the reading and studying of scripture that they responded to God’s call in their lives.

Dolgeville UMC has used God and Life as a tool for outreach and discipleship. Whereas most people associate God and Life with an award, Dolgeville UMC associates it with baptism and changed lives.

Note: God and Life is the fourth program in the P.R.A.Y. religious award series. For more information, visit www.praypub.org or call P.R.A.Y. Publishing at 1-800-933-7729.