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Your Child's BaptismHaving a Baby is one of the most joyful moments in life and many people want to mark it with a special event - and Baptism is one of the occasions which many people think of straight away. Baptism is much more than simply naming the child - it is a time when the church community comes together to welcome the child and the parents and godparents make promises to bring the baby up in the Christian faith. This is something which requires a degree of preparation so that parents and godparents can understand something of the promises they are making. We want to help you to make the most of your child's Baptism and we hope the information below will be of use. |
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A Baptism Service ........ is a way of saying to God that you want to raise your child as part of the Church community. In the service promises are made keep and important questions are asked, things that require careful consideration. In order that you can answer these questions honestly and openly, we would encourage you to come along to church a few times regular basis to find out more the Christian faith and the community into which your child is to be baptised. The informal services at 10.00am each Sunday are good opportunities to learn about the faith into which you want your child baptised - there is a special "All Age " Service on the second Sunday each month. If, after coming along and finding out more, you would like your child to be baptised, then we will then look at possible dates and help you to prepare further by inviting you to an evening where we will look at the questions and promises in greater detail. The Baptism Services are usually held as part of the All Age Services in March, June, September and December. |
| If you feel that you would like to find out more, you can have a look at the service and the promises involved by clicking here to read the service. If you would like to find out more and talk to someone about a Baptism for your child, please contact the Parish Office please contact the office at for more details or fill in an enquiry form by clicking here. You can email it, post it or deliver it by hand - either way, someone will be in touch to talk to you in the near future to talk about Baptism and what it means. |  |
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A Thanksgiving Service .........is a way of saying "Thank You" to God for the precious gift you have received. Some people feel that it would not be appropriate to make promises at a Baptism Service which they do not feel comfortable with and chose a Thanksgiving Service instead. We firmly believe that God loves you and your child just as much as a child who has been baptised but this service does not require you to make any statements of faith or promises about the way you intend to raise your child. you can have a look at the service and the promises involved by clicking here to read the service - but if you would like to talk to someone about this, please email us by clicking here: or by filling in the enquiry form by clicking here. You do not have to decide in advance about this - come along and find out all about both Thanksgiving and Baptism ... and then decide what is right for you and your child. Thanksgiving Services are also usually held at the All Age Services on the second Sunday of March, June, September and December. |
....Godparents are important people who have special tasks ! They promise to help their godchild come to know God, encourage him or her in their membership of the local church and take an interest in their spiritual life. They do this by making the same promises as the child's parents on behalf of the child being baptised. They commit themselves to pray for the child and help the parents bring up the child in the Christian faith. Children usually have two or more godparents, sometimes two of whom which are the same sex as the child. They can be family members or friends (and parents can also be godparents). But to carry out this role, the Church of England requires that all godparents have been baptised and preferably confirmed as well.
....Sometimes people bring their babies for baptism when they are less than a year old - but sometimes other things get in the way and the child may be a lot older ! The age of the child does not matter, but when they reach secondary school age, we suggest that the child is old enough to take on the questions for themselves and so we suggest they consider joining our "Growing In Faith" course, which leads towards Baptism and Conformation for teenagers and adults. If you want to talk to someone about this, please contact us and we will be happy to chat about the best thing for you and your child.