What is a Baptism or Christening?
To be baptised is to start an exciting journey of faith in the family of God. In the service we hear of God’s great promises to us in Jesus and we respond in faith – wanting to live life with the God who made us and loves us. We remember that though we’ve turned away from God, through Jesus’ death and God’s Spirit living within us we can be brought into a right relationship with God.
What happens during the service?
The service takes place as part of our normal Sunday service. It is done at this time because a key meaning behind baptism is that those being baptised are joining the church, so it is important that the whole church can see that you want your child to be part of God’s family. The Church will promise to support and pray for you and your child.
Parents and Godparents make a commitment to represent the child in God’s Church and to represent the Church and God to the child until they are old enough to take on the decision to live for Jesus.
What if I am not sure about those promises or my own faith in God?
If you are not sure if you can make these promises, or about your desire to raise your child as a Christian, there is still a service that you can have called a ‘Thanksgiving Service’. It is a special church service, different from a baptism/christening, which can be used as a way to say thank you to God for your child.
It’s possible to have this service instead of a baptism/christening if you decide that now isn’t the right time to have your child baptized. Or, you could even have the Thanksgiving Service as well as a baptism/christening.
You might also choose this service when your baby is just born, or if you have adopted a child into your family and you simply want to celebrate this with special words said by a vicar in church.
Whatever the reason, your vicar will be delighted to talk to you about this service.
What do I do now?
The first step is to meet the church family. Come along to any of our 10.15am services and talk to the welcome team about exploring baptism.
After this you will be invited to preparation sessions to help you think more about baptism.