Christenings/Baptisms
Baptism (also known as a Christening) is the entrance into the life of the church. It is offered to infants where parents and godparents make promises on the child's behalf, and to adults who speak for themselves. There is also a service of Thanksgiving for infants, which is more appropriate for some. To find out more about baptism at St Andrew's, please contact Revd David Newton. To find out more about baptism at Toft Methodist Chapel, please contact Revd Charity Ngezwu.
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Christening
During a Christening service your baby will be baptised. Obviously your baby cannot make the decision to become a Christian for him/herself at the moment; so children are baptised on the understanding that at least one of their parents has chosen to follow Jesus and will bring the child up within the family of the church. This will involve: - Regular church-going as a family. Christianity is about being in a community, not just about us as individuals. - Teaching the children from the Bible. - Praying with them and teaching them to pray. The baptism service involves parents and Godparents making promises of Christian commitment both for themselves and for the child. Godparents must by law be themselves baptised. It is obviously important that these promises, which are made before God, are understood and made honestly. Your child’s spiritual care is too important for you to want to make these promises lightly. Before the service the vicar will come and chat to you about what it all means. The christening usually happens as part of a Sunday morning service but can take place at others times too. What Do I do Next? The first step is to come to a Sunday service to find out more about us. After that the vicar will meet with you and talk through the service and put a date in the diary. |
Thanksgiving & Blessing Service
This is a service in which parents, friends and family give thanks for the birth (or adoption) of a child and we pray for God’s blessing upon the baby, parents and home. It is a service of saying Thank you and asking for God’s Blessing on your child, rather than one of making promises about active membership of the church. Godparents are not required for a thanksgiving, but parents may wish to name "sponsors" who can fulfil the role of supporting the child and family. Adult Baptism and Confirmation
If you would like to consider being baptised as an adult, or being confirmed if you were baptised as a child, please speak to the vicar. |
For more information about Christenings/Baptisms in the Church of England, please click here: