Baptisms
Jesus says ‘I am with you always to the end of the age’
Would you like to have your child baptised? Or would you like to get baptised yourself? Baptism is a joyous occasion celebrating life, whether you are young or old. God loves and cares for all people. But in baptism we are touched by God’s love in a special way, we are mentioned by name, and welcomed to a life long journey into the fullness of God’s love.
Whether you are a parent/carer who wishes to have a child baptised (or christened, to use an old English word for the same thing) or an adult who wishes to be baptised yourself, we would be happy to hear from you. We welcome all to baptism, at whatever age and whatever shape a person’s family takes, if they live within our parish, or are connected with us in some other way. The parents do not need to have been baptised, or to be regular churchgoers. You can find out if you are in our parish by entering your address details at A Church Near You.
Baptisms almost always take place on a Sunday, usually as part of our main Sunday Eucharist service at 11am, which gives all those at the church a chance to welcome the newly baptised into the fellowship of faith. Sometimes,a baptism takes place in a separate service shortly after our main Sunday service at or around 12.15pm. Before any baptism a member of the clergy will meet with you to talk through the service and its meaning, and to answer any questions you may have.
If your child is being baptised, one thing you will need to think carefully about is the choice of godparents. Godparents must be at least 16 years old, and must have been baptised themselves. Family members can be godparents (including parents being godparents for their own child), but there are advantages to looking outside the family circle. The minimum number of godparents is two, although a boy normally has two godfathers and one godmother, and a girl normally has two godmothers and one godfather. An unbaptised person cannot be a godparent, but they can make a formal public commitment, as part of the service, to support the child and its parents. The clergy will be happy to discuss with you anything relating to the choice of godparents.
The Church of England also has excellent resources to answer frequently asked questions about baptisms. Visit Christenings.