Infant Baptism

Children are ‘baptised’ in a ‘christening’ service, just as couples are ‘married’ during a ‘wedding’ service.

Baptisms take place within our Sunday morning service with our regular congregation present, and include singing, readings, prayers and a sermon.

Baptism is the sign of being a Christian, a bit like a wedding ring is the sign of being married.

During a baptism service your child will be baptised with water. It is a special moment, but it is not just a ‘one off’ celebration, it is the start of your child’s journey in the Christian faith. During the service you and the godparents make promises, in front of your friends and loved ones, to raise your child in the Christian faith and help guide them in their spiritual journey.

The baptism service involves making big promises of commitment, to Christ and the church, which you can find a copy of below.

For those who don’t feel they’re quite ready to make these promises with integrity then there is also the option of a ‘Thanksgiving’ service. This service still takes place in church and celebrates the birth and gift of the child but is more about giving thanks to God, praying for them and for you as parents.

Do please speak to us to find out more!

You may be relieved to know it’s not the case that godparents are automatically responsible for the child should anything happen to the parents! Any such arrangement should be made in a Will.

The role of Godparent is primarily a spiritual one. During the service, Godparents commit to helping the child to follow Jesus by their prayers, example and teaching.

In the baptism service, godparents join the parents in making a public declaration of their own Christian faith, as well as promising to pray for the child and help them to follow Jesus.

For this reason, Godparents must be committed, baptised Christians.

Traditionally there should be at least three godparents at a christening – two who are the same sex as the child and one who is the opposite sex. Whilst there is no official maximum number, three or four is usual.

The baptism service involves a declaration of your own faith, and promises of commitment to Christ and the church, which can be found in the service sheet below. It’s important for you to have read these through in advance, and be comfortable making them with conviction!

Our church exists to help people grow in faith, and we would be delighted to talk with you about whatever spiritual questions you may have.

Newcomers are always welcome to join us on Sunday mornings at church, and we regularly run the Alpha course for people who want to explore the Christian faith. Please get in touch with Charlie if you want to know more.

In the baptism service you will promise to “draw them [the child] by your example into the community of faith”, which in effect is a promise to bring the child with you regularly to church. Whilst it’s not our place to set specific requirements for the frequency of your church attendance, we will encourage you to think through what that promise will mean for you, and do what we can to help you keep it!

Our experience is that thinking about baptism can provide an opportunity for parents to reconnect with faith, and we’re sure your children will love coming to Sunday Club.

If you don’t already come to church, the first step is to join us one Sunday morning to take part in a service and meet Charlie and the team.

If you’re able to drop us a note to say you’re coming we can look out for you and make you welcome. Once we’ve connected, we’ll arrange a time to pop round to talk about baptism preparation, and plan towards a date.

Baptisms and thanksgivings take place in our main Sunday service. To keep it special we only have one family at a time, so whilst there may be a bit of a wait, we’ll do our best to find a date that works both for you and the rest of the church’s programme.

There is no charge for the service, although since the church is funded entirely by the generosity of the congregation, contributions to the running costs are always welcome!

For more information about our finances, please see our giving page.