At St Mary’s and St John’s, we look forward to sharing your joy with you as you celebrate the birth of your Child. A Baptism Service or a Service of Thanksgiving for the birth of your child is a wonderful start to your child’s life and can help you as you begin the amazing journey of bringing up your Child in this challenging world by putting God at the centre of your hope for your child and your family ‘s life.
Thanksgiving
For parents who do not wish to make the Baptism promises on behalf of their child at this stage but still want to come to Church to thank God for the gift of their child, a Service of Thanksgiving is available. The steps to follow are the same as for Baptism; please follow steps 1 and 2 below. Thanksgiving services will be discussed as part of the preparation evenings.
Baptism
At your child’s baptism, they will be baptised. To prepare for this wonderful event, we ask families to attend Church twice either on Zoom or as part of the congregation meeting at St Mary’s or St John’s on Sunday morning before attending Baptism Matters on Zoom, following which a date for baptism can be booked. Please see the step by step approach below.
The Church sees Baptism as a very important day in someone’s life, whatever age they are. Key aspects of someone’s Baptism include following Jesus and joining the Church family this is why we ask families to come to a couple of services to see what their local Church is like, before coming to Baptism Matters on Zoom, when we can discuss matters of Church, faith and the Baptism service. It is also helpful for the Church to have an opportunity to hear how you find Church, its services and welcome.
As you read the steps below, please note:
You need to attend Church twice before you come to Baptism Matters on Zoom
Once you have been to Church at least twice, you can sign up to attend via your chosen date on the calendar.
Step 1
We invite your family to join us for 2 Sunday services at either St Mary’s or St John’s. Check the calendar or ‘Coming Up…’ which is displayed towards the bottom of the front page of the website on the right handside to find out more about all our services.
Step 2
We invite both parents (and also Godparents if possible) to come to ‘Baptism Matters’ on Zoom.
Each Baptism Matters course will last up to an hour and a half and we will look at the importance of Baptism to families, to the Church and to God. The option of a Service of Thanksgiving will also be discussed.
One of the joys of meeting on Zoom is you don’t need to book a babysitter and both parents can attend.
The process for booking the date for your Child’s Baptism will be explained at Baptism Matters.
Dates for ‘Baptism Matters’ Evenings
The dates for the preparation evenings very rarely change; whilst we are on Zoom, it is the second Tuesday of the month at 8.00 pm. Please book your place online, you’ll find the next available date hereand all available dates on the calendar.
Baptism Services
Baptisms are held at both St Mary’s & St John’s. You will be given more information about dates and times at Baptism Matters.
Adult Baptism
For people who have not already been baptised, we offer the opportunity to be baptised as a believer. If desired, this will be by total immersion. These baptisms are great events in the life of the Church and are the cause of much joy and celebration. Most people who have a believer’s baptism will have done an Alpha course recently and be regular members of the Church.
