Baptisms / Christenings

BaptismA baptism, or christening in the church, we believe is the beginning of a lifelong process of growth in faith in Jesus Christ.  Our church offers baptism for people of all ages, from very young babies to adults.  Although the baptism we perform is recognised in many different churches, it symbolises a commitment to join our particular church family in embarking on this journey of growth.  For an older child, or adult, we ask them to make promises that recognise this intent.  For very young children or babies, we ask the parents to make this commitment for them, and we ask God-parents to make similar promises to enable the child to explore their relationship with God as they grow.  For this to be effective, we offer many opportunities for you, as a family, to engage in worship and the life of the church, see our events pages.

Sometimes, people wish to celebrate the birth of a child, but are unsure if they are ready to make a commitment to the church that asks them to make these promises.  Others who have a strong Christian faith feel that they would like the child to be able to express their faith later in life for themselves.  For this reason, we also offer a thanksgiving service, which leaves this option open for the child in the future.

If you would be interested in finding out more, then please contact our church office.  We usually ask, if you havent worshipped with us before, that you first attend either one of our Sunday services, (and our administrator can help advise which might be the most suitable for you) or one of our Messy church services, designed specifically for families.   Its fine if you just want to turn up, you’ll be made very welcome, but if we know you are coming we can arrange someone to meet you and show you the ropes!    After the service, if you still feel this is the church family you wish to be a part of, we can arrange a meeting with our minister to discuss it with you further.  He will discuss the service you attended and explore with you how our church might assist in fulfilling your baptism vows.

How Soon Do I Need to Organise a Christening?

Baptism services are carried out by our minister, and as he has responsibility for several local churches, this unfortunately means being prepared to fit in with the services at which he is present with us.   At present this is once a month, so we do ask some flexibility from our baptism parents.  Usually these will take place on a Sunday at around 12:30, but on rare occasions we consider a Saturday baptism.   To avoid disappointment please contact us a few months beforehand if possible.