Baptism (Sometimes known as Christening)
We welcome the opportunity to be involved with arranging baptism for you or your children
Baptism marks the beginning of a journey with God which continues for the rest of our lives, the first step in response to God's love.
Baptism is a time when promises are made to God, about how we will help a child of adult come to know Almighty God, through Jesus, the Father, and The Holy Spirit. It is part of the Christian journey on the way of faith, which also includes Thanksgiving for the gift of a child, and leads to the person taking on the promises made for them by Godparents or Sponsers in Confirmation, and full membership in the body of Christ his Church.
We have a duty to prepare for baptism well. If you feel the time is right for you or a child in the family to be baptised please come and talk to us immediately after attending one of our acts of worship. We will give you some information on baptism and make arangements to talk with you further about this step in the journey of Christian Faith.
During baptism we publicly make promises to learn and teach the christian faith, making commitents to God and the person being baptised to help them understand the Christian faith and help them to come into a personal relationship with God.
We rejoice in what God has done for us in Christ, making serious promises and declaring the faith.
Baptism with water is the first public acknowledgment that a person has embarked on the journey of faith. With children their parents and godparents make the promises on their behalf. When adults come for baptism they make the promises for themselves often with the help of sponsers.
The wider community of the local church and friends welcome the newly baptised person, promising suport and prayer for the future.
The promises and words of baptism paint many vivid pictures of what happens on the Christian journey. There is the sign of the cross, which reminds us the Christ died for us. Our 'drowning' in the water of baptism, where we believe we let go of all that is past and begin a new life, in an image which unites us to Chirst's dying and rising again in sign of new life, as Jesus said if you ask I would give you living water.
If you would like to know more about baptism or even explore the bigger questions about life and its purpose then please come and see us at one of our regular acts of worship and we will begin arangements to meet with you and help you prepare for this important step on your journey.