Are you thinking about baptism (sometimes called ‘christening’) either for you or for a child of yours? If so, we’d love you to get in touch!
Baptism is one of the Church’s sacraments – a visible sign of God’s love for us. Jesus was himself baptised as he began his own ministry. He told his followers to baptise others as a sign that they had turned away from their old life and begun a new life with him.
In the Church of England, it is common to baptise (or christen) young children. During this service, parents thank God for his gift of life, make a decision to start their child on a journey of faith and godparents promise help and support. The church also promises to welcome the child and to pray for the family.
Whether you are seeking baptism for your child or for yourself, it marks a new start and a decision to follow Jesus Christ within the family of the worldwide Church.
What are the requirements?
If you are considering baptism for yourself or your child in our parish, you will usually need be a regular worshipper at St Leonard’s, or live within our parish boundaries (to check whether you live within our parish boundaries, follow this link).
If you are new to the area, or just haven’t quite got round to visiting St Leonard’s yet, we invite you to come along and join us for a service on a Sunday morning.
When do Baptisms take place?
Baptisms usually take place during, or just after, our normal 9.30am Sunday services. They may occasionally take place at different times and places, by prior arrangement.
How do I arrange a Baptism?
We invite anyone considering baptism to come to a service at church one Sunday morning – You’d be most welcome any week and don’t need to arrange this in advance.
When you visit, we will take some details and arrange a preparation session in which we’ll explore what baptism means and the promises being made.
We like to leave at least two months between making contact with us and the date of the baptism. This allows us to get to know you better and gives you the chance to get to know our church. You will also need to allow time to attend a preparation meeting, which will usually take place within two weeks of the baptism services.
Thanksgivings
You may want to celebrate the gift of a child in a different way without the commitment that baptism involves. During a Thanksgiving service, parents and families give thanks for the birth or adoption of a child. It can take place in church with the congregation, or with just family and friends gathered, or elsewhere such as home, or even in hospital.
There are no promises to make about the Christian faith. The child will be blessed and prayed for, and supporting friends will promise to support the parents in bringing up their baby.
More information
For further enquires and to find out more about booking a baptism, please contact us or, better still, come along to a Sunday Service and have a chat!
For more information about baptism in the Church of England, please click here.
St Leonard's Church, Thrybergh 