SPECIAL NOTE:
The church is open and we can offer Baptisms, Christenings and Thanksgiving Services.
To enquire about arranging a Baptism, Christening or Thanksgivng Service please complete our online form.
Christenings and Baptisms
Your child is precious to you and precious to God. You want the very best for them, and so does God. You want them to make right choices in life, for themselves and for others.
A christening is just the beginning of this and so much more.
Over the years to come, it’s a journey you’ll share together with your child by:
- Being there for your child to talk to about the bigger questions of life – questions about hope, faith and love.
- Praying for your child through the ups and downs of their faith journey.
- Showing them practically how to make those good choices in life.
- Helping them to learn more about their Christian faith, through their church and in other ways.
So it’s a commitment to start as you mean to go on.
You can have your child baptised at a christening regardless of whether or not you, the parents, are baptised.
It is only the godparents who are required to be baptised, (so the only time a parent would have to be baptised is if they were also acting as a godparent).
Godparents
Choosing the right people as godparents for your child is a big decision. Here are some key things which might help you decide:
- Godparents will be people who’ll be in touch with your family for many years to come. They may be relatives or friends of the family.
- They’ll be people who you know you can trust and who’ll be there for your child to talk about the bigger questions in life; questions about faith, hope and love.
- They should feel ready to make some big promises about faith for your child in church.
- Every child should have at least three godparents, two of the same sex and at least one of the opposite sex to your child. Although there is no official maximum number of godparents, three or four is usual. If you’d like more than that, talk to your vicar about the practicalities and they’ll be pleased to advise.
- Parents may be godparents for their own children, providing they have at least one other godparent.
- Because of the very special role they have in supporting your child’s faith journey, godparents must be baptized themselves. Ideally they should be confirmed too, but check with the vicar about local policy on this.
- If you’re thinking about asking someone who is under 18 to be a godparent, talk to your vicar first.
- There’s no minimum age for godparents, but they must be mature enough to understand the responsibilities they’re taking on; your vicar can help you decide if this is the right choice for your child and the young godparent.
Cost
The good news is that a christening service is free. ( If you have a private service there is a £25 charge for preparing and cleaning the church for you.)
There may be costs for your family party afterwards, so you may need to budget for hire of a venue and refreshments.
You may also like to buy your child a christening gift to mark the ocassion.
Service
Christenings usually take place during the Sunday services, either the traditional 9.30am Informal family service or the tradtiational 11am service, so that the whole congregation can offer a warm welcome to you and your family.
There may be opportunities to have a service at a different time, again usually on a Sunday, please contact us at St Luke’s for advice on what is possible.
The Church of England welcomes all babies, children and families for christenings – whatever shape that family takes.
Who can be baptised
You do not have to be married or have been a regular churchgoer – as a parent, you do not even have to have been baptised yourself – though you could be…
Get baptised or confirmed as an adult or young person
You are never too old to take this step!
You may have been baptised at a christening when you were a child or in a different Christian tradition, and there are always special ways to renew the promises that were made then in a fresh way as you discover more about what it means to live them out in your life.
Please contact the Church Office for more details on an Adult Baptism or Confirmation:
01590 682358