Baptisms

You have a new baby. Congratulations!

You will, naturally, want to do the best for your child as s/he grows up, and many parents consider Baptism (Christening) as one way to give a child a good start in life. In baptism God’s welcome and love is expressed through prayer and through the pouring on of water that has been blessed and through the signing with the cross and giving of a candle. In the case of young children parents and godparents promise to bring the children up in the Christian faith and, ideally prepare them to profess the Christian Faith for themselves by being Confirmed.

At St Andrew’s, we are always happy to discuss Baptism for your child or, indeed, yourself. If you live within the Parish, or attend worship regularly, this can be easily arranged. If you do not live in the parish but have another connection with the Church (e.g. you yourself were Christened or married there) we would normally ask you to discuss the matter with the vicar of the parish where you live.

Baptism marks a spiritual birth into the Christian community. For this reason, we encourage Baptism to take place during our main act of worship on a Sunday when the congregation are there to welcome the newly Baptised. However, where this is not possible for practical reasons, we can arrange for a separate Baptism service afterwards.

When choosing Godparents, please remember that they must have been baptised themselves. The tradition is for two Godparents of the same sex as the child, and one of the opposite sex; however, one of each will do perfectly well, and there is no maximum, but a total of four is common.

There is no fee for a Baptism; however, we invite you to make a contribution to the life and upkeep of the Church.

If you wish to enquire about Baptism in St Andrew’s, please contact the Priest-in-Charge, Revd. John Williams (tel: 01392 824283/07763065131 or e-mail: [email protected])