Baptism of a child

Baptism is also known as Christening. They are the same thing: a sign of welcome into God’s family and a commitment to follow the way of Christ. Parents and Godparents make vows on behalf of children who are too young to make those vows for themselves.

A baptism at St John’s

In bringing your child to be baptised, you are making a wonderful and important step in your journey of faith.  You will need to have thought carefully and done some preparation.  This is where we will be delighted to help you.  None of us have it all ‘sorted’, but we want you to have as good an understanding and experience of the Christian faith as possible.  It’s just like preparing for a wedding: when it comes time to make those important vows you want to really understand you’re doing.

Anyone who lives within the parish can be baptised in this church. If you don’t live locally but have a special link with St John’s you can discuss the possibility of being baptised at St John’s, although we always encourage you to make contact with your local church.

Baptisms can happen within the main Sunday service; or they can happen in the afternoon.  We will discuss with you what is possible.

You must have at least two godparents for your child, and they must have been baptised too.  This is actually a legal requirement in the Church of England.  If prospective godparents are not baptised or are not Christians, again we can help.  However, if parents are baptised they can act as godparents as long as there is one other godparent.  This needn’t be a tricky process, but it can’t be rushed either.

If you simply want to celebrate the arrival of your child, and don’t feel ready to make the vows required at baptism, you may like to consider a Service of Thanksgiving.

For lots more info about baptising your child visit the Church of England’s dedicated website here

If you would like to make an enquiry about a baptism, please get in touch with the church office and we will be happy to discuss your options with you.