Baptism is a happy and special event; usually the first ‘formal’ event in a child’s life and it provides an opportunity for all the family, relatives and friends to come together. We are pleased to be able to share it with you. We have found that people celebrating baptism at our churches enjoy the service. We hope that your baby's baptism will be a wonderful and memorable occasion and that it will mark the beginning of a long and happy association with our church.
This information will help you with some of the questions which surround baptism or Christening (Christian-making) as some prefer to call it. We do not put pressure upon parents or make them feel guilty about coming to church, but sometimes a baptism can remind us of how much we have let our own Christian life slip. It can be an opportunity to affirm our trust in God and to make a fresh start. We hope that the welcome you receive will encourage you to feel a part of our church.
When Jesus was baptised in the River Jordan he became aware of God as his Father and felt the special presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, it was a turning point in his life. After his death and resurrection Jesus commanded his followers to make new disciples and baptise them too. This has been done ever since by Christians throughout the world.
Most parents feel a need to say ‘thank you’ to someone for the wonderful gift of their child, that ‘someone’ is of course the God who gives life to us all. Jesus told his disciples to baptise people who wanted to become Christians and join the church.
Baptism is not like an insurance policy which you take out to make sure that your baby goes to heaven, God loves your child just as much now as after the baptism service. However it does make sense to give your child the very best start in life and what could be better than to encourage them from the very earliest days to be open to God and to know of His love for them.
In the baptism service we also pray that one day they will want as adults to stand up for themselves to confirm the baptism vows which have been made on their behalf: this is called Confirmation. If you would like a chance to think more about the Christian faith then you may like to join one of our beginners groups which attract people of all ages and can lead to confirmation. Please ask the ministers for more details.
Our Baptisms take place during one of our Sunday services.
Baptisms take place during a service of worship because the congregation of the church is asked “Members of the Body of Christ, who are now in his name to receive this child, will you promise to maintain the common life of worship and service that all the children among you may grow in grace and in the knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord?” Thus the congregation is promising you and your child that it will provide facilities and support for his/her Christian upbringing. This promise is made on behalf of all churches.
After the congregation’s promises, parents and Godparents are asked to stand up and declare their own Christian faith. It is important to make sure that you can make these promises and only you can truthfully know that. If you have any difficulty we will discuss the promises with you; if you feel unable to say these things then perhaps you would prefer a service of Thanksgiving for the child and a naming ceremony. The choice is yours but a baptism is a very important occasion and not to be undertaken lightly.
Parents and godparents are invited to gather around the font, one family at a time. Please bring this order of service with you. The minister says to the parents and godparents:
You have
brought this child to baptism. You must now declare before God and His
Church the Christian faith into which she/he is to be baptised, and in which
you will help her/him to grow. You must answer for yourself and for her/him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Father, who made the world?
Answer: I believe and trust in him
Do you believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ, who redeemed mankind?
Answer: I believe and trust in him
Do you believe and trust in his Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of
God?
Answer: I believe and trust in him
The minister says to the congregation
This is the
faith of the Church.
All say: This is our faith. We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and
Holy Spirit.
There are then three questions about the way you intend to live your life. Parents and Godparents make the promises for themselves and also for the child. They apply to their own lives and on behalf of the children for whom they will be responsible. Here are the questions with a short explanation;
Question 1 Do
you turn to Christ?
Answer: I turn to Christ
I want to change direction. I accept that my life is not totally my own. I acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and I will try to follow his teaching and his guidance for my life day by day.
Question 2 Do
you repent of your sins?
Answer: I repent of my sins
I'm sorry about the past and I know that I am accountable to God for my actions and thoughts. I can never be perfect but as I admit what is wrong he forgives and accepts me.
Question 3 Do
you renounce evil?
Answer: I renounce evil
I know that I sometimes have to make choices between good and evil. I want to set the evil behind me and from now on I will always try to choose the good.
When the minister baptises the child he will ask what name you have chosen. This will be the Christian name for the child for the rest of its life. The minister takes the child and says: N., I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Water is a sign of cleansing and also an important sign of life. Water symbolises how we are all washed clean by God and forgiven and accepted by Him. As we cannot live without water so this sign reminds us that we also need the cleansing and renewing presence of God in our lives.
The minister will make the sign of the cross on the forehead of the child using the water.. This is a sign to remind us of how Christ died for each one of us on the cross. As Christ died for us so we are now signed with the cross -the badge of our faith - to remind us that we must not be ashamed to profess our faith and fight against all that is evil.
Minister: I
sign with the cross, the sign of Christ. Do not be ashamed to confess the
faith of Christ crucified.
The congregation says: Fight valiantly under the banner of Christ against
sin, the world and the devil, and continue his faithful soldier and servant
to the end of your life.
Following the baptism a lighted candle is given and the minister says,
Receive this
light ... this is to show that you have passed from darkness to light.
All say: Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father.
The child will be presented with a small candle to show that in baptism we pass from darkness to light. Jesus is described in the Bible as the light of the world and as Christians we are to shine as lights in the world. Our world needs now more than ever for us to all reject the ways of darkness and follow Christ in the Christian faith.
At the end of the baptism the congregation joins to says,
'We welcome you
into the Lord's family. We are members together of the body of Christ;
we are children of the same heavenly Father;
we are inheritors of the kingdom of God. We welcome you'.’
A permanent record of the baptism with family details is recorded in the official registers of the church. A copy of this is given in the form of a special certificate which the church has printed, as a reminder of this day.
You will need to consider names of godparents and these will be included in the church register and the baptism certificate. Being asked to be a godparent is always a real privilege and shows that you have a special place in the family, but there are expectations and responsibilities too. You are asked to promise that you will love and encourage the child in the Christian faith by prayer, example and teaching.
Parents should not feel pressurised to choose the wrong people but try to find people who can make the promises and mean them. Remember there is no right or wrong number of godparents; have as many or as few as you wish. Godparents often buy a small present for the child; they should remember that this is a Christian occasion and so perhaps buy the child a children's Bible or story book of Bible stories.