Baptisms / Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child

If you are reading this page shortly after the birth of a new baby, congratulations!  As your local parish church, we are delighted to celebrate with you and would love to support you and your child as you grow into being a family together.


Baptism

"Baptism marks the beginning of a journey with God, which continues for the rest of our lives, the first step in response to God's love." (Church of England, Christian Initiation, Additional Baptism Texts in Accessible Language, 2015)


Baptism of Babies / Christening

If you live in the parish, you are entitled to have your baby baptised in the parish church, and we shall be delighted to welcome you. At Holy Trinity with St John's, baptisms take place by arrangement during the 10:30am service at our St John's Site.

Your first step will be to come to a 10:30am service and make yourself known to Jessica or to one of the service leaders. We will then arrange to meet with you and to talk to you about the meaning and commitment of baptism, and to agree a date and time.

If you do not live in the parish but have a strong and current connection with Holy Trinity with St John's, it may be possible for your baby to be baptised here as long as your own parish priest gives permission. If you wish to enquire further, please come to a 10:30am service and make yourself known to Jessica or to a service leader.

Baptism of an older child

If your child is old enough to speak for themselves, and you would like to have them baptised, it will be important that they understand what the service is about and what the promises mean. In addition to the steps outlined above, therefore, we would expect you to come to church with your child on Sundays and for your child to join in with our children's groups before beginning a conversation around times and dates for a service.

Broadly, the pattern regarding residence in the parish and the preparation for baptism is the same as for babies, but there will need to be greater discussion around individual circumstances.

Baptism of Adults and Teenagers

More and more adults are asking for baptism as they discover the riches of the Christian faith and the joy of Christian community. Baptism as an adult or a teenager is a joyful moment and also a big commitment. Everybody's needs are different, but if you are not already attending church regularly, we would expect you to do so over a period of time before taking this step. If possible, we would encourage you to get involved with one of our Home Groups, before beginning a discussion around times and dates for a service.

In the Church of England, Baptism and Confirmation for adults or teenagers usually happen in the same service or are closely linked. Preparation for Adult Baptism will include preparation for Confirmation.


Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child (Dedication)

If you live in the parish and would like to mark the birth of your child but do not want at this time to make the promises and commitments involved in baptism, or if you would like to wait until your child is old enough to make these promises for themselves, we would be delighted to offer Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child during any 10:30am service.

This is an opportunity for the church to give thanks with you for your baby, and to pray for God's blessing on them and for you at this joyful but momentous time in your lives.

If you would like to know more about any of these services, please do contact Jessica, the vicar, by completing this form.