Christenings/Baptism

Baptism (“christening”) is a way of symbolising God’s love, care and call on a person’s life.

 When we have a baby baptised (in a “christening” service), we are saying that our greatest wish for them would be for them to grow up knowing God’s love in Jesus for themselves and to follow him throughout their lives. The service therefore asks parents and godparents to say in front of the congregation that they themselves are followers of Jesus and that they are going to bring their child up as a member of the Christian church.

If you do not feel you would be happy making the statements and promises involved in baptism, but would still like a service to say ‘Thank You’ for the gift of your child then you might want to consider a Service of Thanksgiving.    This is still an appropriate service to invite family and friends to a celebration of your baby’s birth.

 It’s not just for babies and children – anyone of any age who has not been baptised, may decide for themselves that they would like to be baptised. If you have come to accept that Jesus Christ is Lord and would like to make that spiritual reality ‘public’, with a service of Baptism, then please talk to a member of the clergy.

 For enquiries regarding christening / baptism or a thanksgiving service, the place to start is your parish church; check here to find details of your parish.   For St Nicholas Church, please contact our Parish Administrator.  If you are not familiar with the church you are welcome to call in and see us on a Sunday morning.

 These services can take place during the normal 10am Sunday worship service or at 12 noon on a Sunday, although we do not usually hold baptisms on the first Sunday of a month.   St. Nicholas Church does not charge for these services.

To read more about baptism in general visit the Church Of England website and churchofenglandchristenings.org to discover all you need to know about choosing, planning and going to a Church of England christening.