Thanksgiving and baptism for babies

It’s hard to imagine a runner starting a race in the middle.

Baptism is an obvious way of beginning at the beginning for your child – starting as you hope he or she might go on, as a member of God’s family. 

Of course, it is impossible at the moment for your child to have any say in all this.  But as parents you naturally want to give him or her the best start in everything, and a crucial part of that is recognising that God is involved in his/her life from the word go.

Baptism is not an easy option, as you’ll see from the outline below. So at St Peter’s we have a two-stage welcome for babies.  First we invite you to bring your child to a normal 10.30am service on a Sunday, where you can publicly say thank you to God and the minister will say a prayer of blessing over him/her.

For some parents that feels enough to be going on with.  But when you are ready you are welcomed back for a full Baptism, again at a 10.30am Sunday service so that your child can be welcomed by the church family.

During the service both you and the child’s godparents will be asked to make a public declaration of your own faith and trust in God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Then you will be able confidently to give undertakings during the service that your child, too, will be brought up at home in a way that reflects those beliefs.  We all know that the best way to teach is by example.

For more information about arranging an initial thanksgiving service, contact one of the clergy.

Baptism for adults

We are delighted every so often when an adult who has missed out on baptism as a baby comes to faith and decides to be baptised.  In recent months we have seen both sprinkling at the font and total immersion in a pool (though for this last we have to borrow another church’s building).  Again – do ask the clergy.