How to go about getting your child baptised

If you would like to have your child baptised then you should contact Revd Mark James (on 01371 859229 or email using the Contact page) in the first instance. You will then be given a leaflet 'Information and Guidance for Families Considering Baptism' which explains how the process works in more detail. Once you have read that, we will arrange for one of the church ministers to visit you at a mutually convenient time.

At St Mary's we offer two different services:

• The Service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child
• The Service of Baptism (sometimes called 'Christening')

If you want to have your child baptised you are first of all asked to come to church for The Service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child. This takes place after any 10.30am morning service at church. This is a very simple service lasting about ten minutes, where we give thanks to God for the safe delivery of the child and for the good health of mother and baby. We also ask God to bless the child and the parents. There is no water used, no godparents are required and no promises are made. It is not a baptism service but is a helpful first step towards baptism.

Once the Service of Thanksgiving has been conducted, parents may then want to proceed to baptism for their child. The Service of Baptism is an occasion where parents and godparents are required to make a public profession of Christian faith and to promise to bring up their child in the Christian faith. For this reason it is not a service to be entered into lightly and we will want to discuss with parents whether this is the right step for them to take. Baptisms take place once a month on either the first or the third Sunday during the main morning service, which begins at 10.30am.