Baptisms and Confirmation
In baptism, God calls us out of darkness into his marvellous light.
Whenever it happens, whether as a baby, child or adult, baptism is at the heart of an amazing journey of faith as a follower of Jesus Christ. You are never too old to take this step, and being baptised as an adult is a wonderful experience.
Here at St Mary's we offer Baptisms to all those who are seeking a closer relationship with God. Our Baptism services happen during our Sunday Parish Eucharist service on the first Sunday of the month.
Baptism is also known as christening, especially in reference to children, but both are the same and whether you are baptised or christened the service is identical.
During the baptism part of the service those who wish to be baptised will come to the font at the back of church. Here they will receive a sign of the cross in oil on their foreheads followed by the baptism, where they will have water poured on their heads in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. At the end of the service, they will receive a special candle to symbolise the light which Jesus brings into our world
To learn more about christenings, click on this link https://churchofenglandchristenings.org/
Criteria for baptism
Although everyone is welcome to be baptised, there are certain criteria that need to be fulfilled to be able to be baptised at a particular church. You have to live within the parish boundary (you can find your parish by entering your address at A Church Near You) or have a close connection with the church. This can be that you have been attending church consistently for six months (at least twice a month); that your parents (or a child’s grandparents) were married at the church; or if it is a child that wishes to be baptised they can do so if they attend St Mary’s Primary school.
It is part of Church law that Godparents must be baptised and that a child has at least three Godparents (traditionally two men and one women for a boy and two women and a man for a girl). If there is someone who you would like to be a Godparent but they aren’t baptised they can be a sponsor on the day and be part of the service. Parents and godparents make promises to pray for your child and help them on the Christian journey.
Adult baptism - Baptism is a sacrament and the decision to be baptised should not be taken lightly. When you are baptised you are being welcomed into the family of God and are making a commitment to that family. This is why before an adult is baptised they will need to go through baptism classes. These are very informal meetings consisting of conversations about faith, the bible and church traditions.
Confirmation
In the Anglican Church, we offer the sacrament of Confirmation for those who have already been baptised but wish to strengthen and express their further commitment to the Christian faith. Often these are people who have been baptised as children, and wish to assert their faith for themselves as adults; people who have started coming to a Church of England church from other denominations; and people returning to faith after a long gap. Your reasons for wanting to be confirmed are likely to be as unique as you.
As with baptism, we ask that those seeking Confirmation attend church regularly (at least twice a month for six months), and we will meet with you informally - often in a small group - to help you feel prepared for this big step in your life.
