Baptisms or Thanksgiving 

Baptism

Baptism for babies and children takes place in a service often called a Christening.  In this service parents thank God for his gift of life, make a decision to start their child on a journey of faith and godparents promise help and support.  The church also promises to welcome the child and to pray for the family.

For your child, being baptised marks the start of a lifelong journey of faith as part of the local and worldwide Christian family.

At St Paul’s, baptisms take place during our normal 10:30am Sunday service, approximately once per month.

If you are considering baptism for your child or for yourself, please do come and chat to a member of the clergy about it.

 

Thanksgiving Service

Some parents might want to celebrate the gift of a child in a different way without the commitment that baptism involves.  During the Thanksgiving service parents and families give thanks for the birth or adoption of a child and everyone prays for family life.

A Thanksgiving Service is not a Baptism.  There are no promises to make about the Christian faith.  The child will be blessed and prayed for, and supporting friends will promise to support the parents in bringing up their baby.

At St Paul’s we can offer a service of thanksgiving at relatively short notice during our normal 10:30am Sunday service.

If you are considering a service of thanksgiving for your child, please do come and chat to a member of the clergy about it.