Christenings are very special and joyful exciting part of every family’s life. It’s when we get to celebrate the arrival of a new life, join with family and friends and maybe even have a party! They are also deeply spiritual moments, in which a child is named before God and made a member of the Christian faith through baptism- the sprinkling of water.
In a christening, we will pray for your child, for you and for your godparents, that you may all know and be aware of God’s presence in your lives.
If you’d like to book a christening, please phone Becky Mathew on 01332 550224. Becky’s rest day is a Friday, so please leave a recorded message if she’s unavailable.
What happens next?
Vicar Becky will take you through a booking form which includes asking you for your contact information and the name of your godparents. Christenings are booked on Sundays only and you’ll be offered a choice between coming along to a morning service for the Christening to take place or after the morning service which may also include another christening family.
Godparents
There are few requirements in regards to godparents:
* They need to have been baptised/christened themselves (in any Christian church)
* There should be at least three.
* They should ideally be over the age of 16.
This no legal commitment for god-parents to be legal guardians, arrangements for this would normally be made by a Will.
A godparent should be someone who you trust, who will keep in touch with your family for years to come and who will be there to talk to your child about the bigger questions in life… Because of the very special role they have in specifically supporting your child’s faith journey, godparents should be baptised themselves.
Please talk to Vicar Becky if you have any questions about choosing godparents.
FAQ
How long is the service?
You should expect the service to take approximately an hour, this does depend on how many christenings are taking place.
How much does it cost?
There is no charge for a service.
Yourselves and your guests might like to make a donation towards the costs of heating and lighting, insurance and administration. There will be a plate at the back of church in which cash and/or cheques may be left. You may prefer to donate online.
Can we take photos?
You can take as many photos as you like after the service has taken place, and there will be an opportunity to pose around the font should you wish to gather family together.
What if my child gets agitated?
We are here to help, so if you need to feed, change or console a child, please go ahead. We have toilets and baby changing facilities onsite and are BF friendly. If you have any concerns please talk to Vicar Becky.
Is there car-parking?
Yes, there is on street parking outside of church and a car-park adjacent to our building.
Some of our guests are BSL users
If you can let us know in advance we can help arrange an interpreter. There are a number of Christian interpreters who donate their services voluntarily. We regularly have a BSL interpreter at our All Age service on the 2nd Sunday of the month at St Paul’s in Quarndon.
Afterwards
You’ll be invited to an All-Age service so that the church family can also formally welcome yourselves and your little one.
We will also ask for your consent to contact you about any future events or services that you may like to attend
GDPR 2018
As of May 2018 new Data Privacy Laws (GDPR) came in operation which affects how we can handle private data. All data within our Church is handled and stored in accordance with GDPR. With Church bookings including christenings it is necessary we hold some information of yourselves to fulfill such duties. We have a Privacy notice which details how we handle such data here.