Thanksgiving services are special services that give you an opportunity to give thanks for your new baby / child. These services normally take place on a Sunday afternoon.
At the service we will sing songs, pray for God’s protection over your child and anoint him / her with oil. We will also give you a gift of a gospel, a certificate and light a candle for your child(ren).
At the service you will not be asked to make a declaration of faith (i.e. that you believe and trust in God the Father/ Jesus his Son and God the Holy Spirit) nor will you be asked to say that you will bring your child to church on a regular basis (although you and your child would be very welcome to join in with the fun at 11.15 and we would love it if you could come along at least once before the service). Instead of making the baptismal promises you and your child’s sponsors (like God parents) will be asked the following questions:
Do you receive X as a gift from God?
We do.
Do you wish to give thanks to God and seek his blessing?
We do.
Other children in the family may be included and may want to make there own promises:
As a big sister, will you promise to love and care for X as God loves and cares for you?
With the help of God I will
If you choose to have a Thanksgiving Service, you may also have a Baptism service for your child at a later date.
Christening (normally called baptism in the church) is the special service where we welcome someone into the church family and thank God for them. At this service you will promise to bring your child up as a Christian and bring them to church regularly. If this is something you are uncomfortable with you should consider a thanksgiving service.
Both adults and children can be baptised. Adults will make their own promises to God; parents of children who are not old enough to make those promises for themselves, make the promises on their child’s behalf.
Baptism is an important event, and it takes time to prepare, so Becky (the vicar) will meet with you to explain the service.
To book your child’s Christening please complete this form