How do we get our baby christened at St John’s?

 

It’s easy really – just ask us. We don’t make people jump through hoops or go through long processes of preparation before their children are christened at St John’s, but we do try to make sure people understand what it’s all about and why christening happens.

 

‘Christening’ is a common word for the ceremony of Baptism, which is the point of entry into the Christian life. The Church of England christens small children, who can’t answer for themselves, on the understanding that others make their promises for them – their mums, dads and godparents. Adults speaking for a child ought to be able to make the promises  conscientiously; if you’re not sure about what you have to say in the service, it may be better to think about another option. There’s an alternative service of Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child and, if it’s appropriate for you, we can tailor it to your own requirements.

 

Each child being christened needs godparents, people you trust who promise to help you bring them up as Christians and look after them. Godparents should be practising Christians and should at least be baptised themselves (officially they should be confirmed too, but we don’t insist on this). Other friends or relatives can act as ‘sponsors’ if you would like them to be involved. Being a godparent is a serious undertaking and parents should think seriously about their choice. Officially there should be three godparents for each child, but you can have more. If you can’t find three appropriate people, talk to us and we’ll see what we can do.

 

To have your baby christened at St John’s you should either live in our parish or have a close connection with the church. If this isn’t the case, we may ask you to talk to your own parish church – if only to be polite to the Vicar!

 

Contact us to arrange a time to talk about baptising your child.