Thanksgiving Services

Thanksgiving services are special services that give you an opportunity to give thanks for your new baby / child. These services may 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 any church services or activities 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

As a big sister, will you pray for him and play with him?With the help of God I will As a big sister, help teach him new things and show him the wonder of God’s world?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.

Christenings

Christening (normally called baptism in the church) is the special service where we welcome someone into the church family and thank God for them and so this usually takes place as part of our regular Sunday morning services, usually on the third Sunday of the month. 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. 

We also offer baptism and reaffirmation of baptismal vows by full immersion.

Baptism is an important event, and it takes time to prepare, so Revd Jenny (the vicar) will meet with you to explain the service and the journey towards this special milestone.