Baptism

Many people are baptised as babies (often called ‘christening’, it’s the same thing). Some people are baptised later on in life. There’s no right or wrong time; some people make the decision for themselves as teenagers or adults.

For small children, the decision’s made for them and baptism is a permanent blessing. The action can’t be cancelled or repeated. So parents might want to think about whether this decision should left to the child. If that’s the case, a service of dedication is an alternative, here your child can be blessed, and parents and others acting in the same way as godparents, still make similar promises as in the baptism service.

We like to baptise on Sundays at our regular services, because baptism is about welcoming the person into the church community but it’s not always appropriate. Talk to us and we’ll sort out something that’s right for you and your family.

If you’d like to talk about baptism for yourself or your child, get in touch with one of our Church Wardens.

There’s more information on the Diocesan website.

Wedding

A wedding is a special day and we’d love you to have yours with us (you’ll need a qualifying connection*).

Christian marriage is blessed by God. It’s a serious commitment, and the promises you make to each other are for life.

Over half the population believe that Church is the right place to come. Recently it has become even easier to marry in the church of your choice. Over 53,000 couples get married in Church of England churches every year.

If you’d like to talk about arranging a wedding, get in touch with one of our Church Wardens and they’ll contact you to arrange a meeting. You’ll probably have lots of questions, so the Church of England has a weddings website with information about the service, suggestions for music and much more.

*find out if you’ve got a ‘qualifying connection‘

Funeral

A funeral marks the close of a human life on earth. It’s the chance for friends and family to express their grief; to give thanks for the life which has now completed its journey in this world; and to commend the person into God’s keeping.

A funeral service in the Church of England – whether in a parish church or a crematorium chapel – may be very short and quiet with only a few members of the family present. Or it can be an occasion of great solemnity with music, hymns and a packed church. Whatever you choose, the words and actions all speak of a loving God and the preciousness to him of every human being.

If you would like to talk about arranging a funeral, get in touch with one of our Church Wardens