First baptism at Alconbury Weald Church (A news article written for the Diocese of Ely)
Meet Isaac.
He is very special to us as he’s the first person to be baptised in our pioneering church community in Alconbury Weald, near Huntingdon.
Over 80 people gathered for a very hands-on christening in the local school, Ermine Street Church Academy. Revd Rob Paddison designed the service with activities illustrating different aspects of the liturgy.
Family, friends and neighbours were greeted with compost and tomato seeds:
A reminder to all there that Isaac will need the nurture of his community for his flourishing!
We then thought about uses of water and any Bible stories involving water; one local mum noted ‘the interactive things were a really good way to help the children understand and think about the Bible, even I was amazed how much I knew’.
Other activities included scratch crosses, lantern lighting and making ‘road’ signs for Isaac’s amazing journey ahead; one dad said ‘I thoroughly enjoyed the service. Well done Revd Rob’ and his 10-year old son described it as ‘a very creative service’.
Others noted that it was ‘fun-filled and informative’ ‘great for the community’ and ‘it was nice to see the kids being allowed to move about’.
Isaac’s dad, Simon, said ‘The activities brought the meaning of baptism to life for all ages, to understand and enjoy in a unique way. To top it all off, Isaac enjoyed the celebration by adding a splash of water onto his own head.’
Revd Rob commented: ‘It was great to hear how much people had enjoyed the relaxed, comfortable and community feel and fun of the service. Even my severest critic, my 8 year old son told me he ‘really liked it’.
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General information about Christenings/baptisms can be found on this really helpful Church of England website:
churchofenglandchristenings.org/
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Take the next step
If you wish to explore Christenings/baptisms further at Alconbury Weald Church then please contact Revd Rob, click here.