Baptism

Great News is worth celebrating well!

One of the most brilliant things which can happen to a family is that moment when a new child arrives. From the start family and friends want to offer the new addition the best of everything in life. The church is also committed to help you celebrate your good news in the best possible way. So, what does the church offer to help you celebrate really well?

Thanksgiving: saying ‘thank you"…

When faced with the wonder of a newborn baby, most new parents talk about having a strong desire to say "thank you" to God, both for a safe delivery and the privilege of parenthood. Our practice in the three churches in Penn Fields Parish is to invite the family, plus significant others, to the next available Sunday service, (you can be given a choice of dates immediately upon request). We include within that service the opportunity to give thanks to God, to name your child, to authorise godparents, and to pray for you as a family. This can be great fun, and is a good opportunity to come to church as a family, perhaps for the first time! Most people follow this special occasion with a great family party.

Our expectation is that Thanksgiving is the start of a spiritual journey for your child, and our hope is that you and your family will chose to attend church regularly to ensure that your child will learn how to follow Jesus all of his or her life

The next step of the spiritual journey…

When families choose to attend church regularly, after a few months they will be invited to consider the next step for their child. This step will either be for a Dedication Service or a Baptism. The two services are both meant to help the child and their family to take another step on their spiritual journey. So what is Dedication and what is Baptism?

Dedication: saying "Lord, my child is yours"...

Dedication is more than just saying "Thank you".  In the Bible there is a well-known character named Joshua who famously said, “as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua was so convinced about his faith in God that he was able to make a decision for his whole family, that all of them would be dedicated to the Lord’s service for ever.

Dedication means just that. If your family is faithfully committed to follow and serve God, then you may choose to dedicate your child to God. Dedication also takes place within the context of a Sunday service, and of course it is another great reason to invite family and friends to pray and party together.
Some parents choose dedication, in the full knowledge that at some time in the future, their child will choose to be baptised as an independent sign of their commitment to Jesus.

Baptism: saying ‘I promise….’

At the heart of a child’s baptism is the commitment of parents and godparents to put God at the centre of their child's life, and at the centre of their own lives. In a similar way to Dedication, Baptism makes very big demands on those people who are given responsibility for the child, because they are making declarations and promises about commitment to Christ and faithfulness to the church.

No one is expected to make these promises without very careful consideration and prayer. As a consequence, Dedication and Baptism are offered to people who have decided to make church an important part of their family life.

Preparing for Dedication or Baptism…

It is clear that Dedication and Baptism is about making the decision to put God at the centre of your life. To help do this, we offer a number of opportunities in a relaxed and informal environment for parents and others to think about what this means. These groups - variously called the "Welcome Group" or "START", normally take place one evening a week, over a 5 or 6-week period. Over the course we'll look at basic issues of life and faith, and think more about who Jesus is and what it means to follow him. We think this is immensely important, and so ask that parents make this a commitment. Experience suggests that when both parents attend together they get more out of it.

This is also the time to think about godparents for your child. Being a godparent isn't about being legal guardians. Rather the role of a godparent is to be a role-model and a support to the child in their spiritual life with God. It is essential that godparents have been baptised, as is also the case for parents. If they aren't baptised, then why not invite them along to church with you, so that when you are invited to attend a preparation course, they can be invited too.

What next....?

Give us a call, or email and we will arrange for someone to come and talk to you about your child’s Thanksgiving. We can arrange the date with you and you will be able to plan for your invitations without delay.

For further information please contact the Penn Fields Parish office:

Tel: 01902-341943

E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it