Baptism at St Mark's
Baptism is a sign of a new beginning, where we thank God for his gift of life and publicly acknowledge Gods love. In the Church of England we baptise babies and children as well as adults. Baptism is sometimes known as christening.
Jesus was baptised in the river Jordan and asked his followers to continue the tradition.
When a baby or child is baptised, adults make promises to bring them up to know and follow Jesus. Adults who are baptised make promises to follow Jesus, in their words, thoughts and actions. This is the beginning of a life-long journey that will help each person to follow Jesus more closely.
As these declarations of faith are made, the church congregation promises to support and pray for you, and those being baptised.
Q&A
There is no difference. Both refer to the same service.
It is usual to have between two and four Godparents who must be baptised and ideally, confirmed. Godparents should be mature enough to understand their special role of encouraging your child’s spiritual life.
The Baptism will usually take place at 1pm on the fourth Sunday of the month. The Baptism may take place at a service when other children who are also being baptised.
Yes! The preparation for the Baptism provides an opportunity for you to ask questions and consolidate your own faith.
No one should feel pressured into saying things they don’t mean. If you are not comfortable with the promises of baptism you may prefer the Service of Thanksgiving and Blessing. If one of your godparents does not feel able to make the promises, they can act as a “sponsor” – standing with you at the baptism, but not under obligation to make any public statement of faith.
Definitely! God welcomes each child and every person who comes to him as so does St Mark’s.
There is no charge for Baptism. Some families like to leave an offertory or thanksgiving and a plate is left out for this purpose. This is a purely voluntary gift.
There is a special, but simple, service called Thanksgiving, when you can ask for God’s blessing and pray for your baby. It’s different from a baptism and can be used as a way to say thank you to God for your child.
It is possible to have this service instead of a baptism if you decide that now isn’t the right time to have your child baptised or if you don’t feel comfortable with the promises of baptism.
Why not chat to our team who will be able to help you decide which is right for you and your family?
We invite you to come along to a Sunday service. let the welcomers know you are here and chat to one of the clergy team about baptism. They will give you a link to complete the baptism form and register with us.