Thinking about baptism?

Want to know more?

The Heart of Baptism.

 Baptism is a wonderful opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to God for the birth of your child. It is also a great opportunity for you as parents to start your child on the journey of Christian faith, and to commit yourselves to travel with your child on that journey. This is why, in the baptism service, you will be asked to confirm your willingness to help your child.

•  Will you pray for your child, draw him/her by your example into the community of faith and walk with him/her in the way of Christ?
•   Will you care for your child, and help him/her to take his/her place within the life and worship of Christ’s Church?

In the case of both questions, you (and your godparents) will be expected to answer, ‘With the help of God, we will’.

But because having your child baptised implies you yourself are on this same journey, you (and your godparents) will also be asked about your own beliefs and willingness to live the Christian life.

• Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?
• Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil?
• Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour?
• Do you turn to Christ as Saviour?
• Do you submit to Christ as Lord?
• Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life?

What, though, if you are not sure you are ready to make these BIG commitments? It may be that a ‘Service of Thanksgiving’ is just what you are looking for.

A Service of Thanksgiving

A ‘Service of Thanksgiving’ usually (although not always) takes place during a Sunday morning service. It still allows you to say ‘thank you’ to God for your child, but does not require you to make the much bigger promises of the baptism service. Thanksgiving also gives the rest of the church family an opportunity to pray for you, as well as to commit to do all they can to help your child come to know God’s love.

If you sense that, for the time being, a Service of Thanksgiving would be a better choice for you, but in the longer term you would still like your child to be baptised, why not take the opportunity to find out more about Christian faith? Alpha is one such opportunity.

Alpha

Alpha is a one-term programme to help adults consider different aspects of what it means to be a Christian. The emphasis is on food and discussion! The format is very informal, with no question considered too stupid or concern too small. It is our experience that parents who decide to do Alpha find that their understanding is helped, and their desire to honour the commitments they make at the baptism of their child increased.

The Process Leading to Baptism

The process we have adopted in the Parish of South Gillingham (the four geographical areas of Bredhurst, Hempstead, Parkwood and Wigmore) is intended to give you maximum opportunity to ask questions and explore doubts.

Baptism Visitor

In the first instance we aim for each family to be contacted by a ‘baptism visitor’. This is not usually a member of the clergy, but an able member of the church who has been authorised to visit people such as yourselves. The visitor will be a friendly point of contact for you, as well as try to address any questions you may have.

Baptism Preparation

This takes place on a weekday evening at St Paul’s, Parkwood, from 8.00-9.00pm. Our Parish Administrator, Sandra Wyatt, as well as your baptism visitor, will be able to tell you the date of the next preparation evening. The Baptism Preparation evening, as the name suggests, is an opportunity to think through further the meaning of baptism and the commitments you will be making. It is also an opportunity to ask for further clarification on any parts of the baptism service, which do not make sense to you! The evening is informal and interactive; the more discussion the better! Where possible, we encourage you to leave your child with a baby-sitter; this is a rare opportunity for you to have time to think without interruption! 

What, though, if this is not your first time? You may have been to us previously for the baptism of someone in your family. In which case, you may wonder whether you need to do baptism preparation again?

Generally speaking, we suggest ‘yes’. At such an important time in your (and your child’s) life, it is good to be reminded of the essentials, and there is always more to learn. Also, parents attending preparation for the first time can learn from you (this is a great example of what it means to be church!).

Thanksgiving

We ask you to bring your child for Thanksgiving, whether or not you intend to proceed to baptism. We normally find that where parents feel ready and able to proceed to baptism, one or two immediate family or friends come to this service, rather than the much wider group of family and friends who come to the baptism itself. If, on the other hand, you want Thanksgiving only, it may be that you want to make this more of an occasion by inviting a good many friends and family.

The Baptism Service

Having attended Baptism Preparation and Thanksgiving, baptism is the next stage as long as you feel ready for the commitment you will be making. Please speak with the vicar of your local church to arrange a suitable date. Because the process is intended to help you think through whether baptism is right for you, it will probably not be appropriate to ask your vicar to fix a date before you have had a Thanksgiving.

A Word about Godparents!

We have talked so far about the commitments that you, as parents whose child is to be baptised, will be making. However, what is true of you is equally true of godparents - they make the same commitments as you in the baptism service. What this means is that your choice of godparents will be influenced as much by their own Christian commitment as their friendship with you. Indeed, godparents must themselves be baptised. Please note that the minimum required is two godparents; there is no maximum although we recommend three or four as being a suitable number! Please let our Parish Administrator have details of your godparents at least a week before the date of your child’s baptism.

Regular Church

It is certainly true that you don’t need to go to church to be a Christian. However, you cannot live the Christian life without the encouragement of others (none of us can!), which is why the Bible assumes Christian believers will want to be part of a church fellowship. What this means for you, only you can decide. If you are a little uncertain, why not start off by aiming to be at church once a month, perhaps at an All-age Family Service? You may also like to ask your baptism visitor or local vicar for details of our Sunday groups for children, groups, which provide teaching and activities, appropriate to the different age groups.

Data Protection

We keep the information you give us on the Parish Database. This helps us to keep in touch with you after the Thanksgiving and Baptism Services. We have been pleased to share with you in these special occasions and we should like to be able to invite you to special events or services some time in the future.

All information is confidential and for Parish use only. It will not be passed on to anyone else.

If you would prefer not to be included in our computerised records, or would like to see the information we hold, please get in touch with the Parish Administrator.

Details of Main Sunday Services

St Peter’s, Bredhurst: 11.00am
Family Service: Second Sunday in the month

All Saints, Hempstead: 9.30am
Children’s Service: First Sunday in the month at 11.00am

St Paul’s, Parkwood: 11.00am
Family Service: Third Sunday in the month

St Matthew’s, Wigmore: 9.30am
Family Service: First Sunday in the month

NB Although the above is our regular pattern, details may vary for special occasions. Please check with the relevant church.

Clergy

For further information, please contact your baptism visitor or local vicar, or our Parish Administrator, Miss Sandra Wyatt at:

The Parish Office
St Matthew’s Church
Drewery Drive
Wigmore
Gillingham
Kent ME8 0NX

Telephone and Fax: 01634 231736
Email: office@parishofsgill.freeserve.co.uk

http://www.southgillingham.diocese-rochester.org

A helpful reminder...

A copy of this document can be downloaded below:-