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Thinking About Baptism? Want to Know More?
The Parish of South Gillingham, Kent |
 Rochester Diocese |
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
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 one of our churches
from 8.00-9.00pm. The Parish Administrator or your baptism
visitor, will be able to tell you the date of the next preparation evening.
The Baptism Preparation evening is, as the name suggests 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.
Contact details are in the Who's Who' page.
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 Our Main Services
Click the link to take you to a listing of the
Sunday and other services througout the parish.
Other services for special events and festivals are highlighted on the Parish Home Page.
You may wish to print this page and note relevant information below.
Name of Baptism Visitor
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Telephone Number of Baptism Visitor
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Date of Next Baptism Preparation
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Date of Next Thanksgiving
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