Baptism and Thanksgiving Services

Baptism is one of the most important services we hold in the Church and is a visible sign of God’s love.

We offer baptism to anyone who comes to believe in Jesus, and this is often performed by full immersion. We also offer baptism to the infants of parents with a confident faith. For parents who are less certain of their faith, but understand that every child is unique and is a gift from God, a thanksgiving service is a more appropriate alternative. 

When adults are baptised they make promises for themselves and when infants are baptised, parents and godparents make promises in the sight and presence of God about what they believe and how they intend to bring up their child. 

Decisions taken by Candidates, Parents & Godparents

• To reject evil and rebellion against God
• To turn to Christ as your Saviour
• To follow Christ in your daily lives

Later in the baptism service there's a Profession of Faith saying that you believe in God the Father - creator of heaven and earth, God the Son – Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.  If you're happy to make these commitments personally (and as parents and godparents to say also that you intend to encourage your child towards the same belief ) then the Baptism service is for you.

In the case of infants, if you'd prefer your child to make their own personal commitment when they're older, or feel that you can't make this profession of faith, then we'd always encourage parents to look to the thanksgiving service which is a beautiful way to celebrate the birth of your child, thanking God for them and asking for his blessing.

When are services of Baptism and Thanksgiving held? 

One of the important aspects of these services is welcoming those who are being baptised into the family of believers. As such, we hold Baptisms and Thanksgivings as part of our regular Sunday morning worship, when the church family are gathered and can extend that welcome and support those who are being welcomed through baptism and thanksgiving.

We usually have our services of Baptism or Thanksgiving on the fourth Sunday of each month, at our 10.30am service.

How can I arrange a service of Baptism or Thanksgiving?

If you’re interested in baptism or thanksgiving, please give the office a call on 01608 646202 and you’ll be put in touch with a member of the Baptism team to arrange a time to meet and chat during a 10.30 Sunday morning service. Alternatively, pop along to any 10.30 Sunday service at St Mary’s and talk to the vicar who will gladly discuss this with you. We look forward to meeting you!