We love to celebrate new life in Jesus Christ! Whether it be adults coming to faith in Christ for the first time, or children being born and their parents wanting to celebrate and commit them to following Christ.
In the case of children we offer two different services in order to do this, a Baptism (christening) service or a Naming and Thanksgiving service.
Baptism is a symbolic washing by water with prayer. It symbolises the washing away of sin and adoption into God’s family that occurs when someone places their trust in Jesus Christ. As with any symbol it has no significance on its own, but only by what it represents. A Baptism service involves making significant promises regarding your relationship with Jesus Christ and your commitment to Church. In the case of infant baptism it also involves making these promises on behalf of your child. These are great promises and commitments to make, but they require careful thought. We want to make sure you understand them properly and therefore require that you spend time with us before making a decision and setting a date for baptism. You will need to attend Church for 6 months and participate in a 3 week Hope Explored Course. Baptism services take place during one of our regular Church services.
A Naming and Thanksgiving Service on the other hand, doesn’t involve making any specific promises. It is a service giving thanks for your child and asking God’s blessing on them. This can occur during one of the services, or at an alternative time (eg: Sunday afternoon).
You don’t need to decide which type of service you want from the start. The first step is simply to come and join us for Church one Sunday and introduce yourself. We look forward to meeting you and celebrating the wonderful new life that has come into your family.
A note on adult baptism and confirmation:
Of course, baptism isn’t just a thing for babies – and one of our greatest joys is celebrating a person of any age coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We hold ‘confirmation’ services for adults (or youth) who were baptised at infancy and now want to declare their faith as adults, and we also baptise adults who have come to faith in Jesus Christ and were never baptised at infancy.
