Baptisms

The gift of a child is something to celebrate.  If you would like your local church to be part of this we offer two forms of service for babies and young children.

A Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication:

A short service with prayers of blessing and thanks for your new arrival within a main act of Sunday worship.  Your child can then consider baptism in their own right when they are older.  This service can still include people acting as “prayer parents” for your child.

A Service of Christian Baptism (sometimes called a Christening):

This would usually take place within a Sunday service but on occasions can be held at a separate time depending on circumstances.  It expresses a welcome to the local and worldwide Christian Church, and a sincere intention of the family to be part of the local worshipping community.  Some preparation is required and it involves significant declarations of Christian Faith.  Parents are encouraged (if not already) to come along to a few services prior to the Baptism.

At St Mary’s and St Mark’s, we want to extend an open hand and open door to all families.  In the first instance please contact The church office on 01444 400221 and we will take it from there. Alternatively come along on a Sunday morning and one of our team would be delighted to talk to you

In keeping with the Parish System within the Church of England, we would usually only take requests from people living in the parish, regular worshippers or those with a strong family tie with the church in the past.

For young people and adults who are considering Baptism and/or Confirmation for themselves we run short courses of preparation as required and are delighted to receive enquiries for this.