We are thrilled you are considering bringing your child for baptism here at St Mary’s Church. It's a key moment in the spiritual life of a child and should be deeply significant for parents and godparents too. We want to give you a warm welcome and to do all we can to make the occasion both enjoyable and meaningful for you and your family.
The Heart of Baptism
At the heart of baptism is the idea that a person is kind of reborn as a new creation, making a commitment to live in the Kingdom of God by following Jesus and experiencing a joyful, loving and living relationship with him, through the gift of the Holy Spirit. When the time is right we desire your child to make that decision for themselves, but for now parents, godparents and the church family make that decision for them, and encourage them on this first step in their journey of faith. So all we say and do in the baptism service symbolises this step of faith.
Preparing for a Baptism
Because we believe baptism is really important, we want to make sure you have the opportunity to understand and reflect on all you will say you believe and promise during the service. So we've designed our baptism preparation around you in 3 simple steps.
1 - Come to a morning service and speak to Rev. Jane our Curate who will arrange to visit your family and book a Thanksgiving in one of our morning services. Often our first response when a child is born is of thankfulness - for safe arrival and health, to those around us and to God. So it’s right that we begin the journey of baptism with a short celebration of thanksgiving where we say some prayers and ask for God’s blessing for your child.
2 - After the thanksgiving, Rev. Jane will meet with you and the godparents at your home to talk through the significance of baptism, things you’ll say and do at the service and answer your questions.
3 - Then we will fix a date and celebrate the baptism day with you.
To enquire about baptism you can also contact us via our contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions - Arranging a Baptism Service
When will the Baptism be?
Baptisms will take place during one of our main 10.30am Sunday services. Please note we don’t tend to book baptisms until you’ve celebrated the Thanksgiving and been a part of the church by attending a few services. Bringing a child for baptism is choosing to join the church, so you can’t do that until you’ve been around long enough to know what we’re all about!
Why 2 Services?
Baptism is a serious commitment, which involves you not only in declaring your own faith, but in making some significant promises on behalf of your child. We want to make sure we’ve given you the best possible opportunity to understand and enjoy what’s going on at the baptism, without delaying the opportunity to celebrate your new arrival - that’s where the Thanksgiving fits.
Who can be a Godparent and how many can I have?
Anyone who has been baptised themselves and shares the Christian faith qualifies to be godparent. You'll want to choose people you would want your children to look up to, who will encourage and support your child in their faith and life in the local church, and pray for them. Note that someone who has not been baptised can still take a part in the service acting as an 'honorary godparent' or 'supporting friend', unless they wish to be baptised themselves first. Traditionally, children have 3 godparents (2 of the same gender as the child). In practice, we can readily accommodate up to 4 godparents of any gender.
Who can be Baptised here at St. Mary's?
Any children of families, or adults, who are resident in Partington or Carrington. The Vicar has sole discretion in other cases.
We’re not Married: does that matter?
No - but we would be delighted to talk to you about a wedding too! The Bible describes marriage as the best environment to bring up children. Who knows? We could even combine the two celebrations in one!!
What does it cost?
The baptism service is free! We just invite families to make a donation to the ministry and upkeep of St. Mary's Church if they would like to.