A Christening is the first step of an amazing journey with God, parents, godparents, friends, family, and the church. A lifetime of discovering about love, faith and hope begins – a wonderful moment to celebrate.
At a christening your child will be baptised with water. This is the heart of your child’s christening.
Christening is a declaration of faith, made on behalf of the child and there are several special moments in the service.
- The Vicar will pray for your child and all who will support them in their path of faith.
- Parents and godparents will make some important promises for your child in the service.
- A special oil will be used to make the sign of the cross on your child’s forehead. It’s a significant moment, which marks your child as belonging to God.
- Water, which is blessed in the church’s font, will be poured over your child’s head by the vicar. This is your child’s baptism.
- Everyone promises to continue supporting your child in their faith journey from this moment.
- A candle will be given to you in the service when the vicar says: “Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God”
The role of godparents.
- In the service, the godparents make promises to share the amazing journey of the Christian faith, to pray for your child and to show them ways to grow in love and faith.
- Because of the very special role they have in supporting your child’s faith journey, godparents should be christened themselves. It is usual to choose at least 3 godparents, although this can be flexible, parents can also be godparents.
When will the service be ?
To fully welcome your child into the family of God, Christenings services can be part of the regular Sunday morning service on most weeks of the year, with all family and friends welcome.
Other Christening and services of thanksgiving are held in the afternoon on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month.
It maybe that you as parents, or your Godparents don’t feel ready yet to make the Public Promises in the Baptism service. Another option is a special simple Service of Thanksgiving which might feel more comfortable.
If you are exploring the idea of a christening or service of thanksgiving, we would love to hear from you, so please contact us for an informal chat
Phone 01268 289771 (answerphone) Email office@standrewholycross.org