What a christening means
Your child is precious to you and precious to God. You want the very best for them, and so does God. You want them to make right choices in life, for themselves and for others.
A christening is just the beginning of this and so much more.
Over the years to come, it’s a journey you’ll share together with your child by:
Being there for your child to talk to about the bigger questions of life – questions
about hope, faith and love.
Praying for your child through the ups and downs of their faith journey.
Showing them practically how to make those good choices in life.
Helping them to learn more about their Christian faith, through their church and in
other ways.
So it’s a commitment to start as you mean to go on.
Godparents
Choosing the right people as godparents for your child is a big decision. Here are some key things which might help you decide:
Because of the very special role godparents have in supporting your child’s faith journey, they must be baptized themselves.
If the people who you’d like to be godparents aren’t baptized, they can still be involved in the christening service and in your child’s life as they grow up.
Godparents will be people who’ll be in touch with your family for many years to come. They may be relatives or friends of the family.
They’ll be people who you know you can trust and who’ll be there for your child to talk about the bigger questions in life; questions about faith, hope and love.
They should feel ready to make some big promises about faith for your child in church. Every child should have at least three godparents, two of the same sex and at least one of the opposite sex to your child. Although there is no official maximum number of godparents, three or four is usual.
Parents may be godparents for their own children, providing they have at least one other godparent.
If you’re thinking about asking someone who is under 18 to be a godparent, talk to us first. There’s no minimum age for godparents, but they must be mature enough to understand the responsibilities they’re taking on; your vicar can help you decide if this is the right choice for your child and the young godparent.
Please contact us if you would like to discuss this further or complete and return the application form found at the bottom of this page, and we will contact you.
Thanksgivings – a different journey
A special church service, different from a christening, can be used as a way to say thank you to God for your child.
It is called a Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child and you can view the words of this service just here. Thanksgiving Service for child
It’s possible to have this service instead of a christening if you decide that now isn’t the right time to have your child baptized. Or, you could even have the Thanksgiving service as well as a christening.
You might also choose this service when your baby is just born, or if you have adopted a child into your family and you simply want to celebrate this with special words said by a vicar in church.
We will be delighted to talk to you about this service.