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We have many baptisms at St Mary’s and we take a lot of care
in making
them special for the children and families concerned. Each baptism is a
celebration of the joy that our children give us; the recognition that
they are part of God’s family with us; and the profound experience of
gratitude to God for their presence in our lives |
Baptisms normally take place at the 11.30 Family Service on the 2nd
Sunday of each month, usually with 4 or 5 children. This means it is a
full service with hymns, reading, address, prayers, as well as the
baptism - this reflects our understanding that baptism is at the heart
of our church life at St Mary’s. The service is attended by a large
number of our regular family service congregation; that gives the sense
of the church family receiving new members into its midst. Families are
involved in reading the lesson, choosing the hymns, lighting the Easter
candle and pouring the water into the font
To help prepare for the baptism service, we invite all the parents
involved to a supper (normally in the week beforehand) with the Revd David Thomas, and with Emma Powell, the Family Service
Assistant Pastor. This takes place at the house of
a couple who have recently had a child baptised themselves. There you
will hear a bit about what happens in the service over drinks before a
relaxing and convivial meal
At most services, there is an older child being baptised. If so we
will arrange a meeting with the child to talk about baptism and the
service so that the service is as meaningful as possible for him or
her
Bookings for baptisms are made through our Baptisms
Co-ordinator Please be aware that St Mary’s is seeing more and more baptisms and it may not always be possible to have your preferred date, particularly if requested at short notice |
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