A LEAFLET FOR PARENTS

CONGRATULATIONS!
So youd like your child
Baptised?

The birth of some children is carefully planned;

others come as a surprise. But it is always a
wonderful
privilege and a great
responsibility to care for a young child.
So it is very natural to want to give thanks to
God for one of the greatest gifts he has ever
given you, and to ask for his blessing on your
child and your family.
We will be delighted to arrange a service for
your child. This leaflet is to explain what we can
offer you as part of the Church of England.

A Gift
A child is a
wonderful gift from
God and it is right
that we want to
celebrate this gift
of new life.
The Church of
England offers two
services to help
you celebrate the life of your child. Both
involve recognising that God has created a new
life but the difference between the two is the
extent and depth of Christian commitment.

A Baptism Policy for Infants &

Children

We see our role as being able to explain what

each service means and to help you decide,
with integrity, which service is the most
appropriate for you and your child.

for the Parish of

St Peters, Dunston
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Option 1:

Option 2:

Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child

Baptism

This is a service which may be included within the main

act of worship on a Sunday, or may be a service all by
itself. It is offered to:
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Parents who see this as a preliminary to Baptism;

Parents who do not want their child to be baptised

immediately;

Parents who do not want their child baptised but

who recognise that something has happened that
they want to thank God for;

Parents who are unsure that they can make the

promises required of them within the Baptism
service.

The child is named during the service and receives a

blessing alongside the thanksgiving. You will be given
an illustrated childrens book about the life of Jesus.
This is:

As a permanent reminder of the Thanksgiving

Service;
For you to learn a little more about Jesus, his life
and his teachings;
For you to read to your child, so that they might
come to know more about Jesus, and about
talking to God in prayer.

Companion on the Journey

To help and support the parents, to begin to
encourage and nurture enquiry about the Christian
way of life, each family is given a companion from
within the church family. The role of the companion
is to be alongside the family both before and after the
thanksgiving service and to journey with them as they
seek to learn more about the Christian faith.
There is no fee for this service.
We encourage you to invite supporting friends,
Grandparents and family to the Thanksgiving Service.
Often people have a big party afterwards to celebrate.

Baptism marks the beginning of a

journey with God that continues for
the rest of our lives. Baptism is for
those who want to publicly state
their desire to bring up their child as
a Christian.
One of the myths of baptism is that
it is about giving your child a name,
or that is some sort of insurance
policy. However you gave your child a name not
long after they were born, and they have been
known by that name since that day. In fact the
Holy Scriptures say that your child was known
before they were formed in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5)
and that God knows every hair on their head (Luke
12:7).
So in baptism what is recognised is not the
naming of your child but their calling: calling by
God, calling by name. God already knows us
intimately by name and at this baptism he reaches
out to your child.
Baptism is about starting a new life as a follower of
Jesus and is about becoming a part of Gods family.
There are three principle ingredients in a Baptism
service:
1.

Parents and Godparents make promises on

behalf of the child. These commitments are:

*
*

to pray for your child.

to draw them by your example into the
community of faith.
to walk with them in the way of Christ.
to help your child take their place within the
life and worship of Christs Church.

*
*
2.

Water is poured over the childs head three

times, baptising in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

3.

The child is welcomed into the Church family

and into the wider family of God.

As it is impossible for small children to live

their lives in a Christian way without the help
and support of their parents, the decision to
have a child baptised should signify that the
family is wants to live out the promises made
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in Baptism to the best of their ability, with the

help and support of a worshipping
congregation.
We ask you to consider seriously the
two options that are on offer.
Baptism is for the children of parents
who want to be practising Christians,
who in making the promises on
behalf of their child, want to be able
to explore and develop their faith
more fully, to be themselves
disciples on the Way of Christ, so that they can
share and pass the Christian message on to their
children, through nurture, example and
encouragement.

What do I do next?
We recommend that you take some time to think
about the information in this leaflet. You are
encouraged to come and worship at one of the
churches in the group to make sure you are
happy to make this church your spiritual home.
The Opening the Door Service
on the 2nd Sunday of the month
at 10.30 at St Peters, Dunston is
an informal, friendly, welcoming
service
that
is
particularly
inclusive of all people.
The
church family at St Peters will do
all that it can to welcome you and
your child.
Whichever service you choose you will need to
contact one of the churchwardens who will give
you the relevant Thanksgiving/Baptism Enquiry
form for your completion.
In the case of baptism this will collect the
information that is required for the Baptism
Registers. A suitable date and time for the
service will be discussed and a preliminary
booking made.

What preparation is needed?

The Minister taking the service will then arrange
to meet with you to discuss your choice of
service and to do any preparation that is needed,
so that you enjoy the day.

The date of the service will be

confirmed at this stage.

In order to respect the

integrity of parent(s) and
godparents who in the
baptism service are making
promises to bring up the child
in the Christian faith and to
provide the tools necessary
for the child to make their own decision later in
life, then some preparation is needed to
ensure that parents are not ill-informed about
the promises that they will make on behalf of
the child.
There will also be an explanation of the service
so that it will be familiar on the day.
It is helpful if the godparents for Baptism can
also be present at the preparation, though
it is recognised that this is not always possible.

Companion on the Journey

Parents and Godparents are making promises on
behalf of the child in the Baptism service and the
church recognizes that this is a big commitment.
To help and support the parents as they take this
first step on the Christian journey of faith, each
family is given a companion from within the
church family. The role of the sponsor is to be
alongside the family both before and after the
baptism and to journey with them as they seek to
learn more about the Christian faith.

Legal requirements for Baptism

in the Church of England
There
are
certain
legal
requirements that must be met, but
we would hope that these are not
an obstacle to baptism.
a)

Parent(s) must be resident in one of the

parishes in the group or a member of
one of the churches in the benefice. It
may be possible to have a child baptized
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b)

c)

if there is a qualifying connection, in

which case, parents are advised to speak
to the churchwardens about this.

outside the main Sunday Service and hymns are

requested then there will be a fee of 30 for the
organist.

Parents who are resident in another

parish and not on the Church electoral
roll are required to obtain a letter of
referral from their parish priest. This is
standard practice and your priest will not
be surprised by the request. This should
be brought to the meeting with the
Minister.

When do baptisms take place?

Where parents are bringing a child to

baptism, at least one parent must be
baptized. If one parent is not baptized,
they may like to consider baptism for
themselves, after preparation by the
Minister.

d)

It is usual to have 3 godparents, 2 the

same sex as the child and one of the
opposite sex. Parents may be godparents
for their own child provided that the child
has at least one other godparent.
This is merely a guideline and there may
be exceptions.

e)

It is a legal requirement that all

godparents must be baptised and
ideally confirmed.

The focus for baptism is about

welcoming the newly baptised into
the family of God and should
therefore, where possible take
place in the main Sunday service,
which is a public act of worship.

Where this is not possible, a

separate baptism service may be
conducted, but the baptism
welcome and the giving of the
baptism certificate will take place
on the 2nd Sunday of the month at
the informal Opening the Door
Service, at 10.30 in the parish
church of St Peters Dunston.

The godparents are to be people who will faithfully

fulfil their responsibilities both by their care for the
children committed to their charge and by the
example of their own godly living.
If a chosen godparent is not baptized, it is possible
for them to be baptized after appropriate teaching,
in which case, they should speak to one of the
churchwardens.

What does it cost to have a baptism?

There is no Baptism fee but a donation
towards the maintenance of the Church
and the baptism certificates,candles and
godparent cards would be appreciated. If this can
be Gift Aided, the Church is able to provide Gift
Aid forms or envelopes. If the service takes place
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