BAPTISM & THANKSGIVING

At Holy Saviour's we offer both Baptism and Thanksgiving services.

Thanksgiving services are a celebration in which we give thanks to God for the birth of a child and ask for God's blessing to be on them as he/she grows into adulthood.

Baptism (or ‘Christening’) is a special service where we thank God for the gift of life and publicly acknowledging his love. In baptism we welcome the newly baptised into the family and fellowship of the church. Baptism is an important step in a preson's lifelong journey of faith. You can only be baptised once – but this can take place at any age.

In the case of a child, we baptise them in the expectation that they will learn from their parents and godparents what ‘living in Christ’ means. While it is a happy occasion, the decisions taken in baptism are to be taken very seriously: parents and godparents will declare that they will help the child “walk in the way of Christ” and “take his/her place within the life and worship of Christ’s Church”. They answer questions on the child’s behalf, confirming a decision to turn away from everything which is evil or sinful and turn instead towards Jesus Christ and following his way of life. This means that the parents and godparents have a big responsibility to take an interest in the child’s individual and spiritual development: that’s why we suggest that godparents must themselves have been baptised. However, it is not necessary for parents to be baptised for their children to receive baptism.

You don’t need to have godparents, but it is usually considered to be a huge advantage for the child to have someone special helping them along their journey of faith. Typically, there are two or three godparents.

If you live in or near the Parish of Holy Saviour and you would like to enquire about a thanksgiving or baptism, please contact the church office to find out more.

There is no fee for a Baptism or Thanksgiving Service, but we would ask you to consider a donation towards the use of the church.

We are unable to offer Thanksgiving and Baptism Services on the second Sunday of the month.