Baptism
Congratulations!
Becoming a parent is one of the most extraordinary and exciting things that can happen to us.
Many people want to mark it by saying ‘thank you’ in church, even if they don’t think of themselves as religious.
If you are thinking about a Christening (Baptism) for your child in St Mark’s Church, then please get in touch with us.
We can arrange an appropriate date and time for the service. One of the clergy team will meet with you before the Baptism to talk about Godparents, the service and about the importance and significance of Baptism.
Your Own Baptism
It may be that you have not been baptised, and would like to consider it for yourself, please contact us and we can talk through the possibility with you.
Godparents
Choosing someone to be a Godparent is an important decision, one that should be taken carefully and prayerfully.
In the Baptism Service, parents and Godparents are asked if they are ready and willing to take on the responsibilities of spiritual care for the child:
As a parent or godparent, you should ask yourself:
Are you prepared to the best of your ability to give the child a Christian upbringing within the family of the church?
Will you help the child to be regular in public worship and prayer, not only by your teaching but also by your example and your prayers?
Will you encourage the child in due time to come to Confirmation and Communion?
It is usual to have three godparents, two of the same sex as the child and one of the opposite sex, but to have one godfather and one godmother is sufficient.
Parents may be godparents to their own children provided that the child has at least one other godparent.
Godparents must be baptised and confirmed, though the requirement of confirmation may be relaxed in certain cases.
We would be very happy to hear from you to help plan this special day in the life of your family. If you would like to arrange a baptism please contact us.