Baptism - Your Questions Answered
Baptism is often called 'christening' although at St Mary's, Sileby, All
Saints', Cossington and All Saints', Seagrave we prefer the term
baptism. Getting a child baptised doesn't make them a Christian -
that is a decision your child will have to make for him or herself once
they are older.
If you are thinking of having a child baptised, the first thing to do
is to start coming to church.
Why come to Church?
Where and When?
What next?
What! No Date yet?
What is the Parents’ Responsibility?
What is the Function of Godparents?
Who can be Godparents and How Many does my Child Need?
Why come to Church?
Coming to church won't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage
would turn you into a car, but if you're thinking of having a child baptised,
it's important to come to church for a number of reasons.
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It's good practice! In the baptism
service you will promise to bring your child to come to church and be part
of the church family with them. It would be silly to make you promise
to come to church after your child's baptism if you'd never come before it.
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It helps you understand the baptism service
and the promises you make. Coming to church will help you make sense
of what it means to be a Christian and what is involved.
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It helps you get to know us. Baptism is
about bringing a child into the church family. You will want to know
whether it's a church family that you want yourself and your child to be part of.
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It helps us to know you. In the baptism
service the whole church family promises that they will welcome your child and
pray for them. That is hard for them to do if they have never met you!
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Where and When?
The best service to come to is the 10.30
service. At this service we
have the Cornerstones Groups
for children aged 3 - 16 and a Crèche
area for 0 - 3s. The crèche is manned so that you can leave your child
with trained and responsible helpers whilst you enjoy the service. Our
only condition is that you pick the child up at the end of the service!
The location of the 10.30 service is different
according to what Sunday of the month it is:
1st Sunday
Sileby
2nd Sunday
Cossington
3rd Sunday Sileby
4th Sunday
Seagrave
We ask that you start coming along to services for a couple of months to help
you get a feel for things.
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What next?
There are two baptism preparation sessions which are run by either
Marian Smith and Richard Melody or Glen and Fiona Winkfield. You will meet
all of these at
the 10.30 service.
They will come to your home at a mutually convenient time, usually an evening
when children are asleep (hopefully!) Marian & Richard or Glen & Fiona will
go through the baptism service with you, helping you to explore what is involved
in it. Each session will last less than an hour.
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Richard Melody
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Marian Smith
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Glen and Fiona Winkfield
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You then have an hour or so with Richard Hopkins, again at your home, at a mutually
convenient time.
Contact the Rector, Richard Hopkins, to
discuss any of this further.
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What! No Date yet?
We find that setting a baptism date can put you under undue pressure, when
what we want is for you to have the time to think carefully about what baptism
is, what is involved in the Christian faith and what it means to be a part of
the church.
When you meet Richard, he will discuss with you whether you still want a
baptism (some decide that it is not right for them and opt for a Thanksgiving
Service instead) and will try to work out a date with you. All baptisms
take place in the 10.30 service. Should you choose to have a Thanksgiving
Service, you may also have a Baptism Service for your child at a later date.
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FAQs
What is the Parents’ Responsibility?
When children are baptised, their parents are asked to
declare their own Christian faith and to raise the child to become an active
member of the church.
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What is the Function of Godparents?
To be a Godparent is a privilege, a responsibility and a
challenge. Godparents make the same promises as do the child's parents. They
declare their own belief and trust in God and in Jesus Christ and promise that,
by prayer and example, they will lead their Godchild into the same faith.
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Who can be Godparents and How Many does my Child Need?
Any friend or relative who has agreed to take on this
responsibility can be a Godparent provided that they themselves are Christians. All Godparents must themselves have been baptised and, ideally, should also have
been confirmed into the Christian faith. There is no limit to the number of
Godparents your child can have. It should be a minimum of three - two of the
same gender as the child and one of the other. Thus a girl would usually have
two Godmothers and one Godfather and a boy one Godmother and two Godfathers.
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