The arrival of a child into a family, whether a new-born baby or an adopted baby or older child, is a cause for great celebration and thankfulness. Many families want to do this by having a church service. The Church offers you two ways of doing this.
Both services:
- are ways of giving thanks for your child
- involve making declarations before God with the support of close friends
- usually take place in church
- offer the opportunity for a family celebration
The main difference is in the extent of Christian commitment that each form of service expresses.
A Service of Baptism welcomes your child as a member of the Church family and in it parents and godparents publicly state before God and the congregation:
- They are followers of Christ themselves
- They will teach the child about Jesus
- They will bring the baby/child up in the Christian faith and as a member of the Christian family
- They will pray for, and with, the child
Useful website:
https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/christenings/parents-guide-christenings
A Service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child. This is sometimes called a ‘Naming Ceremony’. It celebrates the arrival of a child into a family through birth or adoption and asks for God’s blessing on the child and the family. It follows the practice of Jesus in Mark chapter 10. Parents brought their children to Jesus and he took them in his arms and blessed them. In the service you are saying
- Thank-you God for the gift of this child
- Please bless our child as he/she grows up
- Please help us to be good parents
You make no faith promises and there is no water used but should you wish it, your child can still be baptised at a later date.
From the Church of England website:
If you want to talk further about the services, or have decided which one is right for you, contact a member of our clergy team or our administrator in the Church Office (samantha@csp.church or 01753 880067). She will put you in touch with a member of the clergy who will arrange to meet with you and start putting arrangements in place.