Christenings at Christ Church

Jesus said, ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’ John 10:10

Baptism marks the beginning of a journey with God which continues for the rest of our lives. It marks us as a Christian, a disciple of Jesus and is the first step we take in response to God’s love.

'Christening' is the traditional term used for the baptism of infants, but individuals can be baptised at any age. For example, our Vicar (Revd Dave Thomson) was baptised as an adult.

Adults (and those children mature enough) are baptised when they are ready to make a firm commitment to follow Jesus. For this reason it is sometimes called a 'believers baptism'.

During the service candidates give their consent to being baptised, promise to turn away from all that is wrong in the world and in their lives, and give voice to their decision to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

Infants and younger children are christened at request of their parents or guardians. The same promises are made, but this time by parents and godparents on the child's behalf.

There is an expectation that the child will be nurtured in the Christian faith and, when older, will come to own these promises for themself. For this reason parents and godparents promise before God to pray for the child, draw them by personal example into the community of faith and help them to take their place within the life and worship of the Church. For parents, this includes attending Church regularly with their child. These are serious promises and should never be made lightly.

Further information about Christenings can be found by following this link:

There are two stages to christenings at Christ Church:

• First, we invite parents and children to attend one of our main Sunday services for a Blessing. During the service, we welcome your child into the family of the Church and bless him or her. Blessings normally take place on the last Sunday of each month.

• Then, at a later date, we hold the christening service. These normally take place on Sudays at 1.15pm.

Blessings are also offered to those parents who do not wish to make declarations about their own Christian faith in the christening service and/or are unwilling to promise to attend Church regularly.

Who can be christened at Christ Church? We are an open Church, welcoming all who come to us regardless of their background or family situation.

Of course, we adhere to the Church's traditional teaching on marriage. So, where a child's parents are unmarried, we are more than happy to discuss arranging a wedding too!

To book a christening, phone 01204 398567 or complete the enquiry form (below) and we will contact you.

We are a popular venue for christenings and are normally booked up months in advance. It is therefore inadvisable to book a party venue or make any other arrangements before agreeing the date with us.