ALL ABOUT BAPTISM - otherwise known as Christening!

INFANT BAPTISM.

We are happy that you want your baby or child Baptised. We accept for Baptism all those who live within our parish and those living outside the parish whose family worships here regularly - and, except for emergency Baptism, we only Baptise babies and children in our main morning family service at 10am - the service lasts about 1 hour.

Naturally you want the very best start for your new child. And like many people, you see a Christening as being an important part of that start.

We find that people request Baptism for many reasons, some clear and others rather vague. The following information is intended to help you to think through some of the aspects of Baptism and to explain how we go about it here at Bircle. Some parts of our approach may not be quite what you first expected, but we have found that most people find them helpful.

If you have any questions now or later, please contact the Vicar.

WHY HAVE A CHRISTENING? (there is no difference between a Baptism and a Christening - they are both the same thing!)

+ For many people it is simply a traditional part of bringing a baby into the world.

+ For others it is a way of giving thanks to God.

+ For some it is part of naming their baby.

+ For others it is saying that their new child belongs to God and His Church.

All of these are parts of what Baptism can mean, but without doubt, it is the last of these reasons which is the most important.

SO WHAT IS BAPTISM?

At the beginning of Christianity, Baptism was mainly given to adults, as the sign that they had been converted to a new faith in Jesus Christ. It marked the start of a new life, and menmbership of the church.

Baptism was seen as a call to live their new life of faith and no one imagined that Baptism could ever be separated from worship and faith.

Even when most people were baptised as babies, it was still seen as a call to active Christian faith. That's why in the Baptism service you will be asked to promise to teach your child the faith by example and by prayer.

Nowadays many still see Baptism as right for babies but as having little to do with active Christian belief. And so the basic meaning of Baptism has tended to get separated from what we actually do.

This doesn't seem quite right. For one thing it isn't fair to the child. He or she is brought to the church and marked with the cross as a sign of faith in Jesus, but as he or she grows up they are often given little real understanding of what all of this means. It is also not fair to the congregation who promise to help the child to grow in faith as they attend Sunday School each week - but they cannot do this if we never see you again!

We need to find a way of bridging the gap between what the Church means by Baptism, and what many people expect of it.

SO WHAT DO WE DO?

At Bircle church we follow a simple rule which applies to everyone, whether they go to church or not.

+ First, we ask you to come to one of our Family Services at 10am on the first, third or fifth Sunday of the month. The service lasts for about an hour and it enables you to meet the people who worship here.

+ We then ask you to come to the Sunday services for a month at least. In that time you will get to know our congregation, get a feel for our worship, and begin to think about whether our Faith and worship style is for you and your family.

+ If it is not, then you may decide that "A Service of Thanksgiving for the Birth of a child" is more appropriate instead of a Baptism. If you do decide this, your child will be as healthy, happy and as likely to become a committed Christian as he or she would if they had been Baptised.

+ If you do decide on Baptism (and the choice is yours!) it will take place at a special Service of Holy Baptism on a mutually convenient date. Because you'll know people and the service format, you will feel at home and the whole event will be much more enjoyable than it otherwise would have been. More importantly, you will have had a chance to decide from first-hand experience whether our church - and the Christian Faith - is for you.

We hope that it will be, but whether or not you continue to join us in worship, you will know what we are all about, and that you can be sure of a warm welcome at any time in the future.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

+ Baptism is a very important occasion involving serious decisions. At the Baptism you will promise to teach your child to grow in the Christian Faith. You have to say that you will help your child to "walk in the way of Christ" and "take their place within the life and worship of Christ's Church". You will have to answer questions on your child's behalf, stating that you have decided to turn away from everything which is evil or sinful and trun instead towards Christ. The Vicar will explain the words of the declarations in greater detail when he visits you at home the week before the Service to prepare you for the Baptism and to discuss things further with you.

+ But Faith is not so much taught as caught, and so this will happen only as far as you are able to set an example. In the end, your child's Baptism will mean as much to them as yours does to you.

+ The best example you can set them is by coming regularly to worship yourself - as a family - together with saying daily prayers together at bedtime at home. Children of all ages are welcome at our services and there is a crech for babies and tiny tots, and a special teaching group for young children aged 4 and over staffed by volunteers who have all been CRB Police checked as required by UK law.

+ Some people worry that they are imposing views on their children; but from the moment they are born, you make choices on their behalf. You don't wait until they are old enough to ask for milk before you feed them and in the same way it is right to give them spiritual nourishment and teach them about the love of God from an early age. When they are old enough they may choose to be Confirmed and make an adult affirmation of faith.

We hope that your baby's Baptism will be a wonderful and memorable occasion and that it will mark the beginning of a long and happy association with this church.

ADULT BAPTISM - It is perfectly normal for a teenager or an adult to want to be Baptised - why not talk to the Vicar about Baptism combined with Confirmation. It's never too late.

HOW MANY TIMES CAN I BE BAPTISED? - You can only be Baptised once, but there are often special church services where you may renew your Baptismal vows.

HOW MUCH DOES BAPTISM COST? - Nothing - like eternal life, it's free.

THE DUTIES OF GODPARENTS.

Anybody can be a Godparent so long as they have been Baptised and are mature enough to act as a godparent - they should ideally also be Confirmed.

There should be three or more godparents (of whom two should be the same sex as the child).

A godparent does not involve being a legal guardian as well - the roles are quite separate (although some godparents might be asked to fulfil both roles).

Godparents are people chosen by you, the parents, to pray for your child and set them a good example of Christian living. They can be relatives or friends, but they must be willing to make the declarations set out in the Baptism service.