Baptisms
Congratulations on considering baptism for your child!
At Baptism, you and your child’s Godparents are promising to raise your child in the Christian faith, to let your child know that God loves them, and to help them follow Jesus as a member of the Church.
Our Baptism services are normally held within our Sunday morning Holy Communion services so that the whole Church congregation can welcome your child into the Church, and will be held when the Associate Priest can be present. For reference these are generally;
St Nicholas Church, Dunkeswell;- 4th Sunday of the month at 11.00am
St Andrew’s Church, Broadhembury;- 1st or 4th Sunday of the month at 11.00am
St Mary’s Church, Luppitt;- 3rd Sunday of the month at 11.00am
St James the Greater, Sheldon;- 4th Sunday of the month at 9.30am
St Mary’s Church, Upottery;- 2nd Sunday of the month at 11.00am
St John’s Church, Plymtree:- 1st or 4th Sunday of the month at 9.30am
Please book your child’s baptism with our Administrator who will confirm available dates, and book the baptism for you.
Before the baptism service, our administrator will take from you the necessary details we need to prepare for the baptism and will send you some information regarding baptisms for both you as parents and the Godparents to read, as well as confirming the date, time and place of the baptism.
Please note when choosing your child’s Godparents, that the Godparents must themselves have been baptised, and be willing to help raise your child in the Christian faith.
You, and the Godparents if possible, will need to meet with our Priest who will prepare you for the baptism, explaining its significance, and what will happen during the service.
At the Baptism service, you and the Godparents will promise to do your best to raise your child to follow Jesus as part of the wider Christian family, and will declare your own Christian faith. (If you are concerned about making these promises at this time, a Thanksgiving service may be more appropriate, and you may wish to discuss this with the Priest.)
The Priest will then make the sign of the cross on your child’s forehead. This is the sign of Christ.
Water will then be poured onto your child’s head as a sign of being washed free from sin and beginning a new life with God.
Your child will then be welcomed into the Church and the congregation will also welcome them.
A candle will also be given to you for your child as a symbol of Jesus being the light of the world, and the light in your child’s life.
If your child is older and has made the decision that they would like to be baptised, or indeed, if you are reading this and feel ready to make the commitment to be baptised yourself, no problem! The above arrangements will still be made, but the Priest will direct all the preparation and promises to you directly.
If you have any queries regarding baptism, please contact our Administrator who will direct your query to our Priest who will be happy to have a discussion with you.
We hope that you or your Child’s baptism will be a special and meaningful service and that they/you will become active members in the Church family throughout their lives/your life.