Christening/Baptism

During a christening your child will be baptized with water. It’s the start of an amazing journey of faith for your child and a special day for all your friends and family. (Christening and Baptism are the same thing)

Your child is precious to you and precious to God. You want the very best for them, and so does God. You want them to make right choices in life, for themselves and for others.

A christening is just the beginning of this and so much more. It is a once in a lifetime service of initiation into the Christian Church. 

Over the years to come, it’s a journey you’ll share together with your child by:

Being there for your child to talk to about the bigger questions of life – questions about hope, faith and love.

Praying for your child through the ups and downs of their faith journey.

Showing them practically how to make those good choices in life.

Helping them to learn more about their Christian faith, through their church and in other ways.

So it’s a commitment to start as you mean to go on.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving for the Gift of Your Child

This service also involves celebrating the life of your child with a gathering of family and friends. The service is a way of thanking God for the precious gift of your child. It means that we thank God for your child’s life and bless them by name, praying for their future. In this service is a role for Sponsors who make promise to help you as a parent to bring up your child. A sponsor is similar to a godparent in that they are promising to be a part of your child’s life. 

Godparents

What is the role of a Godparent?

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 (this applies to Christening only).

Who can be a Godparent:

• Godparents will be people who’ll be in touch with your family for many years to come. They may be relatives or friends of the family.
• They’ll be people who you know you can trust and who’ll be there for your child to talk about the bigger questions in life; questions about faith, hope and love.
• They need to make some big promises about faith for your child in church so they should be ready and willing to make this commitment. 
• Every child should have at least three godparents, two of the same sex and at least one of the opposite sex to your child. Although there is no official maximum number of godparents, three or four is usual. If you’d like more than that, please talk to the vicar for advice
• Parents may be godparents for their own children, providing they have at least one other godparent.
• Because of the very special role they have in supporting your child’s faith journey, godparents must be baptized themselves.
• If you’re thinking about asking someone who is under 18 to be a godparent, please talk to the vicar first. There’s no minimum age for godparents, but they must be mature enough to understand the responsibilities they’re taking on.

Booking

How do I book a Christening or Thanksgiving service?

Please contact:

Revd Ben Williams

Email: revben@ggbchurches.co.uk

Phone: 0116 259 2238