Whenever it happens, whether as a baby, child or adult, baptism is at the heart of an amazing journey of faith as a follower of Jesus Christ.
It is a privilege to celebrate this moment with a family on the day, but also to care for them beforehand and afterwards too.
Baptism marks the beginning of a journey with God which continues for the rest of our lives, the first step in response to God’s love. For all involved, particularly the children or candidates but also parents, godparents and sponsors, it is a joyful moment when we rejoice in what God has done for us in Christ, making serious promises and declaring our faith.
We offer two different sorts of welcome, to reflect the differing stages that parents are at on their own spiritual journey:
A thanksgiving for the birth of a child service, where we thank God for the gift of new life and ask for God’s blessing on the baby and their family.
A baptism service (also called a christening), where we give thanks for the gift of new life, the parents affirm their own Christian faith, committing themselves to bringing up their child to know and love God.
During a baptism, you make promises to God, have a sign of a cross made on your forehead in oil and are baptised with water, to represent your new life with God, and being part of God’s family.
Before children are baptised we expect parents to come along to our church services for up to 6 months to join with our church family and learn more about Gods love for us. We also expect parents to attend our online Alpha course, run by our vicar and attend a couple of baptism preparatory classes.
To find out more, ring our church office on: 023 8073 8293 or email office@twinspires.org.uk.