We are pleased to offer baptism at St Mark’s Church. For those from birth, up to the age of twelve years, baptism (christening) takes place in a special service tailored for your family outside of our 10:00am morning praise service. This will be at a time agreed with you and currently we are offering 12pm on a Sunday. We also have St Mark’s community hall available if you wish to book it separately for your family to celebrate the baptism after the service.
For those above twelve years, baptism and confirmation are offered together, and take place within a confirmation service at which the Bishop presides. These services happen at various locations around the Diocese, once or twice each year.
If you want to know more about what it means to have your child christened, do take a look at Your guide to Christenings. If you would like your child to be baptised at St Mark’s, get in touch as detailed below.
It’s never too soon to start choosing godparents for your child. If your child is a girl, she needs a minimum of two godmothers and one godfather; if a boy, two godfathers and one godmother are required. (It’s fine to have more than this if you prefer.) Follow this link for a guide to share with godparents. All godparents have to fulfill a legal requirement regarding their own baptism (sometimes called ‘christening’), so please check this with them: have they been baptised in the Church of England, Roman Catholic Church, Methodist, Baptist or United Reformed churches? If so, we will be delighted to accept them as godparents for your child. If there are people that you would like to be godparents, but who haven’t yet been baptised, there is also the option for them to be supporters.
We do not charge for a christening service, but we hope that you would like to support the church by way of a donation. The church is entirely funded by voluntary donations, which help us to continue offering this ministry to all in our parish.
At the service you will receive a baptism certificate, a gift for your child and cards for the godparents, a wonderful way to both remember the day itself, and encourage and help them in their responsibilities to their godchild and a candle for your child.
Alternatively, we can offer a thanksgiving service for friends and family to welcome a child into their lives; click here for further details.
