Baptisms at St Hilda's:
Why we love baptisms at St Hilda's, .
We love baptisms because they remind us that God's love is continually being renewed in our midst. We love baptisms because we are honoured to be the community of faith into which people choose to be baptised, or into which they choose to have their child baptised. Most of all, we love baptisms because it provides us with the opportunity to welcome people into our midst…people who may be living lives of great faith, people who are struggling with questions of faith, or people who do not know what they believe.
We are able to welcome into our midst people who have been blessed by the church, and people who have been hurt by the church. To be part of that is a great privilege, one that we treasure as a community of faith.
We often have requests from people who wish to have their children baptised. This provides a wonderful opportunity for us to meet families with young children, and we have regular baptism services, which seek to cater to this need.
Our parish takes its obligations to young families very seriously. As well as our Sunday Children’s Ministry we provide a time before the baptism in which we can get to know the families of those being baptised, and in which they can get to know us.
If you are interested in baptism…for yourself, or for your child, we would love to talk with you about it.
What is baptism?
Baptism is the way enter the church, which is why the font is often close to the main door. The words in the service are rich in meanings - it is like a citizenship ceremony, we are joined to Christ's death and burial and resurrection so we become a new creation, we are washed clean from sin, we are born from above, we take off our old self like old clothes and we put on Christ (symbolised in the new and usually white christening robe) - different meanings to appeal to different people.
Symbols of Baptism
The use of water in Christian baptism signifies both a cleansing of our spirits as well as a symbolic death to our old, selfish life. The other baptism symbol, represented by candle light, reminds us that Christ is the light of the world, calling us out of a life of darkness into a life of light.
Arranging for a baptism
Please contact the Parish Priest the Revd Canon Michael Evers on 08 93288967 or by email. He will arrange a meeting with you to get to know you, to discuss arrangements and to talk about the meaning of baptism for the church. We provide a personalised leaflet containing the service with a photo of your child on the front. We ask you to provide the photograh and also a baptism candle for the ceremony which you take home and are invited to light on the anniversary of your child's baptism as a reminder of what has been done and which allows you to talk about faith and God. There is no fee for a baptism. If however you would like to give us a donation that would be gratefully accepted and put towards ministry costs
Parents and Godparents and Sponsors
Babies and children are brought for baptism when their families wish to dedicate them to God in this way and raise them as faithful followers of Christ. When parents and godparents present babies for baptism, they make solemn vows on behalf of the child, who at a later date, when they are old enough to answer for themselves, confirm the baptismal promises made on their behalf. This service of Confirmation is performed by a bishop and especially signifies the dwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Adults who come for baptism have sponsors.
The Baptism Service
Baptisms are conducted at services of public worship, either as part of the regular 9.45am Sunday service, or at an 11.30am Sunday Baptism service. For the latter, families may choose readings and hymns to complement the service.
What if baptism turns out to be more than I want to do for my child?
If it turns out that baptism is more than what you want we also offer a short service of thanksgiving for your child. This will also take place on a Sunday at the 9.45 am service or at 11.30am and we provide a personalised leaflet in the same way.
