Baptisms sometimes known as Christenings.

The Methodist Church offers two types of service that celebrate God's gift of a child ...

A service of thanksgiving ~ is a rite which celebrates the birth of a child, it gives an opportunity for the family to gather, to show their support and give thanks to God. In this service there are songs and readings and a special blessing given to the child. Baptism is then reserved for later allowing the child to decided later in life if they are willing to commit themselves to God.

Baptism

Baptism is a sign of being received into the Christian Church ~ it is a way of saying "God loves you" and a sign of us responding to that love.

The baptismal service requires the family and the church to make promises to each other and before God.

The promises we make at a baptism:

· The Church promises to maintain the life of worship and service, so that the child may grow in the knowledge and love of God.
· Parents promise to pray for and with their children, and to guide and encourage their child who is to be baptised
· Godparents promise to support the parents in all this

These promises are not easy to keep ~ but all make the promise with the answer "With God's help, we will".
God's Spirit is always with us ~ we need not rely on our own strength.
Parents are also asked to confess the Christian faith ~ to turn to God for help, repent of sins and renounce evil.

Q: As a parent can you make these promises ~ the only true way to keep these promise is by attending church regularly.
~ Your Minister/Baptismal Visitor will discuss this with you.

If you do not feel comfortable with these promises you should look towards a service of thanksgiving.

A time to reflect ...

Baptism is a one off, once in a life-time act. Once baptised = always baptised. It is important you realise this and are able to explain in later life why you made the decision you did. More and more adults have a life changing Spiritual experience that they wish to mark in some way ~ if they have already been baptised we can't do it again!

When & Where

Both services happen during Sunday worship ~ the child is being welcomed by the whole church … so they need to be there! The date of baptism is set by the Minister ~ much of it depends on when s/he is at the Church to conduct worship.

Godparents

The Godparents you choose should be able to answer the question "Will you support these parents and help them in the Christian upbringing of their child?" If at all possible you should choose Church attendees as your Christian supporters.

Adult Baptism

If you are an adult and want to be baptised you should talk with your local minister.

The Symbols and Signs of Baptism

The symbol of water
At baptism the Minister pours water upon the child in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The water is a sign of life, refreshment, cleaning/washing away sin, raising again to new life in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The sign of the cross
The Minister makes a sign of the cross on the forehead of the child because the child now belongs to Christ (who was crucified on the cross and rose again to new life). Belonging to Christ means they are a member of the Christian Church.

The symbol of a candle
Reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world who we are called to follow.

The welcome of the Church
By baptism your child is welcomed into the church family. It is within the life of the Church and within the Christian family that your child will learn the Christian faith and hopefully will come to confess faith in Christ and enter into the full life of the church.

The Certificate of Baptism
Is a reminder of the day we all made our promises before God for your child.

So what now?
After reading this you should contact your local Minister. Go to the home page and click the picture of your local Church. The minister with Pastoral Care for that church is listed on that page. S/he will be happy to talk to you.