Holy Trinity Church is very happy to welcome children into the family of the Church. Your first contact should be with the Priest-in-Charge with whom you would discuss a date and time.
The clergy are always happy to discuss christenings, which can take place at any age, but are most commonly performed for small children.
We use the word “baptism” to describe the christening ceremony. That’s because the service recalls the baptism of Jesus, who himself was plunged into the waters of the River Jordan by his cousin John the Baptist at the start of the years when he began to teach.
The service will usually take place as part of the regular worship of the church so may well be on a Sunday morning.
Before the baptism, there will be a meeting at the family home to go through the service and arrange any last-minute details. After the service, the family is given a baptismal certificate and candle. The child is then added to the Church’s family list.
Often parents choose godparents to share the responsibility for bringing up a child. The traditional number of godparents is three – two women and a man for a girl, and two men and a woman for a boy. However, that is not a hard and fast rule.
The important thing is to try to involve people, who will have the child’s best interests at heart, ideally someone who can make connections with the local church.
Baptisms are free, but a donation is usually given to the Church.