Baptism

Baptism6Baptism in the Bible is the way the early Christians showed that they were dedicating their lives to following Jesus Christ. Exactly the same is true today; those who want to put their faith and trust in Jesus are baptized and set out on the journey of Christian faith. Since one can become a Christian at any time in life, we baptize people of all ages from the youngest to the oldest, from 8 days to 80 years old! Children of Christian parents are baptized on the understanding that they are brought up as Christians within the family of the church. Since children cannot make the Christian statement of faith in Jesus for themselves, their parents and godparents make it on their behalf and promise before God to bring them up as Christians within the family of the church, passing on their own faith in Jesus to their children by how they pray, live and worship in the local church community

 The Service

FontBaptism at St Andrew’s Church in Histon always takes place in one of the main services on a Sunday morning. Usually baptisms take place at our 10.45am service on the third Sunday of the month. On the day of the baptism one of our baptism team will be there in church to make sure we have reserved seats for you and your family and help you with anything that you may need. We know how stressful getting everyone together for a baptism can be and want to try and make the day as memorable and celebratory as possible.

Preparation for Baptism

Baptism is such an important and life-changing event (for a child as much as for an adult) that we need to spend time thinking it through well before the day of the baptism itself. We will arrange a convenient time with you to talk through the meaning of the promises and offering help and guidance about how you can bring up your child in the Christian faith. We’ve found that parents really value this time and opportunity. Our support for you as parents doesn’t end there though, indeed it is only the beginning, we offer an extensive and wide-ranging programme of activities and opportunities for children to grow in their faith see the kids section of the website or talk to our Children’s Worker, Tim Blake on 07905 321901.

Godparents

Baptism4The role of godparents is to pray for and support their godchild as they grow in the Christian faith. Because so much of this role involves passing on faith to the godchild, a godparent needs to be a practising Christian themselves. According to the rules of the Church of England they must be baptized and confirmed. There is no upper limit to the number of godparents a child may have but most children have between two and four. The minimum number is two, a godfather and a godmother. During the service the godparents make the same promises on behalf of themselves and their godchild as the child’s parents. It is always helpful if they can attend the preparation sessions.

How to Arrange a Baptism

Please contact the Church Office for more details.

More Information

You may also find this Christening site from the Church of England helpful as it includes guides for parents, godparents and guests.