We are delighted that you are thinking of having your child or yourself baptised. No doubt you want the best for your child, or yourself in every way: physically – the local doctor is there to help; educationally – the local schools will help; spiritually – the church is here to help with that.

Baptism is sacrament of entry into the Church. At the beginning of the Church’s history it was solely adults who were baptised, making a public affirmation of their faith and of their decision to become disciples of Christ. Soon the children of such adult disciples also began to be baptised, with the significant adults in their life promising to nurture them in their own faith and lead them by prayer, teaching and example. The wider Church also has a part to play in this and so also makes pledges and offers a welcome in the baptism service.

As well as being a joyful and happy occasion, a baptism marks an important stage in someone’s life (even if, as a baby, they are not aware of it at the time!) Like all important events, it is good to think beforehand about what it involves and how things might change afterwards.

In line with Anglican tradition, parents and godparents who choose baptism for their children are required to have been baptised and ideally also confirmed or to be fully communicating members of the Church. It is expected that parents will be fully involved in the life of the church community, worshipping with the church on Sundays and growing their faith.

What happens now?

Come along to a service. If you have not been before, this will be a good opportunity to gain a feel for what goes on. Introduce yourself to one of the clergy after the service (the main Sunday service is at 10am in All Saints or St. Katharine’s). They will then fix up a time to come and visit you.

When the clergy visit

At the visit they will ask you to share with them what you would like for your yourself or your child. They will help you think about the meaning and significance of the promises contained in the baptism service. They will give you the opportunity to ask any questions, for example about baptism it may be about godparents, the service, the church or anything else and they will, of course, enjoy just spending time with you and getting to know you a little better.

To fix the date after the clergy visit

If you want to go ahead with a baptism service, the next thing to do is to phone or email one of the clergy team to fix up a date. There is also a form with your details which will need completing.

The services – timing

Baptism services usually take place during a morning praise service. We, of course, aim to make the service as special to you as possible, but there may well be other children or adults being baptised at the same time. This adds to the joy of the occasion.

Adult Baptism and Reaffirmation

In recent years, as more people are coming to faith later in life not having been Christened as a child, we have seen an increase in adult baptisms. We are also seeing an increase in adults choosing to reaffirm their baptismal vows by full immersion.

The reasons for this are varied but one major factor is that although Christened as children many people have grown up in families where faith was not practised, talked about or experienced and so when this becomes real in later life and people are born again, they are very attracted to marking this new beginning with a reaffirmation of their baptism.

Just as it is not possible get married to the same person more than once (except in some very rare situations), but it is possible, and sometimes very significant, to renew ones wedding vows, so likewise, while it is not possible to be baptised into Christ more than once, it is possible, and sometimes really significant, to reaffirm and renew these vows in later life.

If this sounds like you, do get in touch with us!

Confirmation

Confirmation is a special church service in which a person confirms the promises that were made when they were baptised. If you were baptised at a christening when you were a child, your parents and godparents made these promises on your behalf. As a young person or adult, you may be ready to affirm these promises for yourself and commit your life to following Jesus Christ. At a confirmation service, you make these promises for yourself. Your friends and family as well as the local Christian community will be there to promise to support and pray for you.

The local bishop will lay their hands on your head and ask God’s Holy Spirit to give you the strength and commitment to live God’s way for the rest of your life. Confirmation services are given to us by the Diocese of Southwark. If confirmation is something you would like to pursue then we can list your name down for when the next confirmation date will be. Please do bear in mind the last confirmations held at All Saints were during May 2024.

For more information about Confirmation then please do look at the Church of England website: Confirmation FAQs | The Church of England