St Leonard's Church Hythe Kent

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Parish of St Leonard with St Michael and Holy Cross - Diocese of Canterbury

BAPTISM

Baptism at our church

SPECIAL OCCASIONS - BAPTISM
From the earliest days of the Christian Church, Baptism has been the way in which people become Christians and members of the Church. The Gospels tell us that Jesus himself was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan and that Jesus taught his disciples to go out into the world and baptize. Jesus teaches his people that all who would enter his kingdom must be born again of water and the Spirit. Baptism is the sign and seal of this new birth.

What is baptism
In baptism, you as parents are: thanking God for his gift of life, deciding to start your child on the journey of faith and asking for the Church's support.

For your child, baptism: marks the start of a journey of faith, which involves turning away from the darkness of self-centredness, turning towards Christ and becoming a member of the local and worldwide Christian family.

Baptism is a 'sacrament': a visible sign of God's love. In baptism, we are thanking God for his gift of life and publicly acknowledging his love. We are acknowledging that we all need to turn away from the darkness of evil and to make a new start with God.

What happens during the service?
Your child's baptism will normally take place during the main Sunday service (usually in the morning). This is so that your child can be seen to be joining the family of the Church and be welcomed into membership. In turn the Church will promise to support and pray for you and your child.

The priest will make sure you know where to sit and when you need to move. Some parts of the service will be for the whole congregation to join, some will be for you and the godparents.

For the baptism itself, parents and godparents will be asked by the priest to gather either at the front of the church or around the font. (The font is a large basin on a pedestal, containing the water for baptism.)

Thanksgiving Service
You may wish to ask your parish priest about having a service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child. In this service, you thank God for the gift of your child ad the child is blessed. You do not make the same promises as in the Baptism service.

If you choose to have a Thanksgiving, you may also have a Baptism service for your child at a later date.

For further guidance: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/lifeevents/lifeevents/baptismconfirm/baptism1.html

Apply to The Parish Office (Tel: 262370) or to The Vicarage (Tel: 266217)