Thinking about Baptism
‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ John 10:10
What is Baptism?
As a sign that we have turned from sin and turned to follow Jesus, God gives us the ‘sign and seal’ of baptism.
For Adults:
In baptism, we are washed with water – a sign of being ‘washed clean’ from our sins. We are also baptised into ‘the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit’, which shows that we are God’s and want to go his way from now on. Baptism is also a seal from God, that he will keep his promise to us of eternal life with him, if we continue to trust in him.
For Children:
Your child is precious to you and precious to God. Children who are too young to profess belief in Jesus are baptised on the understanding that they are brought up as Christians within the family of the church. At a Baptism your child will be blessed and prayed for, your friends and family, and your chosen Godparents will promise to love them and care for them as they grow. This is also a chance to say thank you to God for bringing your child into your life. As they grow up, they need the help and encouragement of their family, their godparents, and the church, so that they learn to be faithful in public worship and private prayer, to live by trust in God, and by his grace come to confirm their faith in Jesus Christ when they are old enough.
What to do before the service:
Please read 'Thinking about baptism' in the further information below, which explains our baptism policy here at St Mary's. After that, if you would like to proceed, please contact us, and Rev Mark will contact you to get to know you and discuss the next steps. You will also be invited to come along to church if you don't already join us. We have lots going on for children, including Little Faith (for pre-school children) and Children's Church (for primary school-aged children).
What is a Thanksgiving Service?
A special church service, different from a baptism, can be used as a way to say thank you to God for your child. It is called a Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child and you can see what a Thanksgiving service at St. Mary's looks like below. It’s possible to have this service instead of a christening if you decide that now isn’t the right time to have your child baptized. Or, you could even have the Thanksgiving service as well as a christening. You might also choose this service when your baby is just born, or if you have adopted a child into your family and you simply want to celebrate this with special words said by a vicar in church. Whatever the reason, your vicar will be delighted to talk to you about this service.
If you are interested in having your child or yourself baptised, please chat with Mark (our minister) as the next step. Or contact our Church Office on 0161 336 4529 or office@smhg.org.uk. To help you understand what baptism means in the Christian Church, we advise that you read our information booklet by clicking HERE.
Here are some helpful Church of England resource pages for further information on Baptism/Christenings.
www.churchofenglandchristenings.org
www.churchofenglandchristenings.org/stepbystep/
https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/christenings/christening-faqs#na
To help give you an idea of what a child's Thanksgiving looks like, here is one of our past Thanksgiving services.
To help understand what baptism is, here is an example of what a baptism service looks like here at St. Mary's.
Confirmation
What is Confirmation?
Confirmation is your opportunity to:
- Publicly confirm to your friends, family and our church family that you have committed your life to Jesus Christ and want to follow him.
- Be strengthened in your faith through the preparation and prayers for you, that you will be given grace to be faithful to Jesus forever.
- Be welcomed by the Bishop into full membership of the worldwide Anglican church.
We currently have a joint confirmation service planned with St. Clements (Openshaw) and St. Martins (Stockport), which will take place on Sunday 26th March in our Church building here at St. Mary's. We are holding confirmation course every Sunday at The Rectory (first house on the right after Church car park) between 4-5pm starting from Sunday 12th February. If you wish to be confirmed at this service and would like to take part in the course, or would just like to find out more about confirmation, please let us know.
For More Information
If you are unsure but would be interested in finding out more about baptism and/ or confirmation, here are two booklets which are here to help you think through whether it is the right thing for you to do now.