Baptism

The start of the journey for a Christian is the service of Baptism. At All Saints we pray that families will take this important service seriously and see it as the opportunity to encourage a child to grow in their experience and knowledge of Jesus Christ. The following information is concerned with how we might help parents and godparents plan the child’s baptism carefully and think about the opportunities that All Saints has to offer to help nurture the child’s relationship within the Christian community.

We normally receive enquiries about Baptism from parents by either a telephone call or e-mail the parish office.

Following the initial contact when you will have been offered a date or at least options for a date a member of the church will visit your family to talk through the baptism form with you. You will be invited to a baptism preparation morning held at the church on Saturday mornings when we will explain the meaning of Baptism to the parents and godparents. The preparation starts at 10.30am and lasts for about an hour. During this time we use Godly Play to explain the symbols of Baptism.

The leader will then go through the service and explain the groups we have to support your child in the future. These include ‘Tiny Saints’ a group that meets every Friday morning from 10am to 11.30am at the Church Parish Centre. (Except during school holidays) Tiny Saints leaders encourage children and babies to play with the toys and to mix with other young pre-school children. Parents have the opportunity to meet with other parents over coffee, tea and cakes.

During the play time creative activities based on a bible story take place and once this has finished healthy food is offered to the children. The session finishes with a simple service of songs and a bible story and prayers.

Other groups that we provide are Young Saints on Sunday mornings starting at 10am at the church which offers Sunday school teaching including activities and events. We also once a month provide Worship for All Ages within the church.

During the preparation morning we will have a time for coffee and tea and this offers the opportunity for us to check your forms to make sure all your details are complete. We can also check any requests you may have for the baptism service.

The service itself can take place at 12 noon on a Sunday morning or as part of the 10am Eucharist. We try to make the service welcoming to your guests and sometimes families choose our Parish Centre to share a party with their families and friends following the Baptism service.

We look forward to hearing from you concerning Holy Baptism to share this wonderful gift of Our Lord’s church with you.

Fr Jeremy parish priest of All Saints, Boyne Hill