Being Baptised

Baptism at St Mary’s Church

We at St Mary’s church believe that every child’s baptism is a cause for celebration.

We usually celebrate baptisms as part of our main Sunday service at 10.00am. This allows the whole congregation to welcome your child into God’s love, and ensures that your child’s baptism is a special and joyful occasion for everyone.

To help you to plan your special event, we have formed a Baptism Support Group – a group of volunteers who help parents by answering their questions and providing a friendly and informal point of contact with our church.    

The Baptism Support Group provides support in two ways: by arranging for a Baptism Visitor to call and meet the family to advise on the baptism arrangements, and for someone else to act as a Baptism Sponsor for their child.

Baptism Visitor

The Baptism Visitor will arrange a convenient time to visit you to explain the baptism service and provide an insight into the responsibilities of the parents and godparents.

It is the Visitor’s principal job to ensure that parents are completely happy with the arrangements, and to ensure that family and friends feel welcomed when they join us for the baptism service.

The Visitor will also introduce the child’s Baptism Sponsor to the family.

Baptism Sponsor

The child’s Baptism Sponsor has a slightly greater commitment, which to help support the Christian development of the child and their family.

The Sponsor will attend the family’s baptism preparation meeting with the vicar and support them as a friend, and will be at the baptism service to welcome the family and guests.

The Sponsor will regularly pray for the child, tell the family about services that might be of special interest to parents – Toddler Group, or the Blessing of the Crib, for example - and provide a friendly point of contact with the church, greeting them when they attend and making them feel welcome.

They also send your child a card on the anniversary of their baptism, and ensure you all receive an invitation to our annual baptism reunion party for children recently baptised at St. Mary’s.

What Next?

If you’re thinking about baptism for your child or yourself, we would love to hear from you. Please ring the Parish Office on 0191 251 4216 (mornings are best), or email us on stmarymkstn@hotmail.co.uk.

There is also lots of  helpful information about baptisms on the Church of England website (www.cofe.anglican.org/lifeevents/baptismconfirm).