Baptisms

St Mark's welcomes all those wishing to be baptised, whether child or adult, and we have special responsibility for offering this to all those who live within the parish boundary. If you do not live within the parish boundary, the clergy will need to consult with those in the parish where you do live, so that, between us, we can offer helpful preparation for baptism, and a warm, ongoing welcome in the life of the church afterwards.

To arrange a baptism, please contact the Vicar on (01223) 327621 or the Church Administrator via the contact form. The Vicar will arrange to visit you to prepare you for the baptism and to explain the nature of the service.

You may want the baptism to take place during one of the Church's main services or you may prefer to have a baptism service by itself, either before or after lunch on a Sunday. If you choose the latter, you will be invited to attend a short 'welcome' ceremony by the local congregation during a main service soon after the date of baptism.

If you feel that baptism is not appropriate for their circumstances or beliefs, but would like to celebrate the birth or adoption of a child with prayer and thanksgiving, the clergy would be very happy to discuss this with you also.

Whether for a baptism or thanksgiving, you will probably want to choose supporters or godparents for a child. The traditional number of godparents at a baptism is two of the same sex as the child, one of the other. However, this number is not mandatory. It is better to have fewer godparents who will undertake a real commitment towards your child and their Christian upbringing, rather than many who take the role lightly.

At the baptism of a young person or adult (which frequently takes place at the same time as confirmation), it is also customary to have godparents, often known as 'sponsors'. It is very good if these are people who have helped and accompanied the candidate in their journey into faith.