Thanking God for your Children

We are so glad you have decided to ask for God’s blessing on your child. A child is a wonderful gift from God and it’s right that we want to celebrate such a fantastic present. The Church of England offers two services - Thanksgiving and Baptism.

So what is the difference?

The main difference is in the extent and depth of Christian commitment that each form of service expresses.

Thanksgiving is a celebration to mark the birth of your child. We give thanks to God for your child’s new life, and commit both you and the child to God, asking for his help and blessing in the years to come.

Baptism is a service that involves making promises before God and the congregation to be a wholehearted disciple of Jesus Christ – and to show evidence of that commitment through regular attendance and involvement in the life of the church.

The practice of St Mary’s

In order to help you understand the various responsibilities that accompany both these services, our practice as a church is to offer the Thanksgiving service as the ‘first step in a child’s journey of faith.’

When parents feel they are ready to make the solemn promises before God and other people, together with being committed to the church community, then we welcome you to take the ‘second step which is to have your child baptised.’

Do be assured that there is no age limit when children should be baptised by - as a church we are happy to baptise people of any age!

What is important is that we have an opportunity to discuss this process with you, so that together we can enable you to get the maximum benefit from it.

Preparation Course

To help prepare you for your special service, we ask parent(s) to attend a Preparation Course, held regularly throughout the year on Sunday afternoons.

Consisting of three parts, the first two parts explore what the Christian Faith is about and what it means to be a Christian today; and the third part introduces you to the Thanksgiving service.

In order to get the most benefit from this course, we ask that you arrange your own childcare for these sessions. If this is difficult, please do talk with us, so we can explore ways in which we can enable you to attend.

Course dates and booking your place(s) on the course that works best for you can be arranged at any 10:30 service.

After the course, you will be given an Application Form to fill in.

Once completed, please return it to either the Vicar at any 10.30am Sunday Service. We will then be in contact with you to discuss available dates and times.

We do encourage you to attend St Mary’s as often as you can, both before and after your child’s service.

We are a thriving, growing community that offers many opportunities for families to grow in friendship and faith.

When are the services held?

Our practice is to conduct the services on the first Sunday of the month. These are held after our Sunday morning services (currently at 1pm), in order to accommodate your family and friends (otherwise space becomes rather limited!).

Questions that are often asked

How many families share a service?

Due to the number of requests we receive, there will usually be up to 3 families sharing a service. Occasionally there may be more, subject to how many family/friends are in your party!

What about Godparents?

The Thanksgiving service offers parents the opportunity of having sponsors. If parents wish to move to the next stage of having their child baptised, then yes, baptised children do need Godparents - as long as they have been baptised and are willing to make the promises asked of them. Parents can also be Godparents.

How many Godparents can we have?

The guidelines suggest three or more – we recommend no more than four, but the final decision rests with you.

We don’t live in the parish – can we have the service at St Mary’s Eaton Socon?

It is usual to have your child welcomed in the parish where you live or attend regularly so that your child can grow in that church family.

However, if there are particular reasons why you would like to have the service here (e.g. members of your family worship here regularly), it may be possible to arrange with the agreement of your own local minister.

Do I need to keep coming to church?

If you decide to have a Thanksgiving service, this does not imply any ongoing commitment to come to church. We would love to see you – and you might be surprised by what you find!

In contrast, the Baptism service expects that parents and godparents will help their children ‘take their place within the life and worship of the church’.

Does the service cost anything?

There is no charge for either service. However, because as a Church we are self-funding and rely on people’s generosity, we do encourage you to make a donation. Your donation will help to support the Church in its ongoing ministry.

Who do I contact?

In the first instance, please contact the Vicar, Revd Timothy Robb (212219).