Baptisms
If you have recently become a parent or have had another child to join your family, then congratulations.
Life is the most precious thing that we have and the Bible tells us that we are all made in the image of God. That is quite something. So we value life and encourage everyone to make the very best of their God given life. To make the most of life and live it in all its fullness then we must feed and nurture the spiritual part of our life just as much as the physical part.
To be baptised is an important step along the journey of faith and a valuing of the spiritual dimension of our lives. Jesus said that everyone who wanted to follow him should be baptised.
Is it a Baptism or a Christening?
The whole service could be called a Christening, but the point at which the water is poured on the head is the actual baptism.
Who can be baptised?
We welcome people of any age. Many are very young and so their parents and godparents make the promise to bring them up in the Christian faith which includes being a good role model, praying for the child and helping them to become part of the church which does of course mean taking them to church.
Older children will make the promises themselves, but will also be supported in making these by their parents and godparents.
Adults make the promises for themselves. Normally an adult being baptised would also then be confirmed in the next twelve months.
Baptisms should take place in the parish church where you live (check here) or the church which you normally worship in if this is different.
What is confirmation?
Confirmation is a service which a bishop leads. Here the baptism promises are made once more and the bishop lays his hands on each person confirming the Holy Spirit in that person. Confirmation services are held jointly with other churches in the Chichester Deanery, usually twice a year. Candidates for confirmation from Lavant will meet together for a series of classes in which the Christian faith is explored.
Further information
Use this link to discover more about Christenings.