Baptisms or Christenings at St.John's
We are delighted to welcome those seeking baptism in our church. Please contact our Parish Office by email or by phone on 01202 697641 to arrange an initial meeting. Please note that a firm booking will not be made until we have contacted you to discuss your requirements and dates.
You might find it helpful having a look at the Church of England's website on Christenings.
Those under the age of ten are baptised on the understanding that, when they are older, they will have the opportunity to confirm their baptismal commitment for themselves. The service for that is called Confirmation and it is administered by the bishop through the laying on of hands. We encourage those over the age of ten to be baptised and confirmed at the same service, sometimes in Salisbury Cathedral or a local church.
Most of those we baptise are young children and the service takes place here at St.John's. While we love to have a baptism at our usual 10am service, most of our baptisms take place at 12 noon on Saturdays or Sundays. It is just possible you may have to share a baptism service with another family, though we do try to offer you your own date where we can.
It is the usual practice to go to your own local parish church to have your child baptised. If you are not certain which is your own parish church, you might like to use the Parish Finder provided by the Church of England. If you live in our parish, we will be delighted to baptise your child. We do also baptise those who live outside the parish if they have a clear link with St.John's Broadstone.
To arrange a Baptism:
- Contact our Parish Office to arrange an initial meeting
- Our vicar will be in touch with you to make the necessary arrangements
- You will need to choose Godparents (ideally they will be Confirmed, but they must themselves have been baptised). If they are not baptised they cannot be godparents, but they can become sponsors, and we will talk with you about what this means. It is usual to have 3 godparents, and both male and female. The C of E does insist you have at least one godparent of each sex as a minimum.
- The member of the clergy doing the baptism will visit you in your own home and talk through with you what will happen in the service and what baptism means. You will also receive a visit from our baptism co-ordinator Jenny.
- On the day, the service will start promptly and there will be some of the regular members of the St.John's congregation there to welcome you and look after you.
- We want you to have some good photos of the day, but we discourage lots of photos during the actual baptism as that can detract from what is an act of worship. There will be plenty of time for photos afterwards. The clergy are always happy to be included in the photos if you so wish.
- We will keep you informed about services and events especially suitable for families, including our 10am Café Breakfast Church held on Saturdays every two months, and our Muddy Church.
- You will get an invitation to our annual Teddy Bears picnic!
Baptism is that moment in which we welcome newcomers into the fellowship of Christ's Church. Baptism is about God's open welcome to you and to your child. Baptism is also about how you might respond to what God has done for you and for your child. You will make promises about living your life as a Christian and bringing up your child to know Jesus as their friend.
There are no fees charged for baptism. If you wish to give something to the church as a thanksgiving, we welcome all donations, and we will also take a collection during the service.