Jesus said, “Let the little children come unto me.”
Having your child christened is a time for you to give thanks to God for your child and for you to promise to share His teaching with them, so they may grow in Christian faith.
Normally, our Christening services are held on Sunday afternoon at 1pm on the first and third Sundays of each month. Following this service, you, your child(ren) and Godparents are invited to a following Service of the Word ,which is usually held on the fourth Sunday of each month at Hellingly church. At this service we welcome your child into the Church and they receive their baptism candle.
What about godparents /godfathers and godmothers? Traditionally children have three godparents – two of the same sex as the child and one of the opposite sex. (although one godfather and one godmother is sufficient)
Parents can be godparents to their own children, provided that the child has at least one other godparent.
The minimum requirement to be a godparent is that they have been baptised themselves. Godparents make serious promises to do what they can to bring the child up as a Christian and so to have been baptised themselves is the least expectation, even if parents haven't, oddly enough!
They make the same promises as a godparent, but cannot technically be a godparent and therefore you would have to find someone else baptised to fulfil the role.
How much does it cost? There is no charge for the Christening service, but you and your guests are able to leave a donation to the church if you wish to do so. There is a standard fee set by the Church Commissioners if you require a certificate.
.What happens when we've booked a Christening service? We will make sure a minister is available for the service and pass the details to one of our baptism visitors. A week or two before the service, your baptism visitor will come and meet you to discuss the service and make sure we have all the details required for the church registers. They will also be at your service with the minister to support you and your family on the day.
Sometimes, where a particular date is popular, we will combine your Christening service with that of another family, dependent on the number of guests expected.
Our Christening Service leaflet
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