There are two kinds of services available at St Margaret's:

 

1. Thanksgiving For A Child

 

This service is designed to be a family celebration to thank God for the gift of your child. It can be used to celebrate the birth or adoption of a child. The opportunity is given for you, your family and friends to name your child in a significant way.

 

Thanksgiving services can be held at any time that is convenient to you and the priest. The service of Thanksgiving for a Child is designed to enable families to seek God’s blessing for their child, to ask for God’s protection and to thank God for the child’s life.

The service is not Christian baptism. It welcomes into the human family a new member and gives them their own name and place. Christian baptism means something more than celebrating that a baby has been born.

 

2. Baptism

 

Baptism is a significant moment in the life of the person being baptised, for the family and for the congregation.

 

What is baptism?

 

Baptism is a sacrament of admission or initiation into the Christian church. Baptism is the way a person is made a member of the Christian church worldwide, not just a particular denomination. It marks the beginning of a person’s Christian life and follows a person’s declaration of faith in Jesus Christ. In the case of babies, this declaration is made by their parents and godparents/sponsors on their behalf.

 

Baptism allows children of a suitable age determined by the parent, or adults, and the priest to become communicant members of the church following a time of preparation.

 

Sometimes parents who are asking for baptism for their child are not themselves worshiping members of the Christian church. This means they are asking that their baby be made a member of the church when their own membership is inactive or nominal.

 

When can I or my child be baptised?

 

Baptism services are usually held during the Sunday morning Eucharist at 10.00am.  They can be held at the Saturday 6pm service as well. The service on baptism days is a special celebration for the whole community and, like all our major festivals can take place in St Margaret’s wonderful mud-brick hall.

 

How long is the baptism service?

Normally the service takes about 75 minutes.                                               

 

Who can be a godparent/sponsor?

 

Godparents/sponsors need to be baptised people but do not need to be Anglican. Godparents/sponsors have an important part to play in the Christian life of a candidate for baptism, whether that person is a child or adult. They stand with the candidate at baptism as a support and witness. In the case of children, they answer on behalf of the child and share responsibility with the parents for the progress in Christian growth of the child baptised.

 

How much will the service cost?

 

There is no charge for baptism. This is not a commercial transaction but a gift of God. However, many families offer a donation toward the ministry of the church as an expression of thanksgiving to God for their child. Donations are usually given during the collection in an envelope marked “Thanksgiving Gift”.

 

What Preparation occurs?