| baptisms |
baptism ("Christening") at Littlemore
In baptism we are born again into a new and close relationship with God through participating in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism is a gift from God to his people. At the baptism service we are also anointed and blessed. If you are considering bringing your child for baptism, you may want to consider just having your child blessed and anointed so that when he or she grows up they can make up their own mind about baptism. In baptism we begin our lives as Christians in the Church; it is the responsibility of parents and godparents to give children who have been baptised as babies the opportunity to learn more about their faith, to learn to go to church and present themselves for confirmation. Confirmation is the completion of baptism; the Bishop comes and lays his hands on our heads, and admits us to the sacrament of the Holy Communion. Godparents should therefore be chosen with some care. Think about whether you have someone amongst your relatives, friends or acquaintances whom you trust, and who has a live link with a church. It does not necessarily have to be an Anglican church; it might be any Christian church. If you are planning to have your child baptised at the 12.30pm service, it is expected that you will be present at the main Service (10am Sundays) on at least one other Sunday sometime before the event. You can book your child's baptism by calling at the Vicarage or by ringing 01865 748003. There is no set fee for baptisms in the Church of England. Parish churches, nevertheless, have no income other than that which its members contribute. It is expensive to keep a church building standing and at the same time keep the mission of the Church alive. There is a collection at baptism services and families of baptism candidates may want to consider what it is worth to them to have a church living and praying in the middle of their community. The papers you will receive will include a baptism application form and a list of Bible passages. During the week before the baptism, one of the priests will come and visit you to explain the service and the meaning of baptism, please have your form filled in and chose a Bible passage in time for this visit. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you to St Mary and St Nicholas, Littlemore. Please read through these verses from the Bible and chose one of them for your baptism -
At St Mary & St Nicholas we have a Sunday School, which runs concurrently with our main service on Sundays (10am). If you are interested in placing your child there, please come and talk to the Vicar or join us for one of our regular services and have look at what 'being part of the church' means. We also have a Children's Service every last Sunday of the month at 4pm; at this we listen to s story, sing songs, do activities and have drinks and cake! |
According
to the law and common practice in England everybody has the right to be baptised
in their Parish Church. If you live in the parish of Littlemore or if you regularly
worship at this Church, you are welcome to be baptised in this Church. Children
and babies are generally baptised on the first Sunday in every month either at
the main Parish Mass at 10am or at a special baptism service at 12.30pm. Adults
wishing to be baptised will usually be baptised and confirmed at Easter time following
a period of preparation during the forty days before Easter. Baptism is a most
precious and holy Sacrament of the Church.