What is Baptism all about?
Baptism is about becoming a disciple of Jesus.
It is the public step a person takes after putting their trust in Jesus and choosing to follow him. Through baptism, they join the church family and commit to living for Christ.
Baptism is a sign of a new identity. It shows that we belong to Jesus, have turned away from our old life, and trust him for the forgiveness of our sins and the power to live a new life through the Holy Spirit.
At Padiham Parish, we want to help both children and adults come to faith in Jesus and grow as disciples. We therefore encourage those who put their faith in Christ to publicly express that commitment through baptism.
Because baptism is a public declaration of faith, it is normally held during a Sunday service, either by sprinkling with water or by full immersion. This allows the whole church family to welcome new believers and to remember their own baptism and commitment to God.
Children's Baptism
From the earliest days of the Church, Christian parents have brought their children for baptism, trusting that they will grow up knowing and following Jesus. Just as children naturally learn language from those around them, they also learn what it means to live as a Christian through the example of their family and church community.
We believe that children of Christian parents belong to Jesus from the very beginning of their lives. Because baptism is a sign of belonging to Jesus, parents may choose to have their children baptised as part of their journey of faith.
Baptism is rooted in faith, so during the service parents and godparents are asked to publicly affirm their own faith in Christ and their commitment to help the child grow as a disciple of Jesus.
Baptisms take place within our main Sunday services, where parents and godparents make promises about their faith and their responsibility to nurture the child in the Christian life. In keeping with Anglican tradition, parents and godparents should themselves be baptised and ideally confirmed, or active members of the Church.
We also encourage families to be part of the worshipping life of the church, growing together in faith and discipleship.
Thanksgiving & Blessing
You may have heard about a service called a ‘Thanksgiving and Blessing’. Some people call it a ‘Naming Ceremony’’. The service is available to everyone who would like it, whether you attend church or not and whether or not you feel comfortable calling yourself a Christian.It is a wonderful service which gives thanks to God for the life of your child and asks for God’s protection and God’s help in bringing the child up.
At a thanksgiving service the minister will lay hands on your child and pray for you and your child. They will give you a candle as a sign of Jesus’ light in your lives and children can have godparents to support them, although unlike for the baptism service, these Godparents don’t need to be baptised themselves as they won’t be making Christian vows.
Adult baptism and Reaffirmation
In recent years, as more people are coming to faith later in life not having been Christened as a child, we have seen an increase in adult baptisms. We are also seeing an increase in adults choosing to reaffirm their baptismal vows by full immersion.
The reasons for this are varied but one major factor is that although Christened as children many people have grown up in families where faith was not practised, talked about or experienced and so when this becomes real in later life and people are born again, they are very attracted to marking this new beginning with a reaffirmation of their baptism.
Just as it is not possible get married to the same person more than once (except in some very rare situations), but it is possible, and sometimes very significant, to renew ones wedding vows, so likewise, while it is not possible to be baptised into Christ more than once, it is possible, and sometimes really significant, to reaffirm and renew these vows in later life.
Confirmation
Confirmation is when someone who has been baptised as a baby publically confirms the promises and vows made on their behalf.
The services are usually held once a year. During the service, the Bishop places hands on your head and prays for the Holy Spirit to give you strength and commitment.
If any of the above is of interest to you, please get in touch!
