Life Events
The Church of England offers care,
literally, from the cradle to the grave; and has a range of pastoral services to make key moments in your life.
Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child
The Service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child is not part of
Christian Initiation but is often used by parents in place of baptism. This service can take place as a private or public
celebration of a birth or adoption; and can take place at home or at church. The service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a
Child can be a preliminary to baptism; an alternative to infant baptism; or simply an opportunity for parents to recognise
that something wonderful has happened for which they wish to give thanks to God
Marriage
The
Christian church believes that marriage is a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman; and that sex is at its best when
reserved exclusively as an expression of love within a marriage. There are many different choices available for couples considering
marriage. And its not just the choice between a civil wedding or a church wedding. If you chose a civil wedding you can get
married in the local authority's register office or in hotels, stately homes, and even football stadiums.
The church offers more than just a venue for a wedding; it offers practical care and concern for the whole of your married
life together. And there are many options you can chose within a Church wedding to make the start of your married life a very
special day. If you chose a civil wedding the Church, in some circumstances, offers a service of blessing.
In 2004 in the Diocese of Lichfield, 2,350 couples were married in our churches; while 140 couples had services of blessings
for their civil marriage.
Funerals
Death is the only guaranteed certainty about life. It
is something that can happen when you are young or old; it can be expected or sudden; it can be a tragedy or a release. Nobody
knows for certain what happens when you die, but Christians believe that God's love and power extend over all creation.
Every life, including our own, is precious to God. Christians have always believed that there is hope in death as in life,
and that there is new life in Christ over death. Even those who share such faith find that there is a real sense of loss at
the death of a loved one. We will each have had our own experiences of their life and death, with different memories and different
feelings of love, grief and respect. The funeral service is an occasion to express our faith and our feelings as we say farewell,
to acknowledge our loss and our sorrow, and to reflect on our own mortality. The church offers funeral services as a way of
providing support and consolation to those who mourn.
What is baptism
In baptism, you as parents are: thanking God for his gift of life, making
a decision to start your child on the journey of faith and asking for the Church's support.
For your
child, baptism marks the start of a journey of faith, which involves turning away from all that is evil, turning towards Christ
and becoming a member of the local and worldwide Christian family.
Baptism is a 'sacrament'
a visible sign of God's love. In baptism, we are thanking God for his gift of life and publicly acknowledging his love.
We are acknowledging that we all need to turn away from selfishness and evil and to accept God’s offer of a new start.
The
Church of England has two authorized Baptism services. One is taken from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and is in 17th
century English.
Most baptisms use a service in contemporary English, taken from Common Worship
(2000).
To read the text of the Common Worship service.
What happens during the service?
The priest will
make sure you know where to sit and when you need to move. Some parts of the service will be for the whole congregation to
join in, some will be for you and the godparents.
Part of the baptism service will normally
take place at the front of the church, but for the baptism itself, parents and godparents are usually be asked by the priest
to gather around the font. (The font is a large basin on a pedestal, containing the water for baptism.)
The
priest will ask the parents and godparents to make declarations on behalf of the child (see Making decisions and promises).
Making decisions and promises
When you bring your child for baptism, you will be asked
to declare publicly on behalf of your child that you believe in God and that you will bring your child up to follow Jesus.
You
will be asked to answer, on your child's behalf, that you have decided to turn away from everything which is evil or sinful
and instead to turn towards Christ.
The declarations made by you and the child's godparents will be
made in front of the church congregation; the local Christian community will promise to support you and pray for you and your
child.
Symbols and actions used during the service
A number of important symbols and actions will be
used during the service itself:
- The sign of the cross - the priest will
make the sign of the cross on your child's forehead. This is like an invisible badge to show that Christians are united
with Christ and must not be ashamed to stand up for their faith in him.
The priest says:
Christ
claims you for his own.
Receive the sign of his cross.
Do not be ashamed to confess
the faith of Christ crucified.
The priest may also invite you and the godparents to sign the cross on the
child's forehead after he or she has done so.
- Water - the priest
will pour water on your child's head. Water is a sign of washing and cleansing. In baptism it is a sign of being washed
free from sin and beginning a new life with God.
Water is a sign of life, but also a symbol of death.
When we are baptized, it is as though our old life is buried in the waters (like drowning) and we are raised to new life with
Christ.
- Anointing - after baptism in water, the minister may put the
christening robe on the child and anoint him or her with oil. This is a sign of the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit.
The priest says:
May God, who has received you by baptism into his Church,
pour
upon you the riches of his grace,
that within the company of Christ's pilgrim people
you
may daily be renewed by his anointing Spirit,
and come to the inheritance of the saints in glory.
- The
welcome - the church congregation will say some formal words of welcome to acknowledge that you child
has joined the Church and to show how pleased they are to have you among them.
- Candles
- Jesus is the Light of the World. A large candle may be lit in the church and you may also be given
a lighted candle at the end of the service as a reminder of the light which has come into your child's life.
It
is up to you, the child's godparents and the church community to help your child reject the world of darkness and follow
a way of life that reflects goodness and light and shares this light with others.
The role of godparents
Godparents make the same promises on behalf of the child being baptised
as parents. Godparents promise to pray and support the child and to help the parents to bring up the child in the Christian
faith. It is an important and responsible role.
You should have at least three godparents: two of the same
sex as the child and one of the opposite sex. Godparents can be family members or friends. However, it is important that you
choose people who will take an interest in your child's spiritual welfare and who will pray for you and your child.
Godparents must themselves be baptized.
BAPTISM ENQUIRIES TO MARY RICHARDS ON 01952
613653
Prayer and Thanksgiving for life events
Your local church can help you to mark other
significant life events with prayer or thanksgiving.
Are you moving to a new house?
Why
not invite your local vicar to bless your new home? It can be a private simple affair, or you can invite your relatives, friends
and your new neighbours; you can even have the prayers said as part of a housewarming party.
Are you, or
somebody you know, ill?
Prayers are said in all of our churches every week for those who are ill. If you
would like to be prayed for yourself, or would like a friend or relative to be prayed for, please contact your local vicar.
We have chaplains working in all our major hospitals as part of the multi-faith chaplaincy teams. Regular church services
are held in the hospital chapels and the chaplains are able to visit you on your ward if you would like.
Do
you know somebody in prison?
There are Church of England clergy in all our local prisons and youth offending
institutions. Jesus said he had come to set prisoners free. Rest assured that chaplains have no intention of opening the doors
to set the prisoners free! But they do work to bring spiritual freedom to those they serve. Regular services are held in the
prison chapels and they are available to talk to prisoners and to provide a caring listening ear.
Whatever
you are facing; the church is here for you!
Every house, in every street in every district, village, town
or city is part of a Church of England parish; this means that there is a local church serving you and your community. The
clergy can only do so much; but the ministry of the church is shared by all its members. Do please join us at St.Mary's you
will be most welcome!
