St James' Church, Carlisle
Baptism and Thanksgiving Services
Two services to welcome youngsters into St James' church
When a new baby is born, families and friends want to celebrate. They want to share in saying 'Thank you' for the miracle of new life.
We at St James would love to join with you at such a special time, and we offer two services that might help you mark the occasion in an extra-special way in church.
The Thanksgiving Service
This enables a family to give thanks to God for the new member of their family in the context of a service in church. It might be that parents and Godparents don't want to make the commitment of becoming members of the church at this stage, or that the promises required don't accurately reflect their true feelings at this moment.
Or, the family might already be church members and the promises truly reflect their Christian faith and belief, yet they might not like their child to have the 'once for all' Baptism now, but wish to leave the possibility of Baptism open until the child is older and can make the decision for him- or herself.
The Baptism Service
Often called a 'Christening', this service requires parents and Godparents to make promises about following Jesus as teacher and Lord, accepting him as Saviour and discovering him as a friend. It is a service that marks membership of the Church, the family of God and demonstrates a willingness to participate in that family's life.
Helping your Decision
To assist you in making the best decision for your child and your family, we invite you to two informal meetings where these two different service are explained and discussed. After a short talk, there is time for questions. We also offer a supervised creche facility and some light refreshments.