Baptism
Baptism is sometimes called 'Christening', but they are the same thing. Both are about the church receiving you or your child into its wider family. Baptism is a Christian sacrament where promises are made by parents and godparents on behalf of a child or by an adult for themselves.
If you feel that you are not ready to make this commitment, there is an alternative service which is called 'A Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child'. You can still have Sponsors for your child (instead of Godparents), but it does not require you or the Sponsors to make such a firm commitment about bringing up your child in the Christian faith. Instead, it is a service of thanksgiving for the safe delivery of your child and we ask for God’s blessing on your child until he or she is old enough to make his or her own commitment to the Christian faith.
What is the next step?
If you have any questions about Baptism or Thanksgiving for your child, or you would like to be baptised yourself, please contact the Rector, Rev'd Manette Crossman, who will be happy to answer any questions you may have and explore the different options with you.
Confirmation
If you and/or your children are baptised members of the Church of England and feel that the time has come to take your commitment of faith one step further, you can do so by being confirmed at a service where the Bishop will ask you to renew your baptismal promises and will bless and commission you as a fully-fledged member of the Church. You will then be able to take Holy Communion in any Church of England church wherever you happen to be in the world.
Like most people in the Church of England nowadays, you were probably baptised as a baby and will not remember the promises made on your behalf by your parents and godparents, so Confirmation is a time when you can make those promises for yourself.
There will be a series of confirmation preparation classes to attend and we may be able to arrange a Confirmation Service in one of our Benefice or Deanery churches, or there may be the option of being confirmed at a service in the Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds.
Do get in touch with Rev'd Manette for an initial conversation if you or your children would like to explore Confirmation.
- The Rectory
- Hadleigh Road
- Raydon
- Suffolk
- IP7 5LH
07947 737789
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