St Mary's Church, Thatcham, Berkshire, UK

Baptism or a Service of Thanksgiving?

God is pleased at the birth of every baby; he is as pleased as you are with your child. When a child is born we have to make lots of choices. Some of these choices, name for example, affect your child for the rest of their life. Baptism is like having a second birthday. When your baby was born he or she became part of your family. If you choose baptism you are saying that you also want your baby to be part of God's family - a choice that will affect your child (and you) for the rest of your life.

Having your child baptised means taking on board a serious responsibility. You and the Godparents, are required to make certain promises and to declare your faith.

The PROMISES you make are:-

The DECLARATION OF FAITH:-

You are then required to promise that you will help the child to grow up as a Christian, within the family of the Church. The church will help you in keeping the promises, and will support you in your faith.

If you feel that you are not able to accept these responsibilities then you might like to consider having a Service of Thanksgiving for your child. This Service gives a way to say "thank you" to God for the gift of a child. We say a prayer of blessing and then you, as parents, pray that God will help you to care for your child as (s)he grows up. There is no need to choose Godparents if you have a Service of Thanksgiving. You are still able to have a baptism at a time in the years ahead should you wish.

Please see our 'Choices - Baptism or Service of Thanksgiving' information sheet for more details:- Word format or PDF version.

To read the PDF version you may need to download the reader.

The Baptism Service

Your child's baptism is a joyous occasion, and we at St Mary's Church would be delighted to help you celebrate.

Please take time to read through the information here, and contact us should you have any questions; and also to book a date. Baptism Services are usually held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, at 12.00 noon and 3.00 pm.

Godparents

Godparents must be adults and baptised.

Please make sure your child's godparents have seen and read the Godparent information sheet: Word format or PDF version.

To read the PDF version you may need to download the reader.

It is important that the Godparents names recorded on the baptism cards and in the church register are correct. You should let us know about changes made after the baptism booking form is completed.

Arriving at the Church

Most baptism services at St Mary's start at 12.00 noon or 3.00 pm in the afternoon. We suggest you arrive at least 10 minutes before the service starts so that you have time to greet your family and friends and also to get seated in the church before the service begins.
Please don't be late.

The parents and Godparents of each of the children who are being baptised sit in reserved seats at the front of the church; other people sit in family groups behind them. Prams and buggies can be brought inside. We request that you do not leave them in the church porch, as this obstructs the doorways.

Parking

We recommend that cars are parked in Church Gate. There is limited parking close to the church for those with limited mobility. For further details please check here.

Photography

In order for the baptism to be carried out as smoothly as possible we request that people do not to take photographs during the service, but wait until afterwards, when we are very happy to do an "action replay". Family and godparents may then gather around the font for picture-taking. For those wishing to video the service we ask that they do this from the gallery, so as to minimise disruption to the proceedings. The gallery does provide a good view point. Please ask guests wishing to use video equipment to speak to the sidesperson or clergy before the service begins.

What to do if baby cries...

We understand that babies and small children may cry, especially when they are in a strange place or are held by someone that they don't know. You may walk with your child around the church in order to soothe them. However, please make sure that you and your child are back at the front of the church when you are making your baptism promises and when we go to the font.

We have a children's area at the front of the church. There are toys and books available there. We request that any toys the children bring with them to the church are appropriate for the setting. Please see our floor plan for location of the children's area.

After the Baptism

Baptism marks the beginning of your child's life as a member of God's church family. We very much hope that you will help your child to grow up as a member of the church family. We invite you to come along to one of our All-Age Services, held on the first Sunday of each month at 10.00 am, for a welcome to our church. At this service you will receive your baptism card.

At St Mary's we offer a variety of child-friendly services and groups:-

Baptism Information Sheets

All the information on our website is contained in our Baptism Information Pack. There are three documents:-

To read the PDF version you may need to download the reader.