Christenings
Your child is precious to you and to God. Many parents wish to mark the birth of a child with a special service of celebration. The Church of England offers two options: a simple service of thanksgiving for the birth of a child or a christening service, which includes baptism, marking the start of a journey of faith.
Baptism is a 'sacrament' (a holy ritual to symbolise grace) that is traced back to Jesus being baptised in the river Jordan. Visit the Church of England website to find out more.
In baptism, you as parents are thanking God for his gift of life and making a decision to start your child on the journey of faith, 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 global Christian family.
Your parish church will be delighted to help - you can find them at A Church Near You. The vicar will want to talk to you (and possibly the godparents) about the service and the promises you will make.
Confirmation
Confirmation can be an important part of a lifetime journey of faith as a follower of Jesus Christ and many people who were christened as a child go on to confirmation – a chance to ‘confirm’ their baptism promises – when they have grown up.
Once a person has learned the faith for the first time and come to baptism and confirmation, then year by year that faith and understanding are deepened within the framework of the great story of salvation lived out and expressed in our liturgy. The story is revisited over and over again at different stages of life and of faith development.
You can find out more about confirmation by visiting the Church of England website, and do speak to your vicar to find out more.