Here at St John’s, we have a whole community approach to welcoming children into the family of God.
Welcoming a child into the family of God

The Anglican Church offers two ways of welcoming children into God’s family.

A Thanksgiving for a Child is an opportunity to celebrate and thank God for the gift of a child, to ask for God’s blessing and pray for the parents, friends and family as they take on the challenging but beautiful task of raising this little one. A Service of Thanksgiving can take place at anytime, anywhere. You can choose to do this in the church or another venue. You can customise the service to include symbols that are meaningful to you.

The Sacrament of Baptism is a beautiful and profound sacrament that brings alive and expresses our desire to follow Jesus in life and in faith. At a Baptism for an infant, parents and Godparents speak for the child and promise to provide opportunities to grow in faith as part of a community of faith. Baptism needs to happen in a community of faith, and when that community is gathered. Baptism can happen during any of our regular services and incorporates some important promises and the actions of immersion in water – the Baptism; Anointing with oil – the Christening; and the welcome of our worshipping community.

Parents or Caregivers usually choose
A Thanksgiving for a Child if:
  • We want to celebrate the birth and naming of our child
  • We want to ask for God’s blessing on our child
  • We want to share that special moment with family and friends
  • We are not really very religious but want to acknowledge family tradition
  • We are not really sure what baptism means or if we want that for our child
  • We want to express our belief in God but don’t really want to commit to being part of any church activities
  • We want our child to make their own faith decision when they are older.
Parents or Caregivers usually choose
The Sacrament of Baptism if:
  • We want to help our child become a follower of Jesus
  • We want our child to grow in faith as part of a Christian community
  • We want to learn more about being a follower of Jesus and grow in our own faith
  • We value the support and help of other people of faith in helping us grow our child in faith
  • We want our child to grow up with experience of the Christian community so they can make more informed choices and commitment when they are older.

How can I contact to arrange a Baptism or Thanksgiving?

There are a couple of easy ways to register:

May our God surround you and your family with love and blessings as you consider what the Holy Spirit may be calling you to do.

Click here to download the application form: