Ebrington welcomes those who live in the parish or who have close connections with the church to be baptised here.
To discuss arrangements for a Baptism please contact our Vicar c/o admin@ebringtonchurch.org.uk.
Baptism or Thanksgiving?
Soon after the birth of a child, many parents approach the church for a christening or baptism (they are the same) because they want to be able to celebrate this great event. And because we believe that God enables us to share in his work of creation, and that He wants the best for our children, we at St Eadburgha's welcome parents unconditionally, and want to do all we can to prepare them for this.
Recent research has shown that parents have four main expectations when they approach the church for the christening of their child.
- The first is welcoming and belonging: the welcome of a child into the world, into the nuclear family and into the broader community including the church family.
- The second is naming the child and saying thank you to God.
- The third is asking for God to bless the child, to protect the child and to pray for such blessings as good health, a strong sense of right and wrong, and a faith in God.
- And the fourth is all about including godparents.
What parents (and indeed godparents) are often not fully aware of is the promises which they are asked to make when they come to the service.
The first of these is when parents and godparents promise to pray for their child, to bring them to church and to lead them in the way of Christ.
And because we can only really do this if we ourselves have a living faith in Christ, the following questions and answers are at the heart of the Baptism Service:
- Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?
- Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil?
- Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour?
- Do you turn to Christ as Saviour?
- Do you submit to Christ as Lord?
- Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life?
In the light of this not a few parents and godparents feel that they are not yet ready to make such statements. And yet they very much have those expectations and hopes for their child. They might therefore find the Service of Thanksgiving a better alternative to the Baptism Service. In this service the four elements of welcoming, of naming and thanksgiving, of blessing and of including godparents are all central. But in this service parents and godparents are not asked to make promises which, at this stage, they feel unable to keep. Instead they promise to do their best as good parents and they ask for God's blessing on their child.
There are also those parents who are committed Christians who believe that their children must reach an age when they can decide for themselves whether to be baptized or not. If this is your preference then you also might like to opt for the Service of Thanksgiving.
Either way, it is best to examine both services and to discuss the matter in full with the clergy before making a final decision. And in all of this, be assured that God's love for your child, his desire to bless, to lead and to guide your child through all of this, and so much more, is there, irrespective of whether your child is baptized or not.
- St Eadburgha's Church
- Ebrington
- Chipping Campden
- Gloucestershire
- GL55 6NG