Baptism (also known as Christening)

If you live in Ash you are welcome to have your child baptised at St Peter’s Church.  Even if you don’t live in Ash it may still be possible but we would need to talk that over with you. This is because we hope that after the baptism you will continue to keep in contact with us and bring your child to church when you can. As that may be more difficult if you live a distance away, getting your child baptised at your local church is usually the best option. We also welcome adults who wish to be baptized – there is no upper age limit!

Booking a baptism is quite simple.  We ask you to come to our parish office (opposite St Peter’s Church) between 6pm and 7pm on the following Wednesday evenings (no appointment is necessary).

29th May, 26th June, 31st July, 28th August, 27th September, 30th October, 27th November, 18th December 2024

We will find an available date which suits your family. Baptisms can be held during our Sunday Holy Communion service at 10 am or as a separate service at 12:30 - usually on the first or last Sunday of the month. If you have a specific date in mind it is a good idea to come and see us sooner rather than later to avoid being disappointed.

Once a date has been set we then ask you to come to a preparation evening, usually a month or two before the baptism, so that we can explain to you what will happen on the big day and answer any questions you may have.  This will be held on a mutually convenient date approximately 1 hour. You are very welcome to bring your child with you if you wish.  We ask that godparents come along as well, if they live locally, as it is important that they understand the very special role that they are expected to play in supporting your child in the Christian faith in their early years. It is one of the rules of the church that godparents have to have been baptised (christened) themselves, and they have to be 16 years or older.

Your child is precious to you and precious to God.  At baptism parents and godparents thank God for the child’s life and make promises on behalf of the child which we hope the child will be able to make for themselves, when they get older, at a service called Confirmation.  So Baptism isn’t an end in itself but, rather, just the start of an exciting journey with God which is life-long. At St Peters’ we are here to support you in helping your child to grow in the Christian faith and learn more about God as he or she gets older.

There is no charge for baptisms, but you may like to make a donation to the church to help us with our running costs as we have to be fully self supporting - we get no money from government or other agencies.  On the day there will be a plate at the door, together with gift aid envelopes for those who are tax payers.