Being baptised (or "Christened") means becoming a Christian. If you are considering this for yourself or for your child there are probably many questions you have. These pages answer the most common ones.

What is Baptism?

Baptism means different things to different people but for the Church it basically means two things: becoming a follower of Jesus (a Christian) and becoming a member of the Christian Church.

Who can be baptised?

Anyone of any age can be baptised. Normally someone is baptised as a baby but, if you weren’t, you may feel baptism is something you would like for yourself. Perhaps you are about to get married, or have your own baby baptised, perhaps you have some other reason for exploring baptism: just ring Revd. Giles to talk about it or catch him after church one Sunday morning.

You may also want more than one of your children to be baptised together, again, this is no problem – just talk to Revd. Giles about how this works.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. The Church doesn’t charge a membership fee! Anyone who lives in the parish of Kingswinford is entitled to be baptised here. There will, however, be a collection plate in the service so your guests can give money towards keeping the church going.

When do you do baptisms?

Baptisms are carried out in a special service, about once a month, in St. Mary's. Most months we have two or, at most, three baptisms.

Who can be godparents?

Normally people choose two or three godparents for their child. It is tradition for a girl to have two godmothers and one godfather and a boy two godfathers and one godmother, but this isn't essential. The godparents must be baptised and, if possible, at least one of them should be confirmed too. If one of the people you choose hasn’t been baptised and they would like to be this can be organised with Revd. Giles. People of other faiths or atheists cannot be godparents because they are not Christian.

What do we have to do before we can have a baptism?

Families looking for a baptism are invited to the Church Centre to meet Revd. Giles and join our new family church called "... at the centre". It's a chance to meet other families and share a bible story and a cup of coffee. It runs every Sunday in term-time

Children of all ages are very welcome and there are activities for them too. Don't worry about babies and children being noisy - nobody will mind and we want you all to feel relaxed and comfortable.

On your first visit we will offer a thanksgiving to God for your child. We then ask you to come to "... at the centre" on three more Sundays before the baptism itself.

What do we have to do after the baptism?

At a baptism you promise to teach your child the stories of Jesus and bring them up as a Christian. One easy way of doing this is to become part of the church, so you might like to think about what we offer other weeks too. You could keep coming to "... at the centre" whenever you can and there are special services at Christmas and Easter that you might enjoy.

There are many different types of services each month so look at the parish magazine or click here for more details of what’s going on.

How do I organise a baptism?

Just contact the parish office at the Church Centre to make a booking.
Please note that everyone with parental responsibility for the child needs to sign the request form when you book a baptism.