Baptism

Jesus said, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’  Matthew 28:19

Baptism is a special day for the person being baptised, whether they are a young or old.  As they are welcomed into the church as a member of God’s family, and we would be delighted to share this special day with you.

What is Baptism?

Baptism (which is another name for Christening) is the ceremony by which a person becomes a member of the worldwide Christian Church. Becoming a Christian means a new start in life, as if a person dies to their old way of life and is reborn to a new way of life. Baptism is also a symbolic washing away of the power of sin, through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

When do Baptisms happen?

Baptisms often happen after the main service of the day in church, however, there are some occasions when it may happen in the Main service. We also set all the dates at the beginning of the year so that there is a fair balance between them, so we will always ask you which month you would like the Baptism to happen, but it may not be on the day you want, and so having some alternative would be helpful.

First and foremost, Baptism is not a private affair, it is a public act of faith where we welcome those to be baptised into the family of Faith. Please do not ask if you can be the only family at the Baptism as this will not be accommodated. Depending upon the church, we may also advise you of a maximum number of guests that you can bring to the service.

At the beginning of each baptism the following question is put to the congregation:

Faith is the gift of God to his people.
In baptism the Lord is adding to our number
those whom he is calling.
People of God, will you welcome these children/candidates
and uphold them in their new life in Christ?
With the help of God, we will.

This is an important question to ask, because not only does it say that the church of God welcomes those to be baptised, but it is also promising to be there to support and help them through their lives.

Baptism is the beginning of your child’s journey in faith, not the end. So when you do bring your child to baptism, you can be assured that the welcome you receive on the day will just be the beginning and not the end of the welcome you will receive whenever you join us at church.

Godparents?

If you decide to have your child baptised you will want to think carefully about godparents.  These are the people who you will be trusting to teach the faith that we profess to your child.  

It is worth taking some time to think carefully about your choices, and to ask yourself questions such as do the people we are choosing have an active faith?  Are they able to speak about why their faith is important?  Will they help your child to understand what their faith means as they grow up, so that in time they will be able to personally make those promises themselves later in life?

These are all important questions that you should consider when you are making the decision as to who will be the people you choose to be godparents.

It is usual to have three godparents, two male and one female for a boy and two female and one male for a girl. Ideally they should also be confirmed and practising members of a Church.  

But at the very least they must themselves already be baptised and able to make the promises sincerely.
If they are not then sadly they will not be able to stand as Godparents.

Godparents of other Christian denominations are welcome, and we reserve the right to ask for proof of a godparents Baptism if we require it.

Within the Benefice the maximum number of godparents we will permit is FOUR. We sometime get asked if there can be ‘honorary godparents’ this is not a recognised term in respect of Baptism. Godparents must also be physically present at the service to make the promises that they are required to in the sight of God.

The church sees godparents as people with a key and integral role within your child’s life, and so we strongly urge you to take the time to choose the people who will fulfil the promises that they are making to support your child as they grow in the faith.

We sometime get asked whether someone can be Baptised so that they can be a godparent, sadly the answer to this question is no, as it is contrary to everything explained above. However, if your choice for godparent wishes to explore their faith and in time come to a point where they can take that step for themselves, then you may wish to postpone your Baptism for around 6 months to give them the opportunity.

Eligibility for Baptism in The Benefice of Pontefract

As the church here in Pontefract we have a responsibility to assist any who lives within our boundaries that wish to bring their children for Baptism.

As the area that we cover is significant, we would like to clarify who has the right to be Baptised within our churches:

  1. You currently live within the Parish Boundaries of any of our Churches.
  2. You currently habitually attend worship (this would broadly be described as you have been attending church at least once a month for over six months time, and are continuing to attend)
  3. You are on the Electoral Roll of one of the churches.

If you do not fall within any of these three criteria, then sadly we do not have the right to conduct the Baptism, or have ongoing Pastoral responsibility for you. These important roles fall to your own parish church, if you are not sure how to contact them the you can go to the following website where you will be able to input your postcode and it will provide the details of which is your church and who to contact.

A Church Near You

What happens next

If you want to start the process of booking in for a Baptism, please click below and it will take you to our contact form where you can begin a Baptism booking, once we have the information we will check the details and be back in touch to look at dates for the Baptism.

We will also look for a date for you to attend Baptism preparation. These happen on a Saturday morning at 10.30 a.m. at St Giles. It is an opportunity for us to talk through what will happen at the service, and it also allows you to check through the information you provided to us, to ensure that there are no spelling mistakes, and sign the relevant paperwork.

Baptism preparation is a mandatory part of the Baptism process, and so until you have attended and signed the paperwork, then the Baptism will not be able to proceed. We hope that with this being an important aspect of your child’s life that both parents will attend, and that you will also encourage your godparents to attend so that they can begin to understand the role they are accepting.

To access the contact form where you can start the process click here

Baptism for Adults

When an adult asks for Baptism the procedure that we go through is different as it is conducted as a pre-cursor to Confirmation which is to happen as soon as practically possible.

We are always delighted to speak to adults about being prepared for Baptism and Confirmation. As this is a big decision in a persons life then we would expect them to be attending church regularly for no less than 6 months before preparation begins so that they have the opportunity to really consider what their faith means to them.

If you would like to discuss being baptised, then please contact Fr Ian, our Vicar directly, who will be happy to arrange to have an initial conversation with you.