In baptism, the parents thank God for His gift of life, make a decision to start their child on the journey of faith and ask for the Church’s support. For the baby, baptism marks the start of a journey of faith, which involves turning away from all that is evil, turning towards Christ and becoming a member of the local and worldwide Christian family.

■What Happens during the Service?

Baptism normally takes place during the main Sunday service (usually in the morning), so that your child can be seen to be joining the family of the Church and be welcomed into membership. In turn the Church will promise to support and pray for you and your child.

The priest will make sure you know where to sit and when you need to move. Some parts of the service will be for you and the godparents, some will be for the whole congregation to join in.

Part of the baptism service will normally take place at the front of the church. But for the baptism itself, parents and godparents are usually asked by the priest to gather around the font. (The font is a large basin on a pedestal, containing the water for baptism.)

The priest will ask the parents and godparents to make declarations on behalf of the child.

■Making Decisions and Promises

When you bring your child for baptism, you will be asked to declare publicly on behalf of your child that you believe in God and that you will bring your child up to follow Jesus.

On behalf of your child, you will also be asked to answer that you have decided to turn away from everything which is evil or sinful and instead to turn towards Christ.

Your declaration and that of the baby’s godparents will be made in front of the church congregation; the local Christian community will promise to support and pray for you and your child.

■Symbols and Actions Used during the Service

A number of important symbols and actions will be used during the service itself:

◆ The Sign of the Cross

The priest will make the sign of cross on your child’s forehead. This is like an invisible badge to show that Christians are united with Christ and must not be ashamed to stand up for their faith in Him.

The priest may also invite you and the godparents to sign the cross on the child’s forehead after he/she has done so.

◆ Water

The priest will pour water on the baby’s head. Water is a sign of cleaning and washing. In baptism it is a sign of being washed free from sin and beginning a new life with God.

Water is a sign of life, but also a symbol of death. When you are baptized, it is as though our old life is buried in the waters (like drowning) and you are raised to new life with Christ.

◆ Anointing

After baptism in water, the minister may put the christening robe on the child and anoint him/her with oil. This is a sign of the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit.

◆ The Welcome

The church congregation will say some formal words of welcome to acknowledge that you child has joined the Church and to show how pleased they are to have you among them.

◆ Candles

Jesus is the Light of the World. A large candle may be lit in the church and you may also be given a lighted candle at the end of the service as a reminder of the light which has come into your child’s life.

It is up to you, the child’s godparents and the church community to help your child reject the world of darkness and follow a way of life that reflects goodness and light and shares this light with others.

■The Role of Godparents

On behalf of the child being baptized, Godparents should also make the same promises as parents, promising to pray and support the child and to help the parents to bring up the child in the Christian faith. It is an important and responsible role.

The baby should have at least three godparents: two of the same sex as the child and one of the opposite sex. Godparents can be family members or friends. However, it is important that you choose people who will take an interest in your child’s spiritual welfare and who will pray for you and your child.Godparents must themselves be baptized, and should also be confirmed.

■Thanksgiving Service

You may wish to ask your parish priest about having a service of Thanksgiving for the gift of a child. In this service, you thank God for the gift of your child and the child is blessed. You do not make the same promises as in the Baptism service.

If you choose to have a Thanksgiving, you may also have a Baptism service for your child at a later date.

■Christening Parties

After the baptism (christening) service, it is usual for the parents of the newly christened baby to host an informal party for the guests and congregation. Follow these guidelines when planning a christening party:

◇Choose a venue close to the church. This may be your home, a function room, village hall, restaurant or hotel.

◇The nature of the party usually depends on the time of day. For example, after a morning service a buffet or family lunch is best, but afternoon tea would suit an afternoon christening.

◇It is usual to serve alcohol (champagne, wine and beer) at the party, as well as soft drinks, tea and coffee.

◇Traditionally, the godfather makes a toast. Nowadays, however, the godparent best suited to the task can be asked to say a few words.

◇Most parents also serve a christening cake. This should be iced in white and bear the name of the baby and the date of the christening. Traditionally, the cake would be the top tier of the parental wedding cake, but this practice is less common nowadays.

◇If there are lots of children, then it is sensible to provide some kind of entertainment or a separate area for them. If you are at a hired venue, make sure you speak to the coordinator in advance about facilities.

◇Don’t forget that many guests will bring presents along with them, so have a secure area arranged where they can be left.

◇Don’t forget to invite the priest (and his/her spouse) to the party.

■Baptism Presents

The tradition of giving christening, or baptism presents has a long pedigree. Its origins derive from the wish to give children a good start in life, so a valuable item, or a small gift of money was much appreciated as an initial investment in the child’s future. The gift of silver apostle spoons is a tradition that dates back to the Tudor era, and is thought to be the origin of the expression “born with a silver spoon in his mouth”.

Many godparents prefer to adhere to established traditions. The Victorian range of gifts—silver spoons, napkin rings, egg cups, tankards, rattles—are still presented by traditionalists today, and since the 20th century silver photograph frames have also been considered appropriate.

◆ Godparents’ Presents

Some godparents choose to give silver, but in a form that will be usable in adulthood—silver cuff-links, bangles, charm bracelets (silver charms can be given on birthdays throughout childhood).

The notion of investment in the future has become more elastic in the 21sts century. For example, it is quite acceptable to lay down a case of wine (perhaps from the year of the child’s birth), or to gradually accumulate a case of fine wine over the first 18 years of the child’s life.

Some godparents choose an explicit investment in the child’s future—putting a deposit in a saving account, or buying a bond that will mature on the child’s 18th, for example.

◆ Other Baptism Presents

Although there is no absolute expectation that guests at a christening (excluding the godparents) will give presents, it is a good idea to mark a very special occasion.

Guests at a christening may choose to give more transitory presents than the godparents, and a great range is available. Suitable presents include: china (there are special baby ranges available), money boxes (perhaps with a contribution inside), bedding (a super-soft embroidered blanket, for example), photograph frames, photograph albums, or framed pictures for the nursery wall.

Wooden or cuddly toys (though preferably not plastic) are also perfectly acceptable. A collectable Steiff Teddy is a good way of giving something special that a child will actually enjoy.

◆ Thank-yous

There are many debates about whether godparents should be given thank-you presents after the christening. This is certainly not de rigueur, and should not be expected by new godparents. However, if you really feel impelled to thank them for their time and commitment, then a framed photograph of your child (or even better the godparent and the child) would be appropriate.

There is no debate, however, about the necessity of writing thank-you letters for christening or baptism gifts. These should be handwritten, carefully personalized (i.e. the actual present should be mentioned, with a positive comment about its appropriateness) and sent within a week of the ceremony.

Godparents should, of course, receive a special thank-you for the role they have played in the ceremony.