Baptism
The Baptism of Infants and Children
In baptism, we thank God for his gift of life and publicly acknowledge his love. In the Anglican Church it is common to baptise young children; this is sometimes known as christening.
We are delighted that you are thinking about getting your child baptised (christened) at our Church. It is such a natural response to God for His gift of new life.
There are one or two practical considerations to think about first.
If you live in the parish of Pagham or Aldwick then you are entitled to get your child baptised at St Thomas à Becket’s or St Richard, Aldwick.
We baptise children on Sundays either at our main service at 9.45am St Thomas à Becket’s or at 11:15pm St Richard, Aldwick. Sometimes more than one child will be baptised at the same service.
There is no charge for baptism: to become a born again child of God is a free gift.
It is useful to think about suitable godparents for your child. They must be themselves baptised (preferably confirmed) because otherwise they would not be able to make major religious promises on behalf of your child which no one has ever done for them or they for themselves.
The final thing to say is that baptism is the start of a wonderful lifelong journey with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which does not cease at death, and so you are always welcome to worship on Sundays, we do have children’s provisions on Sundays. Worship and fellowship will help you and your child learn more about God, about yourselves and about God’s loving-purposes for your lives.
Adult Baptism/Confirmation
It’s never too late to give your life to God! If you weren’t baptised as a child you might be wanting to explore your beliefs, faith, way of life and we would be delighted to help you on this journey. For adults, baptism is usually the first stage leading on to what we call confirmation: a service led by the bishop where you make your own promises and which leads on to the receiving of holy communion (the bread and wine, body and blood of Christ). The Vicar leads annual adult confirmation classes.
Further Information
If you think you might be ready to enquire about Baptism or Confirmation, do contact by e-mail paghamaldwickchurch@gmail.com
Pagham Aldwick Church 