Baptisms

Infant Baptisms in the Ouse Valley Benefice

If you are an adult, or an older child, we have an alternative process for Baptisms and we would ask you, in the first instance, to contact our Vicar, Revd Nigel Moat. If you are looking for a baby or younger child to be Baptised please find out more below.

Introduction and Welcome

We are delighted that you are considering baptism for your child. Baptism marks the beginning of a journey with God which continues for the rest of our lives, the first step in response to God’s love. We welcome all who live in our parish or have a qualifying connection to our church family to be brought forward for Baptism. 

Eligibility for Baptism

We welcome applications for infant baptism from families who live within the boundaries of the parishes that make up the Ouse Valley Benefice; or from families who are regular worshippers at one of our churches.

If you are not a resident within one of the parishes or a regular member of one of our congregations, you would normally be expected to approach your local parish church. We understand that there may be pastoral reasons why you would want the Baptism to take place within the Ouse Valley Benefice, however, before we can agree to this you would need to seek the good-will of your local parish priest before the baptism can take place. We would also expect you to attend one of our churches for a period of time as part of the preparation for the Baptism.

Baptism Services

Baptisms take place during our Sunday morning services. Not all of our churches have a service every Sunday so it is important that you talk to our Vicar in order to confirm a date for the Baptism. 

Our service schedule currently allows for baptisms to take place as follows:

• Bexwell: 1st Sunday of every other month at 9.30am

• Crimplesham: 4th Sunday of the month at 9.30am

• Denver: 1st Sunday of the month at 11.00am

• Hilgay: 4th Sunday of the month at 9.30am

• Ryston: 1st Sunday of every other month at 9.30am

• Southery: 2nd Sunday of the month at 9.30am

• Ten Mile Bank: 2nd Sunday of the month at 11.00am

Baptism of Infants and Children

We must obtain the consent of both parents before a Baptism of an infant or child can take place. Without the consent of both parents, we would not be able to proceed with a Baptism without seeking further advice. However, we would be able to offer a Service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child as an alternative to Baptism (see below).

Before a Baptism can take place we would arrange to meet with you as a family by way of preparation. We would also extend an invite to join our services for a period of time before the Baptism takes place. For families who are not members of our worshiping communities, and do not live within one of our parishes, attendance to our services becomes mandatory as part of the preparation for Baptism and to build up a Qualifying Connection.

Normally, there should be at least three godparents: two of the same sex as the child and one of the opposite sex. Godparents must be baptised themselves and must be present at the service to be recorded in our registers as a godparent. 

Service of Thanksgiving

We recognise that some parents may wish to celebrate the gift of a child but may not yet feel ready to make the promises required in the baptism service. In such cases, we offer a Service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child. This service follows a similar structure to that of a Baptism service, but removes the requirement for the baptismal vows to be made by the parents and godparents.

Follow-up and Data Protection

We are committed to supporting families after baptism and will invite you to appropriate family services and events to help you keep the promises made. If you do not wish to receive these invites in the future, please make this known to us on the application form. 

Next Steps

For further information on baptisms within the Ouse Valley Benefice, please make contact with a churchwarden or a member of the ministry team. You will also need to complete a Baptism Application Form.