Life Events

Baptism or Christening for your child

Many parents choose to bring their child to church to be christened or baptised. This recognises several important parts of an individual's life. It is a sign of God's love for us as part of His creation. Parents and godparents bringing a child to be baptised are publicly thanking God for the gift of life, deciding to help their child start a journey of faith, committing to guiding the child until they can make their own decision about faith, and asking God and the church for support. 

The church also has a special blessing service that offers thanks for the gift of the child, which is suitable for those who do not, at this stage, wish their child to be baptised. 

If you want to arrange a baptism or a blessing for your child, then you need to contact your local church and discuss arrangements with them.  Either attend a Sunday service and speak to someone afterwards, or get in touch via our contact page for advice. 

Adult Baptism

Baptism is not just for children. Many adults who have not been baptised as children want to make a commitment to God later in their life. Please contact us if you would like to explore this further with your local church.

As Christians, we believe that marriage is a gift from God, and we think there is no better place to get married than in church. By marrying in church, a couple makes their public declaration of their lifelong loving commitment to each other in front of God as well as family and friends.

Please contact us to be put in touch with your local church.

When a loved one dies, we all want the opportunity to express our grief and give thanks for a life that has been completed in this world. The funeral service of the Church of England aims to reflect the personality of the person who has died as well as the circumstances of their death. The service may be short, quiet and with a few close friends and family. Or it could be a larger service with music, hymns, and a packed church. The words and actions in the service all speak of a God who loves the world and sees every human being as precious. 

We understand that organising a funeral is a difficult time and that the bereaved want to arrange something that respects the wishes of the person who died. Our clergy regard this as an important part of their work and will try and spend as much time with family and friends.

Everyone has the right to a funeral in their parish church, whether they go to that church or not. Our clergy will work to make sure that the funeral makes a fitting end to someone's life in this world.

If you wish to arrange a funeral in any of our churches, please speak to your Funeral Director, who will make the arrangements on your behalf.