We’re delighted that you’re exploring having a baptism with us. As Christians, we believe that baptism is an important step in anyone’s journey of faith – it’s a way of publicly saying that we put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and we are beginning a brand-new life with him. When a child is baptised, parents and godparents make a commitment to help their child as they go on that journey, bringing them up in the Christian faith and helping them to get to know Jesus for themselves. 
 
To help prepare families for this special moment in their life, we invite all those who would like to have their child baptised to attend two preparation sessions before booking a baptism. If your child is of primary school age or older, or if an adult would like to be baptised, please contact us and we will be happy to arrange more suitable preparation with you. 
 
If you’re interested in getting your child baptised, please first have a read through our frequently asked questions below. 
 
FAQs for Child Baptisms 
 
What is the difference between a baptism and a christening? 
There is no difference – people use both terms to mean the same thing, but in our parishes we more often refer to baptism.  
 
What is baptism? 
A baptism marks the beginning of someone’s journey in the Christian faith – something which definitely needs to be celebrated, but which is not only a one-off celebration. When a child is baptised, parents and godparents make important promises to raise their child in the Christian faith and to join with them as they journey through life with Jesus: praying with them, reading the Bible with them, and helping them to be part of a Christian community. 
 
Because a baptism involves making these important promises, it might not be the right thing for every family – perhaps you don’t feel you can make those promises with integrity. If that’s the case, we would still love to celebrate and give thanks for the gift of your child in church, and we can do that with a ‘Thanksgiving Service’. This gives you the opportunity to thank God for your child and to ask for his blessing and guidance as they grow, without making promises that you are unsure of. If this seems more appropriate for your family, please do get in touch to find out more.  
 
What is the process to get my child baptised? 
Please read through the information on this page and then send us an e-mail to let us know that you’re interested in getting your child baptised. We’ll then invite you to our next preparation sessions, where we’ll explain what baptism and Christianity are all about and tell you all you need to know. 
 
We also invite families who are exploring baptism to attend church a couple of times before booking a baptism. As well as marking the beginning of your child’s journey of faith, baptism is all about welcoming them into the church family, so we think it’s important for you to come and meet us and find out what we’re all about. 
 
Once you have been to church and attended the preparation sessions, we’ll give you a booking form to book the baptism itself. The booking form will have space for preferred dates – we will work with you to find a date which suits you and your family but there may be a need for flexibility if dates have already been booked by other families. 
 
Who needs to attend the baptism preparation sessions? 
We invite parents/guardians and godparents to attend the preparation sessions. It would be great if everyone could be there, but we also understand that other commitments and childcare arrangements can make this not possible.  
 
When are baptisms held? 
Because baptisms are an important opportunity to welcome your child into the church family, we have baptisms during our main Sunday morning services unless there are exceptional circumstances. 
 
Who can be baptised at Immanuel and St. Francis? 
Anyone who lives within the parishes of Immanuel Feniscowles and St. Francis Feniscliffe can be baptised here – you can use your postcode and the Parish Finder tool to see if you live in our parishes by clicking here for Immanuel and here for St. Francis. If you have any difficulties using this, let us know.  
 
What if I don’t live in the parishes? 
If you don’t live in the parishes but you’re part of our church families, or if you’ve got a special link with our churches which means you want to have your baptism here, just let us know when you get in touch. 
 
How many godparents can I have? 
All children need at least two godparents, and these need to be baptised (ideally at least one of them will also have been confirmed).  
 
How much does it cost to have a baptism? 
Nothing! There is no cost for having a baptism at church. Donations are always gratefully received, but there is absolutely no obligation to make one – we would never want money to be an obstacle to your child being baptised.  
 
What if I don’t come to church? 
Everyone is welcome in our churches, whether you’ve been coming for ten years or you’ve never stepped through the door. Whatever stage you’re at in your faith journey, we’ll be happy to welcome and meet you as you explore having your child baptised with us. Why not pop along to one of our church services – the second Sunday of each month is particularly family friendly but you’d be welcome on any Sunday. And if you’ve any questions, just get in touch.