Your child's baptism

Choosing St. John's for your child's baptism

Your child is precious to you and precious to God. You want the very best for them, and so does God. You want them to make the right choices in life, for themselves and for others. A baptism is just the beginning of this and so much more. At St. John's in Farsley we are here to help you and your child take this first important step.

We welcome all who would like to be baptised or to have their children baptised at St. John's. You will sometimes hear this called a christening. Both words mean the same.

To qualify for a baptism at St. John's you must live in the parish of Farsley and Rodley, or attend the church regularly (at least once a month for six months or weekly for six weeks). Each Sunday we have a service of Family Worship at 10:30am which is for people of all ages, especially families, and includes a Sunday School.

We also offer a service of Thanksgiving for the birth or adoption of a child. This can be in addition to, or instead of, a baptism. Please ask to see both service options before you decide which is most appropriate for you and your child. There is no charge for either service but donations St. John's are always very welcome.

There is a special Church of England website to help you discover all you need to know about choosing, planning and attending a baptism. It contains specific information for parents, godparents and guests.

A service of thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just that ... saying thank you to God for the safe arrival after birth or adoption. It can be adapted to suit you and your family’s situation. It can be any day or time and in any place (it could even be at your home). It isn’t a baptism, but a baptism can follow at a later date. You can choose ‘supporting friends’, if you would like, who act in a similar way to Godparents.

A baptism service

At the heart of a baptism service, both parents and godparents promise to bring the child up to follow Jesus, to set an example by living as a Christian and by coming to church regularly. Please check before asking people to be Godparents that they are able to make the promises which are included in the service, and are themselves baptised. If they are not baptised, they can be 'supporting friends'.

The baptism can take place within the regular 10:30am Family Worship service (a 60 minute service with hymns attended by the whole church family) or in a separate service at 12:15pm (around 20 minutes). 

Book a baptism or talk to us about your baptism options

If you would like to book or talk to us about a baptism at St. John's, please contact the parish office: 

• Email office@stjohnsfarsley.org.uk
• Call 0113 256 6878 to speak to our Parish Administrator who works Tuesday to Friday mornings. At any other time you can leave a message which she will return which she is next in the office.

Other useful information

• We usually show a photo of the child who is being christened on the screen at the front of church and include a photo on the baptism certificates. If you would like that to happen, please email the vicar - vicar@stjohnsfarsley.org.uk

• You can take photos during the service.

• There may be more than one family at each baptism service.

• When a boy is being baptised it is usual to choose two male and one female Godparent but you can have as many as you wish.

• When a girl is being baptised it is usual to choose two female and one male Godparent but you can have as many as you wish.

• Please check before asking people to be Godparents that they are able to make the promises which are included in the service.

• Hymns and songs are included in the 10:30am service. Please tell us if you have any special requests which we can try to include.

• There are usually no hymns in the 12:15pm baptism service but they can be included if you wish, if you are confident your guests will sing!

• If you would like to include a poem or a prayer or something else in the service, that is usually possible. It can be read either by a guest or the person leading the service.

• There is no charge for either a thanksgiving or a christening service but if you wish to make a donation to St. John's that would be much appreciated, especially if you can GiftAid your donation. It costs £1000 per week to keep the church open.