Planning a baptism

Your child's baptism

Whether you are just exploring the possibility of having your child baptised at St John's, or whether you have already decided it is what you want, we will be delighted to hear from you to talk more about the service and hopefully start making plans for it to happen.

A baptism, or christening as it is often called, is the start of an amazing journey with God for a child, their parents, godparents, friends and family. It's often one of the most joyful celebrations we host at St John's and we are here to help you to take this important step.

It is a service which symbolises how precious your child is to you and how precious they are to God too, with parents and godparents promising to bring the child up to follow Jesus:

• The Promises: Parents and godparents make public promises to support the childin their new life with Christ. 
• The Sign of the Cross: The vicar makes a cross on the candidate's forehead using holy oil or water, saying that Christ claims them as his own.
• The Baptism with Water: Water from the church font is poured over the person’s head three times while the vicar baptises the child.
• The Candle: A lighted candle is given to the family as a symbol of shining the light of Christ in the world.

There is more information on the Church of England website about the service and what it symbolises.

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). We suggest joining us for our service of Family Worship on Sunday morning at 10:30am which is for people of all ages, especially families, and includes a Sunday School and lasts around an hour.

Adults can also be baptised and we offer the option of a service where you are fully immersed in a large pool of water, symbolic of the way Jesus was baptised in the River Jordan.

Baptisms often taken place within our regular 10:30am Family Worship service or in a separate service around lunchtime on a Sunday. There is no charge for a baptism service but donations to St John's are always very welcome.

We also have a church hall which can be hired for a celebration event after the service.

A Service of Thanksgiving - an alternative to baptism

You may decide that you would like some form of celebration but a baptism is not right for you as a family. In those circumstances we can offer a different service called 'Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child' instead.

This special church service is different from a christening and can be used as a way to say thank you to God for your child. You can view the words of this service here. Instead of godparents in this service, you may choose to have 'supporting friends' instead.

You might also choose this service when your baby is just born, or if you have adopted a child into your family and you simply want to celebrate this with special words said by a vicar in church. Whatever the reason, we would also be delighted to talk to you more about this service too.

There is also no charge for a thanksgiving service.

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 and that they have been baptised. If they are not baptised, they can be 'supporting friends' instead.

• 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 later 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 add Gift Aid to your donation. It costs £1000 per week to keep the church open and there are various ways to give money to the work of St John's.