St Andrew's Church, Impington

All are welcome to arrange to give thanks to God for their child(ren) in one of our services. Having a service of Thanksgiving does not require you to have your child(ren) baptised, but a separate service of Thanksgiving always precedes a service of Baptism for younger children.

A Thanksgiving takes place during one of our Sunday morning services. It is a relatively short part of the service which gives an opportunity for you to say thank you to God for the gift of your child(ren), for the Church to join you in this and to pray for God's blessing upon you, and for your child(ren) and to present your child(ren) with a Children's Bible.

The Thanksgiving takes place near the beginning of the service and and involves the parents and children coming to the front of the church with the Minister. We will then go through the thanksgiving card, with the parents responding to give thanks at the appropriate points (marked in bold on the service card). The Church and will then pray for you all, before you return to your seats for the rest of the service. 

We welcome both children and adults to be baptised.

Children: Following a service of Thankgiving you may wish to bring your child for Baptism. Baptism in the Bible is the way the early Christians showed that they were dedicating their lives to following Jesus Christ. Exactly the same is true today; those who want to put their faith and trust in Jesus are baptised and set out on the journey of Christian faith. Since one can become a Christian at any time in life, we baptise people of all ages from the youngest to the oldest, from 8 days to 80 years old! Children of Christian parents are baptized on the understanding that they are brought up as Christians within the family of the church. Since children cannot make the Christian statement of faith in Jesus for themselves, their parents and godparents make it on their behalf and promise before God to bring them up as Christians within the family of the church, passing on their own faith in Jesus to their children by how they pray, live and worship in the local church community.

Adults: Being baptised as an adult involves also being confirmed in the same service. Confirmation involves a course of preparation and at the end of the preparation, the Baptism and Confirmation would take place at one of the Confirmation services - at different locations in the Diocese, conducted by the Bishop.

Histon and Impington Baptism of Children Service Card 

Diocese of Ely: Baptism

Parents Talk about Baptism

Top 10 facts about Baptism/Christenings

Children: The role of godparents is to pray for and support their godchild as they grow in the Christian faith. Because so much of this role involves passing on faith to the godchild, a godparent needs to be a practising Christian themselves. According to the rules of the Church of England they must be baptised and confirmed. There is no upper limit to the number of godparents a child may have but most children have between two and four. The minimum number is two, a godfather and a godmother. During the service the godparents make the same promises on behalf of themselves and their godchild as the child’s parents. It is always helpful if they can attend the preparation session.

Adults: Godparents are not required for adults being baptised.

Becoming a Godparent

Preparation for Baptism

Children: If after a service of Thanksgiving you'd like to bring your child(ren) to be baptised, we'll arrange a mutually convenient time for you to meet informally with one of our ministers either in your home or elsewhere. Baptism is such an important and life-changing event (for a child as much as for an adult) that we need to spend time thinking it through well before the day of the baptism itself. We’ve found that parents really value this time and opportunity.

During the meeting we'll discuss together the meaning of the promises, the role of godparents, talk about some ways that other parents have found helpful in bringing child(ren) in the Christian faith, and answer any questions you may have about the service. Our support for you as parents doesn’t end there though; indeed it is only the beginning. As a church there are a number of activities on Sundays and at other times to help both you and your children grow in faith.

Adults: Being baptised as an adult involves also being confirmed in the same service. Confirmation involves a course of preparation which will explore the 'essentials' of the Christian faith and will involve discussion and space for exploring questions together.

The Service

Thanksgivings and Baptisms at St Andrew’s Church in Impington always take place in the main service on a Sunday morning. They usually take place at our All Age Service on the first Sunday of the month or at Holy Communion with Story Club on the third Sunday of the month. On the day we will make sure we have reserved seats for you and your family and help you with anything that you may need. We know how stressful getting everyone together for a baptism or thanksgiving can be and want to try and make the day as memorable and celebratory as possible.

What Happens During The Service?

Confirmation

Confirmation marks the point in the Christian journey where those who have been baptised as children make a firm commitment to Christian discipleship.

Through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop, the Church also asks God to give those being confirmed power, through the Holy Spirit, to live the life of discipleship. There are a number of confirmation services throughout the Diocese each year. You will normally undergo some preparation for Confirmation beforehand.

Questions about Confirmation

What Happens During The Service?

Please contact us for more details.