If you are considering having your child baptised in the Parish of Berkswich you may find the following information helpful.

Baptism is open to all those who live in the Parish or who worship at one of our three Churches. If you do not fall within these criteria, but have some other connection with the Parish then please contact the Parish Office. After initial contact with us you will be booked into a preparation evening. These are held on the first Tuesday of each month at Holy Trinity Church in Baswich Lane at 7.30 pm. We would encourage both parents, and all those who you may wish to act as Godparents to your child to attend. At the evening you will be given an information pack which contains some leaflets, one for parents called ‘Baptism – Your Choice’ and three copies of one called ‘Being a godparent.’ You will need one copy of this for each person who is going to be a godparent to your child. If you need extra copies please ask at the evening or click below to download a copy.

Baptism - Your Choice

Being a Godparent

After you’ve attended the preparation evening we will ask you to wait until the following week to contact the Parish Office to arrange a date for your child’s baptism. We ask you to wait a week to allow time for you to think carefully about the decision you are making.

The baptism services take place at 3pm usually on the second and fourth Sunday of each month. It varies which of the three churches they are at. It really helps us if you are able to be flexible when you arrange the date. Although we will do our best to offer you the date and church of your choice this may not always be possible.

After the date for your child’s baptism has been arranged the Parish Office will pass your details on to a ‘baptism visitor’. This is a member of the Parish who will then contact you and arrange to come and visit you. They will then fill in a short form with you, which will contain information such as your child’s details and godparents names.

In the week before your child is baptised the member of clergy who will be conducting the service will make contact with you.

Frequently asked Questions

Can we have our child baptised at St Thomas Church even though we don’t live in Berkswich Parish?

If you are a regular worshipper in the Parish the answer will be yes. Also if you have a connection with the Parish such as you were married in the Parish or have an older child who attends Berkswich School the answer will probably be yes. Please contact the Parish Office to discuss your particular situation.

Do we have to have a particular number of Godparents?

No. As long as you have at least 3, you can have as many as you wish.

Can we have 3 Godmothers and 1 Godfather for our son?

Yes, as long as there are 3 or more it doesn’t matter whether they are male or female.

We would really like a relative to be a Godparent but he hasn’t been baptised. Can he still be?

Unfortunately no. Everyone who is to be a Godparent must have been baptised and preferably confirmed.

Could our relative be baptised at the same time as our son so that he could be a Godparent?

This is more complicated than it first appears. Usually an adult would be baptised and confirmed at the same time, which means attending a series of classes. If your relative felt this was what he really wanted to do he would need to contact his local vicar. He could then take the baptism vows and become a godparent to your child at a later date.

Do Godparents have to be over a certain age?

No, but they do need to be able to understand what's involved with the vows they will be taking. You may wish to discuss this further with one of the Clergy.

We have four children can we have them all baptised at the same time?

Yes, when we book you in to the preparation evening we usually ask for the name and age of your child/children so if you have more than one child we will take this in to account when we arrange the date for the baptism. A child is considered to be any young person under the age of 11 years.

Can our four children all have the same Godparents?

Yes.

We had our daughter baptised 2 years ago, but now we’ve lost touch with 2 of her godparents. Can we change them.

No you can’t, but you can add more godparents. They will need to take the same vows as the other godparents. Please contact the Parish Office for more information about this.

We have 200 people we would like to invite to the service, would that be a problem?

No, but we would probably suggest you had your child baptised at Holy Trinity Church as it is larger than either St Thomas or All Saints.

Can we video or take photographs at our child’s baptism?

If you wish to video a baptism service there are forms which need to be completed and a fee to pay. You will have receive the forms at the preparation evening. You will then return one copy of each along with a cheque to cover the copyright fee to the Parish Office at least a week before the service. The person taking the video will be shown on the day where they can stand. This also applies to video clips taken with a digital camera or mobile phone. (we ask that all mobile phones are turned off during the service.) If you wish to take 2 videos you will need to fill in 2 sets of forms and pay 2 copyright fees. Please contact the Parish Office if you require additional forms.

If you wish to take photos we ask that you don’t take any during the service. Again this also applies to mobile phones. After the service the Clergy will be happy to pose for you to take photos then.

Will our child be the only child at the baptism service?

Normally they will not be, although it depends how many other people want the same date as you. However we don’t normally baptise more than three children at one service.

Can we have our child baptised as part of the Sunday morning Eucharist?

Yes, if you are used to attending church you may prefer this. We would probably arrange this on the third Sunday of a month when we have an All Age Eucharist at Holy Trinity Church. This is slightly shorter than our usual Sunday service and involves the children.