Baptism & Thanksgiving Services
We would be delighted to discuss your Child’s Baptism
or Thansgiving with you, and in order to help
we have listed the most frequently
asked questions that people have.
Is Baptism the same as Christening?
Yes, these are two different words for the same thing.
We prefer the word Baptism, so that’s what we use here.
Do I have to live in the Parish of St John’s with St Mary’s
to have our child Baptised with you?
The short answer is ‘Yes’. The Church of England divides the whole country
into small areas called ‘Parishes’ and you should normally approach
the church in the Parish where you live. If you’re not sure which area you live in,
you can find out by going to www.achurchnearyou.com and entering your postcode.
If you live in our area, just give us a call on 01623 642338
and we’ll be delighted to discuss your needs with you.
Please note that if your address comes up as either ‘St John’s Mansfield’
or ‘Ladybrook St Mary the Virgin’ then you live in our area.
We have recently joined the two parishes together
but the website has not been updated yet.
What happens if I don’t live in your area but want to come to you for Baptism?
This may still be possible, but you need to ask permission from
your local Vicar and we may need you to confirm this in writing.
If you use the Church Near You website to find out where you live
this may have the contact details for your church.
If you live in the Mansfield District you can find contact details
for your local church on the Mansfield Deanery Website.
OK, I live in the Parish (or I’ve got permission) – what happens now?
We will invite you along to one of our ‘Baptism Information Evenings’.
These normally take about half an hour. We show you a short DVD which explains
what we think Baptism is about and we go through the Baptism promises so that
together we can have a better understanding of what the service means.
We also explain some of the choices you have – you may not know that you can
have a Thanksgiving Service instead if you feel that the Baptism promises
are not ones you can honestly take. If you’re not sure, the best thing to do
is book-up and come along.
Once you’ve been to one of these evenings, we ask you to take some time
to decide what you want to do. Then give us a call back and we can arrange
a date for whichever service you choose.
When do the Services happen?
Most of our Baptism services happen on Sunday afternoons at 3pm.
We do usually have a waiting list as demand for Baptisms can be high.
We will discuss the available dates with you.
You’re the Parish of St John’s with St Mary’s – which Church will our service happen in?
You can choose which Church you would like – either St John’s or St Mary’s.
How much does it cost?
There is a small fee of £12 for the Baptism Certificate.
What happens now?
If you would like to take this further please give our Church Administrator,
Dave Roper, a call on 01623 642338. The office is normally open between
9-3:30pm, Tuesday to Friday.