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Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child
For a downloadable version of the baptism/thanksgiving booklet, please click the following link: Thanksgiving/Baptism booklet
Information and Commonly Asked Questions
Below is information about the service for thanksgiving, as well as commonly asked questions. Please click on links provided or scroll down to get to the information that you are interested in.
Some commonly asked question:
- What is the service about?
- When can the service be held?
- What does it cost?
- How can I arrange it and where can I find out more information?
Thanksgiving or Baptism?
In this parish, infant baptism is offered to Christian families who are regular worshippers in each of our churches. Such families are able, with integrity, to make the promises required to bring their children up as worshipping members of the Christian community. The congregation are also able to keep their promises, made in Baptism services, to support families in helping the children to grow up in the Christian faith. A service of thanksgiving is offered to every family in the parish who receives the gift of a child, whether or not they are regular church goers.
If you choose to have a Thanksgiving, you may also have a Baptism service for your child at a later date. In fact, for families who are new to the church, and are considering Baptism for their child, the Thanksgiving Service can also serve as an opportunity to introduce them and their child formally to the rest of the church, and to invite the congregation to pray for them as they consider Baptism.
If you are not a worshipping member of one of our congregations, but would like a service of baptism for your child, we would encourage you to join one of our churches and worship with us on a regular basis.
If you are unsure as to which would be suitable for your child, come to Vestry hour (5.30 pm on Sunday evenings in Aston Parish Church Vestry) where one of the clergy would be happy to advise you.
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Information about Service of thanksgiving
In this parish we offer a service of thanksgiving to every family who receives the gift of a child. This is a simple service in which we gather together to give thanks to God for the child’s safe arrival, we name him or her, and pray for the Lord’s blessing on the whole family.
Before the service takes place a member of the clergy will meet the family, explain the service in a bit more detail.
This service can take place as soon as the family have had a meeting with one of the clergy, and it is normally incorporated into an ordinary morning service in each of our churches. There is no charge for this service.
For more information contact one of the clergy at one of our Sunday morning services, or come to ‘Vestry Hour’ at 5.30pm at Aston Parish church on Sundays.
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Q1: So what’s it about?
The Thanksgiving Service offers this opportunity to publicly celebrate the birth of a child. This service allow parents and families to express their delight and gratitude to God for the new being they are welcoming into their homes, to pray for the child and to ask others to pray for them. This is not Baptism, which is the sacrament by which we are welcomed into membership of the church. It is quite simply a celebration of a new life within a family, a thank-you for a small person given by God to be loved, nurtured and enjoyed. The minister taking the service will bless the child and pray for the family, but the parents are not required to make any promises.
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Q2: When can the service be held?
We can usually include a thanksgiving within any of our Sunday morning services. It will normally take place towards the end of the service.
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Q3: What does it cost?
Absolutely nothing!
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Q4: How do I arrange it and how can I find out more information?
Speak to one of the clergy at one of the Sunday services, or come to “Vestry Hour” at Aston Parish Church on a Sunday evening from 5.30 pm.
