Celebration to mark the birth of a child

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We’re delighted for you in the gift of your child. At Hazelwell
we’re very glad to welcome children and families to our
church and would gladly help you to mark your child’s birth
as part of a celebratory service.

An option for such a celebration is what’s called a ‘Thanks-
giving service for the gift of a child’. This is a service in which
the community celebrates together the birth of the child,
giving thanks to God for his gift of life and celebrating with
the family and friends the child’s entry into the world.

Sometimes for a newborn child, people request a service of
baptism, and indeed we’d love to journey with you as you
think through what baptism means.

 

Giving an overview of both celebratory services, baptism, according to the Bible, is a sign and seal of God’s promise, given to those who commit to follow Jesus and also to their children. As such, in a

baptism service, the adult being baptized, or the parents and
god-parents of the child being baptized, publicly declare their
trust in Jesus Christ, and (in the case of a child baptism) promise to bring their child up in the community of faith - the church - to love and follow Jesus too. For some parents in the process of exploring, this is something they don’t, as yet, feel able to commit to, and as such the Thanks-giving service is a very fitting service instead - in which no such commitments are made in the service but is very much a celebratory service of thanks-giving to mark the birth of the child.

Indeed, whatever point you’re at in your thinking and exploring, if
you are interested in a service to celebrate the gift of your
child, do get in touch with Matt, the vicar, and he’ll gladly talk things
through with you further.

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Congratulations again, and may the gift of your child bring blessing to you, your family and community.