St Mary's Church Upton

If you do not know Jesus, we would love to tell you more about Him. Contact one of the Clergy at the Church Office.

The Alpha Course is an excellent way to explore the Christian faith. Other helpful websites are ReJesus and Looking for God.

Prior to the baptism, we also offer a ‘Thanksgiving’ for the birth and life of the child. At this ceremony, we name and pray for the family, that they may know God’s love and protection. We have a team who support each family through the steps towards baptism and care for them pastorally. Parents who decide to have their children baptised will need to attend a preparation evening. This explains the meaning of baptism so that parents can understand the promises they will be making on behalf of their child. It also gives an opportunity to discuss things more in depth and enables them to understand how important it is to help their children growing up in the Christian faith.

Baptisms usually take place on the first Sunday of the month at the 10:30am all age morning service. This varies around Christmas, Easter and August. Our short courses on exploring christianity are an excellent way to explore the Christian faith and living as a Christian in today’s world. We recommend these courses to adults thinking of baptism or confirmation. The courses also help parents bringing their children for baptism to understand what it means to bring up their children as Christians. For more information have a look at the Church of England Christenings pages here.

What is baptism?

In baptism, you as parents are thanking God for His gift of life, deciding to start your child on the journey of faith and asking for the Church’s support. For your child, baptism marks the start of a journey of faith, which involves turning away from the darkness of self-centredness, turning towards Christ and becoming a member of the local and worldwide Christian family. Baptism is a visible sign of God’s love. In baptism, we are thanking God for his gift of life and publicly acknowledging his love. We are acknowledging that we all need to turn away from the darkness of evil and to make a new start with God.

When did baptism start?

Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan. This was a turning point in his life (you can read the story in the Bible here, at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel in the New Testament). Jesus told his followers to baptize others as a sign that they had turned away from their old life, and begun a new life as Christ’s disciples, members of his Body, having been assured of God’s forgiveness. Baptisms often took place in a river: new Christians were dipped under the water, marking their death to an old way of life, and lifted up again as a sign of new birth.

Making decisions and promises

When you bring your child for baptism, you will be asked to declare publicly on behalf of your child that you believe in God and that you will bring up your child to follow Jesus. You will be asked to answer, on your child’s behalf, that you have decided to turn away from everything which is evil or sinful and to turn instead towards Christ. The declarations made by you and the child’s godparents will be made in front of the church congregation. The Christian community will promise to support you and to pray for you and your child.

The declarations

The service leader will ask the following questions of parents and godparents, the response for each question is written in italics.

Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?

I reject them.

Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil?

I renounce them.

Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour?

I repent of them.

Do you turn to Christ as Saviour?

I turn to Christ.

Do you submit to Christ as Lord?

I submit to Christ.

Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life?

I come to Christ.

What happens in the baptism service?

Your child’s baptism will take place during the main Sunday service. This is so that your child can be seen to be joining the family of the Church and be welcomed into membership. In turn, the Church will promise to support and pray for you and your child. The vicar will ask the parents and godparents to make declarations on behalf of the child. For the baptism itself, parents and godparents will be asked to gather at the front of the church around the font. (The font is a large basin containing the water for baptism.)

Frequently asked questions

Q: What’s the difference between a baptism and a Christening?
A: None, they are just different words for the same thing.

Q: What is the right age for baptism?
A: Baptism can happen at any age. What matters is that those concerned believe it is right to ask for baptism.

Q: What does it cost?
A: The Baptism service is free.

Q: What is a godparent?
A:  Godparents make the same promises on behalf of the child being baptized as parents. Godparents promise to pray and support the child and to help the parents to bring up the child in the Christian faith. It is an important and responsible role.

Q: Who should I choose to be a godparent?
A: Godparents can be family members or friends. However, it is important that you choose people who will take an interest in your child’s spiritual welfare and who will pray for you and your child. They should be baptized themselves.

Q: What happens after the baptism?
A: Baptism marks a new start for your child, as a member of the worldwide Christian community. In turn, the Church welcomes you and your child and promises to support you in bringing the child up in the faith. Our 10:30am congregation has special groups and activities for children. You can find out about those here.

How much will it cost?

The legal fees for a marriage cover the publication of the banns, certificate of banns, the marriage service and a certificate of marriage. You can expect to pay something over £600 including a deposit of £50. 

Can I choose what kind of service I want?
Talk over the options with the person leading the service. There are usually one or more readings from the Bible in the service.
There will also be some prayers, which you may help to choose, or you may write your own. You may also decide to have someone other than the minister leading the prayers. The minister will probably give a brief talk or sermon.

Should we have one or two rings?
A wedding ring is a symbol of unending love and faithfulness, and of the commitment you are making to each other. It is entirely up to you whether you have one ring or two.

What do Christians believe about marriage?
Christians believe that marriage is a gift from God. In the marriage ceremony, a couple make a public declaration of lifelong commitment to love each other, come what may.

The Bible compares married love with the love Jesus has for his followers. He expressed his love by being prepared to sacrifice himself, even to die for the people he loved. This is amazing, unconditional love.

Jesus never said “I love you, but …”. In our marriages we can try to follow his model by loving our partners in a self-sacrificial way, putting their needs before our own.

Preparing for marriage

To help you to prepare for your married life together St Mary’s offers a short Marriage Preparation Course. These have proved very successful and have provided a great deal of support for couples as they prepare for their wedding day.

Suggested reading
You might also find it helpful to read a book, such as The Marriage Book, by Nicky and Sila Lee  as you prepare for the big day.