Life Events
As the Parish Church we offer baptisms, weddings and funerals. Learn more about these services.
Thanksgivings, Baptisms and Confirmation
New life is something to celebrate and these services are opportunities to give thanks for the gift of life given by God. Typically, they take place during our 10:30 Service at St Barnabas, our 10:45 Gathering at Christ Church or The Orchard at 4pm, but they could take place in any of our services.
A Thanksgiving Service is an opportunity to publicly give thanks to God for the new life of your child and to embrace the commitment of your local church family to help your child grow to know, love and trust Jesus for themselves.
A Baptism Service also includes public declarations of faith. In the Anglican Church it is common to baptise young children, and this is sometimes known as Christening. However, anyone of any age can be baptised. Typically, older children, youth and adults might be baptised by full-immersion in our baptism pool, known as a baptistry.
For those who have been baptised as children but want to affirm the promises made on their behalf at their baptism, we also offer Affirmation of Baptism Vows, which are often by full-immersion. As a further declaration of a personal faith, for those who has been baptised, we prepare people for Confirmation. This is when a bishop prays a prayer of blessing over the confirmation candidate, confirming their faith publicly and formally admitting them as ‘communicant members’ of the church.
If you’d like to explore thanksgiving, baptism or confirmation, please email the parish office. We will arrange a date for one of our clergy to visit you and help you with the next steps. Alongside this, there are some excellent guides on the Church of England website on: Christening (baptising young children), youth/adult Baptism, and Confirmation.
Weddings
We love the opportunity to play a part in making weddings especially special and we seek to work with the bride and groom to allow their personalities to shine through on their special day.
Marriage in church is also a statement of intent. The promises being made on the day seek to include God in the marriage. It’s an invitation to allow God to help shape both the bride and the groom as they begin their life-long journey of becoming husband and wife.
If you’d like to know more about getting married at Christ Church or St Barnabas, please email the parish office with your contact details, noting the date that you would like to get married, and someone will get in touch with you. In the mean time, you may want to explore some ideas for your wedding using the excellent resources on the Church of England website.
Funerals
If you’ve recently lost a loved one, we are so very sorry for your loss. In the first instance, we have a bereavement support team who is on hand to offer support at this difficult time. Please contact the parish office for more information.
If you’re wanting to make enquiries regarding a Funeral, Burial, Crematorium Service or a Service of Thanksgiving for your loved one, we can arrange for one of our clergy to walk with you through all the relevant steps whilst also offering spiritual support and a space for grief, hope and remembrance. We’re here to listen, guide and pray with you as you seek to honour your loved one’s life. You may find it helpful to visit the Church of England website for more information about planning a Funeral Service. Otherwise, please contact the parish office for more information.
More Information
Visit the Church of England website for more information about Occasional Offices.
Other Important Life Moments
If there’s something else that’s particularly significant for you at the moment which you’d like to discuss with us, please do get in touch.