Baptisms and Thanksgivings

The Meaning of Baptism

Baptism marks the beginning of a journey with God which continues for the rest of our lives on earth, and on into eternity with him in heaven.  Baptism is a sign and symbol of God’s deep and immeasurable love for each of us, centred around the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which impacts us all.  Baptism also involves our response to God’s love, with promises made to follow Christ and declare faith in God, for ourselves, or either made by parents and Godparents on behalf of babies and infants. It is a joyful occasion when we rejoice what God has done for us in Christ.

The Baptism service paints powerful pictures of the experiences of discipleship on the Christian way.  There is the sign of the cross symbolising the death of Christ whereby the power of sin and death were overcome and defeated for our salvation.  Our ‘drowning’ in the water of baptism signifies our own dying to sin, and rising to new life, uniting us with the Christ’s own death and resurrection.  This new life, symbolised by the lighting of a  candle, is one where we follow Jesus, the light of the world, trusting in him who has conquered the darkness of evil for all time.

Service of Thanksgiving

Some families prefer to have a thanksgiving service. In this service we delight in the gift of your child(ren), give thanks, declare their name and bless the child and family life. Friends and family members can promise to support them through their life, but without making commitments of faith which they may not be fully comfortable with. You can always have a baptism later on as well if wanted.

How to book a Baptism or Thanksgiving

We are delighted that you are thinking of getting your child (or yourself) baptised/christened, or holding a service of thanksgiving for them. If you live in the parish of Marton-in-Cleveland, you automatically qualify to have a baptism in St Cuthbert’s Church.

We ask that all parents wishing to book a baptism/christening or thanksgiving at St Cuthbert’s come to an ‘Exploring Baptism’ session, where we will talk in more detail about the different options of thankgiving and baptism. We’ll also think more about what baptism means, the importance of godparents and look at the promises you and godparents will make.
If after this session, you decide to have a baptism for your child, we will ask you to attend further preparation sessions (generally 2) so you have a good opportunity to explore the faith promises that you will make on behalf of your child. These follow up sessions usually happen on a Sunday afternoon.

NB: We will not book any dates for a service before you have attended an Exploring Baptism session.
(exceptions are of course made for emergency baptisms i.e. when there is a concern that death may be imminent. If this is the case, please contact 07312091852 or baptism@stcuthbertmarton.org.uk).

To book a spot on one of the following sessions, please sign up following the links below. All sessions take place on Saturdays 9.30-11.30am at St Cuthbert’s Parish Centre. If you have any other questions, please email baptism@stcuthbertmarton.org.uk

2025 Exploring Baptism Sessions:
25th January
8th February
7th June
21st June
20th September
4th October

Young people or adults requesting baptism will need to go through a form of preparation with a view to undergoing Confirmation too (a public service where the Bishop lays hands on each candidate to confirm the deepening and strengthening of faith in God). For young people or adults, Baptism and Confirmation usually take place within the same service. Please contact baptism@stcuthbertmarton.org.uk.

Godparents

Being asked to be a godparent is an enormous privilege, but comes with huge responsibility too. We want to help prepare godparents as they make once-in-a-lifetime promises on your child’s behalf.
We have short online sessions for godparents to go through the promises they will be making and prepare them for the service. Do point them to these dates and get them to sign up for one to get the meeting information.
11th March 2025
1st July
20th October

You can find comprehensive information about Baptism by clicking the button below.