Thanksgiving

A child is a wonderful gift from God and it’s right that we want to celebrate such a fantastic present.  The Church of England offers two services to help you celebrate the life of your child – Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child and Baptism.  Both involve recognising that God has created a new life but the difference between the two is in the extent and depth of Christian commitment.

We see our role as being to explain what each service means and to help you decide, with integrity, which service is the most appropriate for you and your child.

Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child

This is a service which may be included within the main act of worship on a Sunday, or may be a service all by itself.  It is offered to:

• Parents who see this as a preliminary to Baptism;

• Parents who do not want their child to be baptised immediately;

• Parents who do not want their child baptised but who recognise that something has happened that they want to thank God for;

• Parents who are unsure that they can make the promises required of them within the Baptism service.

The child is named during the service and receives a blessing alongside the thanksgiving.