Would you like to be baptised as an adult? Or perhaps you’re enquiring about a service for your child? At All Saints’ we believe you and your family matter to God so we want to help you as much as we can.
If you’re interested in baptism for your child, wonderful! The arrival of a new child is an important event in your life. For every parent, it is the start of a joyful responsibility. You may dream of your child’s future. You want what is best for them. Perhaps this is why you’re inquiring about baptism.
Baptism is an important life event so we want to take it seriously. Therefore it is offered to people who profess faith in Christ and attendchurch regularly, and to the children of such believers. Regular church attendance is one of the normal expressions of the true Christian life.
We use this analogy:
Wanting baptism for your child without going to church is a bit like asking a Surf Club to give you the red and yellow life-saver’s cap without bringing your kids to Little Nippers or serve on any surf patrols yourself.
The red and yellow cap won’t do your child any good if they haven’t learned how to swim safely at the beach. And it wouldn’t make sense to wear the cap yourself if you aren’t actually part of the life of the Surf Club in a meaningful way.
Certainly we want to help people decide if they’re serious about following Christ as Lord and Saviour. Participating in church life, where we learn from the Bible, is a great way of gaining such clarity and we welcome people to come to our service on Sunday. Another option would be to organise a time with the minister to participate in “Christianity Explored” which is a series of 7 sessions where the Christian faith as outlined in the Bible is explained.
The Baptismal Service In the service of baptism for a child,
We ask you and any godparents to present your child.
We ask you and any godparents to declare your faith in Christ and affirm you will strive to live as his disciple, meaning:
turning from all that opposes God; and
turning to Jesus Christ, trusting his work on the cross to make you right with God, giving you forgiveness and assurance of heaven.
We ask you and any godparents to affirm the faith of the church and make the declaration that you believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We pray for you as parents in the task of raising children.
Your child’s godparents (‘sponsors’) act as witnesses to this event and promise support in this endeavour.
We are committing you and your child to God’s love and care, and the Bible promises He will happily hear our prayers. This is always an important family time of thanksgiving, and we treat it as such. This service also assumes you will teach your child about the Lord Jesus and encourage them to follow him, which means attending church regularly to help you do this.
Baptismal services are normally held during our Sunday service which goes for around 1.5 hours. No payment or fee is expected as the service is our gift to you, though you are welcome to make a special offering.
Available dates can be discussed with us. Please request a form and once you have filled it out and return to us we can begin preparations. Please be aware that lead-time is often required before we can find a mutually suitable date and preparations organised.
If you wish to proceed, please attend one of our Sunday services soon and ask someone to introduce you to the vicar. We would be delighted to meet you and can take things from there. We have a Kids Church that runs during the service for primary school aged children.
Otherwise, you can also ring or email our office with further queries (9873 1210 or allsaints.mitcham.office@gmail.com).