Baptism/Christening
We hope that the information below will answer some of your questions about Baptism/Christening at East Molesey Methodist Church.
You are welcome
It is great that you are interested in exploring baptism, whether for yourself or for your child.
Baptism celebrates God’s love for us and his invitation to respond. God loved us before we first
loved him, so we can celebrate his love for children who can’t yet respond and his promise to be
with them throughout their lives. Baptism can also be a sign of commitment to God for those who
are old enough to understand what it means.
First steps
As we are celebrating God’s love for your child, you don’t have to be a church member to have
her/him baptised. The first step is to meet with the minister. This is best arranged at one of our
Sunday morning services, so that you can see the church and so that the baptism service isn’t the
first service that you have attended at the church and you can feel more at home on that special
day.
God’s family
Baptism is a sign of welcome into God’s family, so baptisms at East Molesey Methodist Church take
place when God’s family is gathered at the Sunday morning service. You are welcome to choose
members of your friends and family to be godparents. It is best to choose at least one who is an
active church member as their role is to support you in the Christian upbringing of your child.
Informed choice
Baptism is the beginning of your child’s journey with God. When they grow up, they can choose for
themselves whether to make that baptism meaningful by confirming it and becoming a member of
the church. They do need to be able to make an informed choice. To enable them to do that, you are
strongly encouraged to bring them along to suitable activities at the church.
Celebrating
You may wish to celebrate after the service with family and friends and, if you would like to bring
refreshments for them to the church, you are welcome to book our church hall.
Your journey with God
If you were baptised as the child, you can respond to God’s commitment to you by being committed
to him through being confirmed and becoming a church member. If you weren’t baptised as a child,
you can be baptised as an adult as part of that service of commitment.
The cost of baptism
There is no fee for baptism, but it is an invitation to live your life for God.
Revd. David Innes