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WORSHIP and LITURGY:

Our Sunday morning Mass begins at 10.00am: The Parish is an Anglo Catholic one and uses the Anglican Three Year Cycle of Readings, with the new English Missal used in conjunction with Common Worship(Consecration Prayer B).

We have an All Age Mass normally on the last Sunday of the month, and we now have seven servers. First Communion Preparation takes place in Lent of each year and Confirmation classes will start in time for Bishop Michael coming to the Parish on 2nd February 2005 (Candlemas) to administer the sacrament: we have five candidates. Four candidates are preparing for First Communion on Easter Sunday 27th March 2005. Electoral Roll figure: 107.

On the Fourth Sunday of the Month we have a variable Evening Service at 6.30pm.

Our Sunday School is now in much better accommodation thanks to the Sure Start project which has kindly funded the installation of storage units on our stage and this has meant that the Choir Vestry is cleared and thanks to Sure Start, carpeted.

Our Electoral Roll stands at 104: we continue to invite back all those baptised in previous years on Mothering Sunday and all those who have lost a loved one at All Souls Tide on 2nd November each year.

Why do we baptise?
• Baptism is a gift of God.
• We become members of the world -wide Christian Family.
• Baptism is a sign of God’s love for us.

What does it mean to belong to the Christian Family?
• As members of the Christian family we are given love and support through our local Church Family.
• We are bound to Christ who loves and protects us.

What is faith?
• A gift freely offered by God which allows us to know Him as a child loved by a parent.
• Faith allows us to lean upon God in times of need.

What symbols are used in Baptism?
• Oil, to show that the person to be baptised is set apart as a member of God’s family.
• Water, to show the death of the old life and the entry into the new life in Christ.
• Light, through the Baptismal Candle, to show that the person baptised now has the light of Christ in his/her life .

What preparation is there for the great day?
• First you must attend a preparation session before the baptism ceremony where you will be asked to bring details of the godparents who MUST themselves be baptised. A personal letter will be sent out inviting the parents and godparents to this meeting, which normally takes place in the late afternoon on the Wednesday preceding the baptism.
• If you are a Church Family the baptism will take place during the Sunday Morning Mass: if you are not a Church family, an alternative time of 3.00pm on a Sunday afternoon is offered.
• The service itself is in four short sections:

1. The Decision: the Priest asks three short questions, which are:
* Do you want Jesus to be part of your lives?
* Are you sorry for the wrong things you have done?
* Do you wish to lead a better life with God’s help?
If a child/baby is being baptised, you are answering for them. At the end of this part of the service by the Altar Rail the person to be baptised is anointed with oil. The baptismal party have been facing the priest during this part of the service.

2. The Baptism: we then go to the font for the baptism itself: the water is blessed, and the parents and godparents profess the faith in which they believe and into which they want the child/person to be baptised. The priest then pours water over the child/person three times saying: N, I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: Amen.

3. The Light: The Baptism candle is handed to a godparent with the words: Receive this light to show that you have passed from darkness to light; shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father: Amen. We then return from the font to the Altar Rail where the godparents place the candle in a holder on the Altar.

4. The Welcome: the Baptismal party face the congregation who then welcome the newly baptised child/person into the Christian family. All then return to their seats in the church: in the afternoon baptism, the service ends with prayer and a blessing.

Responsibilities of Godparents.

You will receive a personal card at the preparation session which outlines your duties as a godparent, which are essential if you are going to undertake them properly. This relies on you being more effective Christians in your own right so that you can pass on your knowledge and faith to your godchild. The baptised person receives a Baptism Certificate and the Church Registers also contain a record of the ceremony.

What next?
We expect baptised babies/children to be brought to First Communion at Year 4 age and thereafter to Confirmation when teenagers. Further details can be obtained from the Vicar.

With every blessing and good wishes,
Fr Simon