You created my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother's womb Psalm 139:13 Following God is a wonderful part of life and we are very happy to encourage people of all ages to come to church to express their love for God. Christening and baptism are words used to describe the same event, but often people use the word Christening just for babies. We will refer to this service as Baptism, which involves the person (or parents of a baby) declaring their commitment to God, and the Vicar using water as a sign of God's loving care offered to them. It is an ancient way of becoming part of The Church, God's people and because of its importance, should be considered with some thought before arrangements are booked. In our parish, most people who get baptised are in fact adults or young people. Baptism is a public way of declaring that you want God to be an important part of your life and that you chose to follow him, receiving his love whilst giving him your praise. If you are a parent, then you may like to have a special service for your child in church. If you are Christian and worship as part of a church fellowship, then we would encourage you to have your child baptised during one of our regular Sunday services (usually 9.30am at St Cadoc's on the 1st Sunday of the month or at St David's at 9.30am on the 2nd Sunday of the month or at St Mary's at 11am on the 2nd Sunday of the month). For Baptism to be of real significance to the growgin child, the parents and godparents need to have been baptised, people who attend church and who are seeking to grow in the Christian Faith. If you live in our parish area and fulfill these requirements, then a baptism service might be appropriate for your child (note that if you live outside this parish area then it is always better for the child to be baptised in their local church where they can grow in their local chuch community). However, if coming to church isn't part of your spiritual life, then we would still love to offer a special service for your family in church. This would be for a Thanksgivign service, where we give thanks for the child's life, pray for God to bless them and for you as family to be strengthen by God's power. A service of Thanksgiving can take place in any of our churches at any time. There is a role for god-parents, but it is not important that they have baptised and attend church as they do not make explicit promises to bring up the child in the Christian faith. If you would like to consider a Baptism, (Christening) or Thanksgiving, please contact the Vicar, who will help you chose which service best suits you. There is no charge for any of these services but you do need to get in contact some months before any desired date.