Service of Thanksgiving
A Service of Thanksgiving is held when parents wish to give thanks to God for the safe arrival of a new baby but do not feel that they are ready to make the promises and declarations that are part of the rite of Baptism. This service can also be appropriate when a child is adopted and welcomed into their new forever family.
During the service, the family give thanks to God and commit to supporting and caring for the new arrival. Members of the family and/or friends can be appointed as supporters to share in the task of supporting and caring for the child.
This service usually takes place outside of the Sunday morning service and can include singing a couple of hymns or songs as well as the child being presented with a copy of one of the Gospels from the New Testament of the Bible.
Each person enquiring about a Service of Thanksgiving will receive a visit from either the Vicar or another trained person to help them understand and plan the service. There is no statuary fee for this service although the choices made about the form of service will mean that some costs might be incurred. These questions will be discussed as we meet and plan your service.