In addition to the act of thanksgiving and blessing, the
Family Service will be an opportunity for you to meet members
of the Church Family and for them to get to know you.
A vital aspect of baptism is about becoming a lifelong member
of the Church Family, and we hope that you will soon feel
at home with us.
To be part of the Church Family is to be part of a community
where you and your family are known, and accepted and cared
for. Indeed, the very first words of the Lord’s Prayer
talk about the Church Family. As we pray, “Our Father…” we
are acknowledging that we are all part of his family.
Baptism marks the beginning stages of our journey of faith.
It is not a journey that we travel on our own. Rather, God
calls us to be part of a Church Family in which we can help
and encourage one another along the way.
From the outset I would want to emphasize that as a Church
Family we place a high priority on our work with children.
We all know that when children are born they cannot survive
on their own; they need the love and care of their family.
So also, when children are born to new spiritual life in
baptism, they need the love and care of a Church Family to
survive and thrive. The main focus for our children’s
ministry is at the 10.30 a.m. service at the Church Centre
on the Ash Road. There are activities for children every
week when they go to their own classes during the service.
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There is also a special Family Service on
the third Sunday of each month, and I encourage you to make
attendance at this service a basic commitment for your family.
When he or she gets older, we also have a youth group for
our young people who are of secondary school age. Its called
KATCH (“Kids at the Church”) and it meets on
Sunday evenings in term time, from 7.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
The aim is for your child to regard going to church as a
usual and natural part of his/her life, and through this
s/he will feel part of the Church Family and not an outsider.
It is where s/he knows s/he belongs and it is, in effect,
his/her spiritual home. Your child will also know that s/he
is a special member of the Church Family because we will
send him/her a baptism anniversary card for the first three
years after his/her baptism.
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