Weddings & Baptisms
Get Married
at Lord Street West United Church
If you are planning to get married there are probably a number of questions that you would like to ask. Please contact our Minister to arrange an informal chat so that you can ask any questions and find out more about what is involved when getting married in a Christian church setting.
Contact Us
Lord Street West United Church is a joint Christian denominational United Reformed and Methodist Church. When applying for marriage each denomination has differing requirements and conditions under the law of this country, but everything will be explained to you in your discussion with our Minister.
You are very welcome to come and join us at any of our services so you can see the building, meet people and get a flavour of our church.
Baptisms
at Lord St West United Church
FAQs
‘Baptism’ or ‘Christening’
There is actually no difference between a christening service and a baptism service.
Some churches prefer to use the word ‘baptism’ whilst others the word ‘christening’. The moment when your child has water poured on their head is the actual baptism which is at the heart of the service.
Babies are baptised during a christening service just as couples are ‘married’ during a ‘wedding’ service.
Baptisms/Christenings at Lord Street West United Church
During a christening, your child will be baptised with water. It’s the start of an amazing journey of faith for your child and a special day for all your friends and family. Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions to help you find out what is involved.
The birth of some children is carefully planned – others come as a surprise, but it is always a wonderful privilege and a great responsibility to care for a child. Your child is precious to you and precious to God. You want the best for them, and so does God. You want them to make right choices for themselves and others. A christening is just the beginning.
What is a Christening?
It is a special service in which your child is baptised, symbolising the first steps of an amazing journey with God, parents, godparents, friends, family and the church. It is the beginning of a lifetime discovering more about love, faith and hope. It is also a wonderful moment to celebrate with people who are important to you and your family, and with the church family into which your child is welcomed.
Your child is precious to you and precious to God. You want the very best for them, and so does God. You want them to make right choices in life, for themselves and for others.
What happens in the Service?
Parents and godparents declare their own faith, making promises about bringing up the child to know Christ for themselves as an individual and about bringing them up as part of the church family. Water is poured over the child’s head, baptising him or her in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The child is welcomed into the church family. It is a moment of celebration for everyone.
Some baptisms take place within our morning worship service at 10.45am or in a separate service, usually at 12.30pm on a Sunday afternoon.
To get a feel of what our services are like, we’d love to see you on any Sunday morning so that you ‘at home’ with us and meet the church family that your child may be baptised into.