Our weekly news sheet

Phil says:

“I think you’ll find that having access to our weekly news sheet is a really helpful way to find out about what’s happening this week and to remind you of things to pray about. You can pick one up at church, outside all our buildings in the news racks, or access it here on the website.”

We are able to host weddings at all 3 churches in the Benefice and would be delighted to have a conversation with you about this. Hosting weddings is a great privilege! If you would like to get married at one of our churches please do get in touch – click here for contact details.
To be married in any particular church, you have to satisfy one of the following criteria:

You live within the church parish – you can find out which is your parish church by visiting “A church near you” at www.achurchnearyou.com and entering your postcode.
You are a regular attender at the church and appear on the electoral roll of those who are committed to attend regularly.
You have a qualifying connection with the church – for example, you were baptised there or your family have strong links with the church.

We would be delighted to talk to you more about your forthcoming wedding. To find out more about getting married at SDR Churches click the following link to read or download this leaflet ‘All you need to know about getting married at SDR Churches’.

Baptism is a sign that a person has become a member of the people of God, the Church, a world-wide community bound in a covenant promise to each other and to God. Baptism is for adults who have become a Christian and who haven’t been baptised before, and also for the children of parents who believe the truth of the Christian faith.
In baptism, four big ideas from the Bible are represented:

Belonging: Baptism shows that we now belong to God, as a member of His Church.

Burial: Baptism is an outward sign that ‘we have died to sin’. Sin is the evil we do against God, and affects every area of our lives. Being baptised shows that you want to turn away from sin, or that you will bring your child up to turn away from sin.

Bath: Baptism is a picture of being washed clean – washed clean of all of sin. It is a symbol of having everything that stops us having a relationship with God washed away.

Birthday: Belonging, burial and a bath all point to a new start, being ‘born again’ is how the Bible describes it. Baptism, therefore, is an outward sign of the new life we have begun following Jesus.

Westminster cathedral baptism photographer

Our baptism services take place as part of our main Sunday services. If you are considering getting baptised, or would like your child to get baptised, please do get in touch.

The promises made in a Baptism service are serious and comprehensive. Therefore, before any baptism, the Rector or another member of the ministry team would meet with you to talk this through. This is because baptism in the Church of England is free, but it costs you everything! How? Baptism is the sign of following Jesus, and doing that will take your wholehearted commitment to living as He commands... that’s why it will cost you everything. But Jesus says he has come to ‘give us life to the full’ (John 10:10), so there can be no better decision to make!

Thanksgiving is a special service to give thanks and pray for blessing:

Thanksgiving is a special service which involves bringing your child to the front of church (together with any other members of your family or godparents/sponsors who wish to come). The minister will ask you to declare the name you have given to your child and will then thank God for him/her and pray for His blessing on you, your child and the whole family.

Thanksgiving is different from baptism because it does not require you to make any public statements about your Christian faith or promises about how you will bring up your child. It is ideal for those who want to express gratitude for their child without making promises that they may not be able to keep. It can be followed by baptism at a later date if appropriate.

If you’d like to find out more about either Baptism or Thanksgiving at SDR Churches, click the following link to read or download this leaflet ‘What’s the difference between Baptism or Thanksgiving’. Godparents play a significant role in the Baptism of a child. Click this link to read a short leaflet ‘Being a Godparent’ which explains more about Godparents and the important role that they play.

Bereavement is a very hard time, but we seek to do all we can to help you through this time. If you ask for a funeral to be held in one of our churches in the Benefice, you can be sure that your funeral director and minister will work together to make sure the day runs as smoothly as possible.

A funeral service in the Benefice is quite flexible, and in discussion with the Rector or other minister, it can be tailored to suit the family. Our ministers also have good experience and training in this area, and can help the family shape the service to reflect the person well.

If your loved one didn’t regularly attend a church in the Benefice, so long as they lived in one of the parishes or had a genuine link with the Benefice, it will still be possible to hold their funeral.

Families who have funerals in the Benefice will be prayed for by the church family, and will be invited to an annual ‘Forget me not’ service, to help and support you.