Christenings
We are here to help you to celebrate the joyful times of life. We will help you through each stage of the planning process and make sure your service is personal to you.
Christenings
The birth of a baby is a time of great joy and something to celebrate! Your child is precious to you and precious to God. Being baptised at a Christening marks the start of a lifelong journey of faith as part of the local and worldwide Christian family.
We also welcome adults who want to be baptised.
Starting your enquiry
This is the start of your Christening enquiry. We will lead you through the steps that you need to complete and provide an online form for you to make your initial enquiry. If you prefer to call into the Parish Office in person, or make a phone call then we will go through the same information with you.
Qualifying criteria for Christenings
Before we go any further we need to check that are eligible to have your child baptised. As soon as you answer yes to one of the following questions you know that you will be eligible.
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Do either of the parents reside in the Parish of Stratford-upon-Avon (this includes Stratford-upon-Avon, Clifford Chambers, and Luddington)? (If you are not sure then you can use this link to enter your postcode and find the church that is closest to you https://www.achurchnearyou.com/ )
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Were either of the parents baptised in one of the churches of the parish (Holy Trinity, St Helen's or All Saints')?
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Were either of the parents confirmed and/or have their confirmation entered in a register belonging to one of the churches of the parish (Holy Trinity, St Helen's or All Saints')?
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Were the parents or grandparents married in one of the churches of the parish (Holy Trinity, St Helen's or All Saints')?
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Have the parents have had their usual place of residence in the parish of Stratford-upon-Avon for at least 6 months at any time during their lifetime?
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Has a grandparent has had their usual place of residence in the parish of Stratford-upon-Avon for at least 6 months at any time during the child’s parents lifetime?
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Has the child’s parents, at any time, habitually attended public worship at services in one of the Stratford-upon-Avon Parish churches for at least 6 months?
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Has a grandparent, at any time, habitually attended public worship at services in one of the Stratford-upon-Avon Parish churches for at least 6 months during the child’s parents lifetime?
If you cannot answer 'yes' to one of the above questions you could still qualify by attending a minimum of six services over a minimum time of six months, however we won't take a booking until this has been fulfilled.
For anyone not residing in the parish the goodwill must also be sought from the vicar of their home parish in order for the christening to take place here. Parents will be given a form for their vicar to sign.
Godparents and Sponsors
Godparents
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Should be present at the baptism
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Must have been baptised themselves
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Must be 16 or over
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Parents can be godparents
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There should be at least one male & one female godparent
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There is only room for 4 godparents to be recorded in the baptism register. If more than 4 are chosen it is the responsibility of the parents to decide which names are entered into the register.
Sponsors
If parents would like someone not baptised to be involved in the service they may be there as a sponsor. Their names cannot be included in the baptism register, but they will be invited to participate in the service in the same way as godparents.
Here is the link to our Christening enquiry form. You will receive an auto reply to confirm that we have received your enquiry and then our team will contact you to clarify any items (if needed) and to offer the next meeting dates when you will meet with our Christening Co-ordinator. At this meeting we will take you through the detail of the service, what we will need you to do and what you can expect us to do. We will also ask you to book a date for the Christening to take place.