The Rector writes:
Dear Friends
I often meet people who believe in God, and who try to live according to the teachings of Jesus, but who rarely attend church services. These people have their children baptised and do their best to bring them up in the Christian faith. They would never dream of not coming into church for life’s significant events such as weddings and funerals. Some of them enjoy church services on the occasions when they do attend, such as Christmas, Easter and Harvest, but they lead busy lives and other things take a higher priority than regular church attendance. There are some who intend to come more often, but never quite get around to it. Some feel closer to God outside, and a response to God is awakened in them when they are enjoying the wonders of nature. That’s understandable because, after all, the natural world is God’s creation. Buildings – even church buildings constructed to the glory of God and made holy by the prayers of countless generations – are still buildings made by human beings.
However, church buildings were put there because believers need a place to meet. Yes, we can pray and praise God anywhere, any time. I have had as many meaningful encounters with God outside the church walls as within. Even so, I believe that there is something about collective worship and prayer that adds up to more than the sum total of all our personal devotions. Private prayers and corporate worship complement each other. We need time and space to be alone with God, and time to be together. It’s about belonging. Through baptism, we are brought into the family of the Church. Families that function best are those which meet together and keep in contact. Within a family we learn the meaning of love and we offer and receive support as we journey together through life. The Church family needs to meet to grow together in the knowledge and love of God, and to offer mutual support, as well as to pray for the world in all its need, and to reach out in loving service to the community. God doesn’t intend us to go it alone, and there is so much that we can do better together.
We hear about declining church attendances, and some of our rural congregations are very small. A few committed people work hard to keep our small village churches open. If other parishioners want their church to be there for their weddings, baptisms and funerals, and to remain as a focus for the Christian faith in their village, I would urge them to re-think their priorities before it is too late. However, if someone reading this decides to resume, or to begin, church attendance, I pray that this will not be a mere duty, but that you will find it a joy and that God will bless you .
With my love and prayers
Glynis Hetherington
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
August 2010 - Vol. 32. No. 8
The Rector writes:
Dear Friends
Someone who was invited to attend a Baby Naming Ceremony and to be a “Guidemother” told me she would far rather have stood as Godmother to the child. She expressed disappointment that there wasn‘t to be a “proper Christening”. We had an interesting conversation about the purpose of a Baby Naming Ceremony, which is offered by the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths. Presumably such ceremonies are one way for people with no religious beliefs to celebrate the birth or adoption of a child.
I knew little about these ceremonies until I looked on Nottinghamshire County Council’s website. I discovered that each ceremony can be tailored individually so that it is personal to the family and their child. There is a scale of charges, depending on which day of the week is chosen, and whether the ceremony is held in a Register Office or another venue. A Baby Naming ceremony has no legal status. One thing that surprises me is that the ceremony may include a religious reading if desired. I would expect most people who believe in God to wish for one of the ceremonies their faith community offers at significant moments in their lives, such as marriage, bereavement, birth or adoption. I receive about twenty or so requests each year for a Christening, this being the popular name for the rite that the Church calls “Baptism”. Within the Christian Church, some traditions routinely offer a Dedication Service, withholding baptism until the child is old enough to make his or her own decision to follow Jesus Christ.
The Church of England is one of several denominations that practises infant baptism. The baptism service includes promises to bring up a child in the Christian faith. An ongoing relationship with the Church is an important part of that. The role of Godparents is to encourage the child in following Jesus. For parents who feel unable to make the commitment asked for at baptism, and for those who prefer to wait until their child can make his or her own decision, there is an alternative. This is a Service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child. It is a meaningful service in which the parents make promises to care for their child. Prayers are offered, and the child receives a blessing. The service may also be offered to parents who have adopted a child. There is no charge for Baptism or Thanksgiving services. We simply put out a collection plate and invite people to make a donation, as they feel able.
To find our more, please ask for our leaflet “The Gift of a Child”. I happy to discuss the options with parents or those about to become parents.
With my love and prayers
Glynis Hetherington
Dear Friends
Someone who was invited to attend a Baby Naming Ceremony and to be a “Guidemother” told me she would far rather have stood as Godmother to the child. She expressed disappointment that there wasn‘t to be a “proper Christening”. We had an interesting conversation about the purpose of a Baby Naming Ceremony, which is offered by the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths. Presumably such ceremonies are one way for people with no religious beliefs to celebrate the birth or adoption of a child.
I knew little about these ceremonies until I looked on Nottinghamshire County Council’s website. I discovered that each ceremony can be tailored individually so that it is personal to the family and their child. There is a scale of charges, depending on which day of the week is chosen, and whether the ceremony is held in a Register Office or another venue. A Baby Naming ceremony has no legal status. One thing that surprises me is that the ceremony may include a religious reading if desired. I would expect most people who believe in God to wish for one of the ceremonies their faith community offers at significant moments in their lives, such as marriage, bereavement, birth or adoption. I receive about twenty or so requests each year for a Christening, this being the popular name for the rite that the Church calls “Baptism”. Within the Christian Church, some traditions routinely offer a Dedication Service, withholding baptism until the child is old enough to make his or her own decision to follow Jesus Christ.
The Church of England is one of several denominations that practises infant baptism. The baptism service includes promises to bring up a child in the Christian faith. An ongoing relationship with the Church is an important part of that. The role of Godparents is to encourage the child in following Jesus. For parents who feel unable to make the commitment asked for at baptism, and for those who prefer to wait until their child can make his or her own decision, there is an alternative. This is a Service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child. It is a meaningful service in which the parents make promises to care for their child. Prayers are offered, and the child receives a blessing. The service may also be offered to parents who have adopted a child. There is no charge for Baptism or Thanksgiving services. We simply put out a collection plate and invite people to make a donation, as they feel able.
To find our more, please ask for our leaflet “The Gift of a Child”. I happy to discuss the options with parents or those about to become parents.
With my love and prayers
Glynis Hetherington
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