Sunday 1 February 2009

Service of thanksgiving for the gift of a child

Some families wish to simply give thanks for the safe arrival of a child, even some months or even years after the birth, but do not wish to commit themselves to the promises of the Baptism service. You may decide that your child should choose to be baptised when they are old enough. You may have serious questions about the Christian faith that makes you unable to commit to full commitment to the faith. But something is drawing you to give thanks for the arrival of your child. If that is the case - this may be for you.

Here at All Saints Whitstable we fully respect the decision to have a thanksgiving service. They are extremely uplifting occasions. We are very interested in the integrity of the people who come to enquire about a service and if people have serious doubts about the Christian faith, or feel unable to commit to the promises of the Baptism or Christening service, then the "Thanksgiving" may be much more appropriate.



To see the text of the service click on this link but remember to return to this page afterwards:

http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/liturgy/commonworship/texts/initiation/thanksgiftchild.html

We suggest you look at the baptism website and then look at the link above and think about which service is best for you. It is always best to go for the service you feel most comfortable with.

WHEN DO THANKSGIVINGS HAPPEN?

A Service of Thanksgiving is actually quite a short service lasting only a few minutes and therefore it fits better in our main morning worship service. Also, to avoid confusing Service of Thanksgivings with Baptisms, we cannot hold them at the same time in the afternoon as Baptisms. Therefore, we can only offer these services on Sunday mornings at either our informal 9.15 service on the Second Sunday of each month, or more normally at one of our weekly 10.30am services. Saturdays are not possible because of weddings and weekdays are also sadly not possible.

However, Sunday morning worship is a fantastic environment to have a blessing for a young child.
The 9.15am service lasts 45 minutes.
The 10.30am service lasts one hour fifteen minutes. There is normally a Sunday Club for children at this service.

HOW DO I BOOK A THANKSGIVING?

Because they are quite rare at the time of writing, it is best to email the Vicar at tillotsons@googlemail.com or call him on 01227 272308. He will need to explain to the Saturday morning booking team what you are requesting. He will then advise you to attend the church on a Saturday morning after 10am to book a suitable Sunday - always the first Sunday of the month.

Please do not book Service of Thanksgivings through the church office or by going to the Church on Saturday mornings. Please instead email or phone the vicar, Simon.