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 We are delighted if you are thinking about having your
child baptised at St John’s. As a
parish church we believe that we have an important role to play in welcoming
people into church to mark the important events in life.
The service of baptism allows us an opportunity
to share with you in the joy of the gift of children and to thank God at the
start of their lives.
 At St John’s we
will endeavour to meet the needs of your family on this special occasion.
Following the established practice over recent decades all our baptisms or christenings take
place within the context of the main Sunday Eucharist service.
There is plenty of good information about baptism on the
Church of England’s website:
There is no formal charge for baptism but there are a number
of ways in which you can add to the occasion and we invite families to sponsor
the following:
 An individualised order of service
This incorporates the baptism into the main service booklet
and makes for an excellent souvenir of the event. Copies of previous orders of
service can be seen in the parish office.
 Flowers
Floral arrangements can be organised for the church at your
request. It is customary to have one pedestal of flowers but not uncommon to
have two. These vary in cost depending on your selection of flowers from around
£55 up to £120.
Music
 We value our music tradition here at St
John’s. We have a unique choir in central London
in that it is made up of both volunteers and choral scholars. Families may
choose to sponsor the music for a baptism in order to help the church offset
the costs.
It is also possible to have additional musicians take part in the
service. These musicians are usually students from the Royal College of Music.
A trumpet and flute can add a great deal to the feel of the service and help
make your child’s baptism even more special.
After service reception
 Hospitality is offered by the church at the end of the
service. Some families wish to sponsor something in addition to coffee. We can
arrange for sherry, wine or champagne to be served along with nibbles or finger
food.
It should be noted that the hospitality area at the west end of
the church is not suitable for a full reception. We do, though, have excellent
relationships with local pubs, restaurants and hotels and this means we can
help and advise families who want a larger scale reception after church.
What to do next
To make arrangements for a baptism or to talk about it in
more depth come along on a Sunday morning and talk to the Vicar or another of
the clergy after the service. If you would like to choose a particular Sunday
then please feel free to contact us to let us know you are coming. |
Special Services and Occasions 
