Having a baptism or dedication at St Helen’s

One of the joyful aspects of life in church is seeing babies and children come to be welcomed into the church family. We hold several such services throughout the year and are always happy to talk to parents who want to make this commitment on behalf of their child.

How God Changes Lives through St Helen’s

“When we moved to Stapleford four years ago, I had no friends and felt my life was quite empty. We decided to have our baby baptised at St Helen’s, so came on the baptism preparation course. Initially I was against the whole thing but everyone was very friendly and welcoming. As I started to listen it all seemed to make sense. From there we (my husband and I) decided to go on the Alpha course, and since then my life has changed so much, I can’t even explain it enough! I have so much more confidence, I’ve got lots of friends and the church has become like my family. Bill, the vicar is lovely, very friendly and always there to pray with and listen if you have a problem. We’ve been through some tough times since, and I really don’t know how I’d have coped without my faith.” Sonya

Many people don’t really know exactly what baptism is, and the difference between a baptism and a christening. For this reason we ask all parents seeking to have their child baptised to come to a short ‘baptism preparation’ course. This is very informal and give us a chance to explain little about the Christian faith and what it means to bring your child up in God’s family.

When you stand up in church and take part in a baptism service, you are saying very powerful vows on behalf of your child that should not be taken lightly.

We find that sometimes, after being on the course, some parents chose instead to have a thanksgiving service rather than a baptism. Here they can offer their thanks to God for their child; and give the child the choice to make their own baptismal vows when they are old enough to understand. These services are equally special and we value the opportunity to share the joys of family life and thank God for a precious new life.

We can only baptise babies/children whose families live in the parish and/or worship regularly at St Helen’s. To ask for more information on arranging a baptism, please contact the parish office.

We are also delighted to baptise any adult who wishes to profess their faith, either by ‘sprinkling’ or by full immersion baptism as appropriate.

The font at St Helen’s dates back to 1300 although some experts think it is even older than that. The domed copper cover is 17th century although the copper lining the font is relatively recent and was added in 1934. It was originally placed near the main door, then moved in 1915, and then moved to its present position in 1975 to enable the congregation to have a better view of baptisms and to reduce congestion near the entrance of the church.

In New Testament times people signified their Christian faith by being baptised in the local river. However in Stapleford that was neither convenient, nor hygienic, and most of the year extremely cold! So by the Saxon era when St Helen’s was built, fonts were used, where a small amount of water could be poured over the head of a ‘convert’ signifying the baptism. When someone is baptised today at St Helen’s they are joining thousands of people going back hundreds of years and taking their special place in the Stapleford ‘family of God’.