Baptism
Baptism in water is the outward sign of commitment to Jesus Christ and membership of His church. As an Anglican Church we baptise people of all ages.
The young children of Christian parents can be baptised during our main Sunday service on the basis that their parents make the promises on their behalf, and that they will be brought up as Christians within the family of the church. Older children, teenagers and adults are baptised on the profession of their own faith. In all cases we offer appropriate preparation for those seeking baptism.
We also offer a service of Thanksgiving for parents who wish to acknowledge God's gift of a child and pray for His blessing upon them. This may be appropriate for parents who prefer not to make baptismal promises on behalf of their children, leaving opportunity for their children to express faith through baptism when they are older.
Click here to contact the church office for further details
Weddings
Marriage is one of the most precious gifts of God, so our aim is to help couples make their wedding day as special as possible, and to prepare not only for their wedding but for married life.
You may get married at St Stephen’s if at least one of you:
- lives in the parish of St Stephen’s
- is on the St Stephen’s Church Electoral Roll
- was baptized or confirmed in the parish
- has lived in the parish at any time for at least 6 months
- has at any time habitually attended normal church services at St Stephen’s for a period of at least 6 months.
You may also get married at St Stephen’s if one of your parents or grandparents:
- has lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months
- has habitually attended church services at St Stephen’s for a period of at least 6 months
- was married in the parish
However, if either of you has been married before and has a former partner still living, special considerations and procedures apply and you will need to let the Church Office know this when you contact us.