Baptisms & Thanksgivings
Baptism is all about Jesus.
It is the outward sign of what God does inwardly in a person's heart and life. It declares that a person has stopped living an old way of life, and begun a new way of life following Jesus.

So at St John's, we baptise

• adults for whom this has happened in the recent past, and
• children of members of church, in the prayer that God will do this for them now or in the future.

Most people visiting this page, however, are probably considering having a child baptised and are not yet members of our church. So, what do you need to know?
It may be that life's circumstances have kept you away from church, and that you have a real faith in Jesus that simply hasn't received the support of God's people for some time. We understand that!
What we can do for you is help you think through how to grow in your faith in God and what it means to live it out in the middle of a busy life. So, if you are enquiring about baptism and not a member of our church or another we

• arrange for a meeting for you with the minister to discuss matters
• arrange for a suitable member of our church to meet 1 on 1 with you for 5-6 meetings and discuss faith in God and the claims God makes on us.

if you come to the end of this and are keen to baptise your child...great! We aim to have helped you grow in your relationship with God.

However, it may be that you think this is not really for you. We understand that baptism is a real commitment to the way of life Jesus teaches. So we offer a thanksgiving service which names your child, acknowledges that they are God’s gift to you and prays for them. This service does not demand the same kind of preparation and Christian commitment to Jesus and his church.

What’s required?

• It is not necessary that you possess a living faith in Jesus Christ, but simply that you want to thank God for your child.
• You do not need to be a member of our church, or any church.
• Come to church one Sunday. I suggest the 10am congregation as the place to make contact with us.
• Meet with the minister at morning tea and he will happily tell you what is involved, and you may well like to meet with him at another time if you wish too.

If you would like to ask more about baptism and thanksgiving services, please contact us.