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Don’t worry Richard. It is nothing personal – it happened to me too. Although maybe we are both ugly!

Me too! But I’m beautiful!

The problem has now been sorted and tested. Avatars away!

Hi Helen,
we’re going through the process here…both in terms of our ’normal’ liturgy for those from unchurched backgrounds who bring their children for baptism, and also for those coming for baptism themselves in the missional communities attached to our church…
Last Sunday the baptism service i led had: different reading (happened to be Romans 12:1-8) so that it fits into the stream of teaching that we’re working through…we used candles at the start and finish of the baptism but clearly explained why and what they mean within the Christian life- lots of references to dark and light…carried this on through the introduction to the baptism itself, as this had been a fruitful image during preparation sessions with the parents…we used the 6 line vow, but i’m interested that you’re using the reduced version…the prayer over the water was extempore, as was the commissioning prayer (which included commissioning the whole church), and during the baptism of one adult we poured water over his hands and his head…

We’re also hoping to initiate a review across our local churches of practice…to find out exactly what’s being done and what works…waiting to find out if thats happening…

Andy D

It’s difficult, Helen, because of canon law etc. We sometimes use the three vows, sometimes the six. One change I have made, which I hope isn’t too illegal, is to change ’Christ’ to ’Jesus’ in the vows. It just seems a bit less forbidding somehow. We also use a rather nice celtic-style blessing:

Welcome N, dear child of love; God is here to bless you.
May He make clear to you your road;
May He keep you safe each step of your way.
If you should stumble, may He be there to pick you up;
If you are hard pressed by evil may He deliver you;
Until at the last you come to His glory. Amen.

Helen: I agree with you about the CW service. It is awful. I have drafted a radical rewriting of the service, including elements from the marriage service because often this is the first time this couple has been in church — which is why so many friends and relatives come as well, because this is often a quasi-marriage. I have rewritten all six vows, but put them in different language. I don’t seem to be able to attach anything to this post, but if you contact me at okehamptonpioneer@btinternet.com, I can send you what I have drafted.

I don’t know about ’legal’. Strictly speaking, anything which is not straight out of CW or BCP is not ’legal’. But unlike a marriage (where if you don’t get it right the people might not legally be married), with a baptism as long as you say ’I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’, then they are duly baptised. We accept baptisms said with non-anglican rites. We accept baptisms by lay people such a midwives if a child may in close to death. So we might upset a bishop or two, but the children we baptise with variant liturgies are still going to be baptised. And we really need to get a hold of this one because the CW liturgy just isn’t working.

We’re struggling with this one too. I now give families a gospel during the baptism prep and ask them to read it and choose a reading from it, and have also started asking parents to compose a prayer – early days, but some encouraging responses. For the renouncing evil we face West to turn away from sin/devil/evil then turn around on ’I turn to Christ’ to face the East/cross/candle – could probably make a lot more out of that symbolism!

Happy clicking! Just experimenting with where this reply appears – can other people see it? Is it in the general stream of activity?

I can see your reply in the general stream. This seems to be working well.