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Update 46 page 2.

In Update 46:
Parents hear?
Web wanderings
Dear Archbishop
Waters converge
Videos and prep
Andrewes
Of godparents

Web Wanderings

Roger Godin, vice-chairman and webmaster, surveys our 'hits'.

Our web-site has now received well over 5,000 "hits", with between 400 and 500 per month. Although we don't know who all the people are, or how serious was their "surfing", there is much evidence that the site is filling a vital need as will be seen from the extracts below. We also have a world-wide audience, with enquiries from Hawaii, Texas, Continental Europe, and Australia.

On the technical front, the vast majority of enquirers find the site quick to load and easily navigable (it should be with 727 Hyperlinks!). However if you do encounter problems please let me know.

All "webmasters" yearn to be number one on the various search engines. We actually haven't done too badly and recently a search on one of the main engines (Ask Jeeves) bought us up as the second site with the description "Wide and balanced variety of information and resources." When we receive enquiries we always seek to try and find out the source and it seems fairly evident that the main source is our official listing on the Church of England web-site and through the search engines: "Hello, I found your site after looking up infant baptism on the net". We are also listed in the Church of England Newspaper and Church Times as "resources", but we have no direct knowledge of their effectiveness. In general, searches on the words "baptism theology" and "baptism practice" bring our site quite high on the list, but unfortunately "baptism" by itself is peopled by many sites selling Christening gowns!

As time permits we will publish some of these questions and answers on the site, but the following will give you a flavour. Questions seem to fall under these headings:

Homework! "Got your sight (sic) off my teacher." "I am a student at ... and am preparing a seminar on the church's response to miscarriages; specifically I am interested in the liturgy and rites offered to parents on the pre-natal death of their baby…" We provided a wealth of information on this subject.

Resources. The BBC asked for material for their 'Songs of Praise' on rites of passage. (We think we influenced the direction of this a little bit from where it was going!)

"Where can I get a BCP baptism service performed? Our marriage was BCP." "Your web-site is exactly what I have been looking for. The advice given about the Thanksgiving is exactly what I would like for my twins. Where can services like this be held? …"

Pastoral. Not all response is complimentary! "I can truly say it is with great misfortune that I came upon your web-site ... I have encountered nothing but bigoted hypocrisy from those representatives of the church whom I have approached on this subject and from this very site …". I hope our reply crossed a bridge or two!

Legal. Many questions come up under this heading. For example: change of name on baptism (very erudite subject!); who can baptise?; age of godparents; how can I get a copy of my baptism certificate?; "My friend was baptised 'somewhere in Wales', can you help?" "I have a four month old baby boy … however I have been told my child cannot be baptised as I have not been baptised myself……."

Intriguing. "Is there any truth to the fact that 13th-century children in the UK were baptised with beer when the water wasn't safe?" "Congratulations on your site, there is much of interest here ... Speaking frankly I regard you all as adherents of a middle eastern death cult predicated on human sacrifice, the male high priests of which wear dresses and commit ritual cannibalism every Sunday - but let that pass - you have produced a helpful site. Please do not reply."

Would you like to help? Before any reply is sent it is circulated to two or three committee members for balance and accuracy, but we would really welcome more on our "panel" to widen our knowledge base. Please let me know - Roger.

Go to the index of other articles to do with Baptismal Integrity.
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This web page was last updated on 24th March 2004.