St Luke's Church Eccleshill, Bradford, UK

Booking a christening at St Luke's

First, congratulations on becoming a parent. I hope you manage to survive the broken nights and the trauma of having a new dictator in your house. I've been there (but, mercifully, I've forgotten what some of it felt like!).

At a time like this, most people share feelings of

amazement that such a wonderful thing could happen,
wonder at how such a complicated and intricate being could grow inside someone else,
thankfulness to God,
wanting to do the best for this new person,
wondering how to fulfil such an awesome responsibility,
appreciating any help that God might be able to give.

I clearly remember these feelings, and the church wants to encourage you in your desire to say thank-you to God, to receive his help, and to commit yourself to looking after your child properly.

So here's what to do:

Contact us - telephone us on 01274 636403 or call at the vicarage or even send us an e-mail. We will need to know who you are and where you live.

Come and check us out - we don't book a date for you until you've been to a church service to check that you are happy with the atmosphere and the clergy's style. There are few things worse than going to a christening and deciding you don't like it - and it's your own baby! When you come, make sure you introduce yourself to us and tell us why you've come.

If you live outside the parish, we will need to check with your home clergy before arranging to come to visit you.

Once you've been to see us, we'll arrange to come and visit you in your own home to discuss what happens next.

N.B. If you've been to see us and we don't ring you up to make an appointment, please ring us up and hassle us! Clergy have a lot on their minds and I have been known to forget things.

Questions commonly asked:

Q. What does it cost?
A. It's free. (Unless we have to put the heat on specially for you in the middle of winter, when there will be a charge.)

Q. Can I book a date first, before you come to see me?
A. No. We book dates on a first-come-first-served basis. However, if there are genuine exceptional circumstances, we may be able to "pencil" a date on the clear understanding that it isn't confirmed until we've had a chance to visit you. You mustn't invite friends and family until the date is confirmed.

Q. I wanted a particular date. Can you tell me if it is free?
A. Have a look at the diary page of this web site. This will alert you to any obvious clashes - but check with us first.

Q. Will there be lots of other babies there?
A. No - not unless you already know the other families and are happy with having a service together with them. I hate the "feeding time at the zoo" sort of service where it is utter chaos and no-one can feel relaxed or receive any personal attention.

Q. How many godparents do I need?
A. We'll discuss that sort of issue with you when we visit ... don't ask too many technical questions like that yet! Don't panic.

Q. Can we do a video / photos / a friend reading a bible reading / a favourite hymn / ...
A. Yes, within reason, we want you to have a really nice service and we'd like to accommodate your requests as far as possible.

John Hartley