Children are a precious gift from God. The responsibility of being a mum or dad is a massive one! The most important thing we can do for our children is help them have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

At Grace West we want to help you with what it means to raise your child as someone who knows and follows God. We have two different church services for parents who want to pray for their infant child and have the support of our church in raising their child.

The first church service is a Thanksgiving Service. In the Thanksgiving Service there is the opportunity for you to publicly name your child and seek God’s blessing as parents. You do not make the same promises that are made in the Infant Baptism Service and often these services will happen on a Sunday afternoon. It is an opportunity to gather with family and friends and start thinking about what it means to raise your child as a Christian.

The second service is a Baptism Service. In a baptism, the parents are followers of Jesus and make promises as Christians on behalf of their child. The child is baptised by sprinkling water on their head. We don’t often ask adults to make public statements of their trust in Jesus, but this is one of them. If you aren’t a member of our church, then seeking baptism for your child is often an opportunity to learn what it means to follow Jesus and welcome your child into our church family. We don’t organise dates for baptisms until you feel part of our church and able to make the promises made in the service.

Either way, the next step is to visit one of our morning congregations one Sunday and we will talk with you about how we can help. If you are interested in visiting, then complete the form below for us to be ready to look out for you!