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Baptisms

What is Baptism?

Baptism for babies and children takes place in a service often called a Christening. At Glossop Parish Church this is usually during a main Sunday service called the Parish Communion.

In this service parents thank God for his gift of life, make a decision to start their child on a journey of faith and godparents promise help and support. The Christian community will promise to support you and to pray for you and your child.

For your child, being baptised at a Christening marks the start of a lifelong journey of faith as part of the local and worldwide Christian family.

As the baby or child is not old enough to answer for his or herself you and the godparents will be asked during the service to make the following declarations in front of the church congregation.

Minister: Do you turn to Christ?

Parents and godparents: I turn to Christ.

Minister: Do you repent of your sins?

Parents and godparents: I repent of my sins.

Minister: Do you renounce evil?

Parents and godparents: I renounce evil.

Baptism for adults and young people of secondary school age is possible but usually takes place as part of a service of confirmation and after a course of preparation. The Vicar will be happy to discuss with you what this means without any obligation.

Frequently Asked Questions about Baptism

Q| What's the difference between a baptism and a christening?

A| None, they are just different words for the same thing.

Q| Can we have a private service of baptism?

A| Typically baptisms take place in Glossop Parish Church’s main service at 10.30 am. This is because baptism is a public declaration that your child has become welcomed into the church family. It is important that the church congregation is there to support you and welcome your child. On some occasions, if circumstances make this difficult, it may be possible to arrange a baptism service, at 12.30pm.

Q| What is the right age for baptism?

A| Baptism can happen at any age. What matters is that those concerned believe it is right to ask for baptism. Teenagers and adults may also be baptised – speak to the priest about this. This is celebrated with confirmation by the Bishop. You can only be baptised once, but there are ways of renewing your commitment publicly as an adult – the priest will be able to advise.

Q| I'm not a regular churchgoer. Can I still have my child baptised?

A| Yes. The Church believes that God's love is available to all, regardless of their background and circumstances. We can talk you through the options: you may prefer to have a Thanksgiving service first and then consider baptism when you have had time to talk through what is being asked of you. At Glossop Parish Church we encourage parents to attend church but do not make it a rule that they must. As your child is being welcomed into the church family it is important that you have got to know the church and feel at home there.

Q| What does it cost?

A| The Baptism service is free. There will be a collection during the service for the work of the church.

Godparents

Q| What is a godparent?

A| Godparents, or supportive friends, make the same promises on behalf of the child being baptised as parents. Godparents promise to pray and support the child and to help the parents to bring up the child in the Christian faith. It is an important and responsible role. Canon B23(2) specifies that godparents in the baptism service "shall be persons who will faithfully fulfil their responsibilities". This is usually taken to mean someone who is at least a teenager and who is baptised and confirmed.

Q| How many godparents should I have?

A| You should have at least three: usually, two of the same sex as the child and one of the opposite sex. Parents can also be godparents.

Q| Who should I choose to be a godparent?

A| Godparents can be family members or friends. However, it is important that you choose people who will take an interest in your child's spiritual welfare and who will pray for you and your child. Q What happens after the baptism? A Baptism marks a new start for your child as a member of the worldwide Christian community. In turn, the Church welcomes you and your child and promises to support you in bringing the child up in the faith. Children are encouraged to bring their family back each year for the anniversary of their baptism. At Glossop Parish Church there is a crèche for babies and young children in the centre of the church during the service. There are also activities for KS1 children and upwards who withdraw for part of the service with responsible and trained adults.

If you would like a baptism service, please contact the Revd Dr David Mundy, Priest in Charge, on 01457 856554.

Weddings

Thank you for considering Glossop Parish Church as the venue for your wedding.

Christians believe that marriage is a gift from God. Choosing to get married in church is an acknowledgement that God cares about human relationships. A wedding service in church is a public declaration of love and commitment between two people and a recognition of God’s grace at work in their lives as individuals and as a couple. Through the wedding service a couple seek God’s resources and strength, looking to God’s love to sustain them not only in the good times but also in the more difficult times.

You will probably spend many hours planning your wedding. There is much to think about – what to wear, whom to invite, the reception, the honeymoon. Alongside the wedding preparations it is also important to spend time as a couple talking through your expectations of marriage.

If you would like to get married in Glossop Parish Church, please contact the Revd Dr David Mundy, Priest in Charge, on 01457 856554. For more information about weddings services in the Church of England click here.

STATUTORY FEES

Publication of banns of marriage £36.00

Certificate of banns issued at time of publication £18.00

Marriage Service £528.00

LOCAL FEES

Organist £60.00

Choir £160.00

Bells £160.00

Verger £50.00

Frequently Asked Questions about Baptism

Q/ Can we get married at Glossop Parish Church?

A/ If one or both of you live in the parish you can be married at Glossop Parish Church.

To find out which parish you live in, click here.

If you each live in a different parish you will have to have banns (see below) published in both parishes.

If neither of you lives in the parish you can be married at Glossop Parish Church if:

One or both of you regularly worship at Glossop Parish Church and on our church’s electoral roll; to qualify for the electoral roll you will be required to attend church services regularly for at least six months, or
One of you has a qualifying connection (see below).

If you do not meet any of these criteria it is possible to get married in Glossop Parish Church by special licence. You can also get married in a Registry Office then have a service of blessing at Glossop Parish Church. A service of blessing is similar to the marriage service: you makes vows to each other in the presence of God.

Q/ What is a qualifying connection?

A/ New legislation came into force in 2008 to meet the needs of people who want to marry in a church because it has special significance for them, even though it is not where they live. A qualifying connection is when one or both of you:

Has been baptised in the parish; or
Has been confirmed and the confirmation has been entered in a church register book belonging to the parish, having been prepared for confirmation in the parish; or
Has at any time had their usual place of residence in the parish for at least six months; or
Has at any time habitually attended public worship in the parish for at least six months; or
Has a parent who has at any time during your lifetime had his or her usual place of residence in the parish for at least six months; or
Has a parent who has habitually attended public worship in the parish for at least six months; or
Has a parent or grandparent who was married in the parish.

Q/ How do I book the church?

A/ As soon as you have decided you want to get married in Glossop Parish Church or have a service of blessing after your civil marriage, please phone Fr David Mundy, Priest-in-Charge, on 01457 856554.

Q/ What are the legal requirements?

A/ Marriage in a parish church is by banns (from an old word meaning ‘to announce’ – similar to banner). Banns are an announcement of your intention to marry and a chance for anyone to put forward a reason why your marriage may not lawfully take place. You must have your banns published in your parish church for three Sundays during the three months before the wedding.

Your banns need to be published in Glossop Parish Church and, if one or both of you live in another parish, also in the parish church of that parish. This also applies when couples are marrying in a parish church through a ‘qualifying connection’.

If either or both of you are over sixteen but under the age of eighteen, you must have your parents’ consent to marry.

Q/ What if one or both of us is divorced?

A/ At Glossop Parish Church we affirm that marriage is for life. We also recognise that some marriages fail and we accept, therefore, that divorced persons may marry again.

As part of your preparation for your new marriage and what it means to you, you may want to consider the following questions:

What have you learned from your previous marriage?
Has there been healing of past hurts?
If you have children, how are they being looked after?
What do others think of your marriage plans?

Q/ How much will it cost?

A/ The statutory fees for a marriage cover the publication of the banns, certificate of banns (if necessary), the marriage service and a certificate of marriage. These fees are fixed nationally by the Church of England and are the same in every parish church. Glossop Parish Church also charges local fees for the services of the organist, the verger and the bell ringers.

Q/ Can we choose what kind of service we want?

A/ We encourage you to create your own distinctive service within the structure of the marriage service set out by the Church of England. You choose at least one reading from the Bible; you may also choose other readings or poetry. There are also prayers, some of which you may choose. You choose music for the service (the entry of the bride, the signing of the registers, the exit of the couple) and hymns / songs to be sung by your families and friends. You may choose to involve your families and friends in the readings, the prayers and the music.

Q/ Which hymns and songs can we have?

A/ We can advise you on Bible readings, hymns and songs, and music. The Church of England website is a useful source of information.

Q/ Should we have one or two rings?

A/ A wedding ring is a symbol of unending love and faithfulness, and of the commitment you are making to each other. It is your choice whether to have one ring (typically given by the bridegroom to the bride) or two rings.

Blessings

A blessing is a ceremony or ritual in which we recognise and affirm God’s love for all creation and offer to God our hopes for the future. At Glossop Parish Church we recognise the importance of blessings at different stages in our lives, for example:

After a marriage or civil partnership in a registry office
To give thanks for the gift of a child
To mark the beginning new roles and responsibilities in the church, in work, in the community, or in the home
To celebrate a wedding anniversary

If you would like a service of blessing, please contact the Revd Dr David Mundy, Priest in Charge, on 01457 856554.

Funerals

Far back into history human beings have felt the need for a ceremonial leave-taking of those who have died. A funeral marks the close of a human life on earth. It is the opportunity for friends and family to express their grief, to give thanks for the life which has now completed its journey in this world, and to commend the person to God’s love.

A funeral service at Glossop Parish Church can be short and quiet with only a few members of the family present, or it can be an occasion of great solemnity with music, hymns and a packed church; it can be a simple service or it can include specially chosen music, hymns, favourite prayers and readings, and a tribute. The ministers at Glossop Parish Church make every effort to work with the relatives of the deceased person to design a funeral service which is fitting for the person and which meets the needs of those attending.

Whatever the pattern of service, the words and actions of a funeral service all speak of a loving God and the preciousness of every human being.

Cremation or Burial

Funeral services at Glossop Parish Church are normally followed either by burial at Glossop Cemetery or by cremation at Dukinfield crematorium. Funeral directors will be pleased to advise about other places of burial.

Church Fees for Funerals

Listed below are the fees charged for a funeral service at Glossop Parish Church. The statutory fees are set annually by the Church of England; the local fees are set annually by the Parochial Church Council.

STATUTORY FEES

Service in church, whether taking place before or after burial or cremation £228.00

Burial of body, or burial or other lawful disposal of cremated remains, in cemetery immediately preceding or following on from service in church £33.00

Cremation immediately preceding or following on from service in church £33.00

Burial of body, or burial or other lawful disposal of cremated remains, in cemetery on separate occasion £82.00

Funeral service at crematorium, or funeral service (including burial of body or burial or other lawful disposal of cremated remains) in cemetery £227.00