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St James welcomes all babies, children & adults for baptism – whatever shape that family takes, whether parents are married or not, Christian or non-Christian. During a baptism service, parents, godparents and the wider church make important choices and decisions about bringing up a child in a loving relationship with God, until children are able to make these choices for themselves. It is also a time to celebrate the gift of a child and pray for their future.
We aim for baptisms to take place during a 10:30am service by prior arrangement. More information on baptism in church can be found on either the Child Christening (Baptism) website or the Adult Baptism website run by the Church of England. We can also arrange for private baptism, so please do contact us to discuss.
If you are considering getting your child baptised at St James, please complete the form below or come along to one of our Sunday services and speak to one of the welcomers, or wardens, who will be pleased to help you.
Congratulations on wanting to explore confirmation at St James. Confirmation can be an important part of a lifetime journey of faith as a follower of Jesus Christ. Confirmation marks the point in the Christian journey where those who have been baptised, commit themselves to Jesus; to ‘confirm’ the promises made at their baptism. Confirmation is also an opportunity for those who don’t already receive communion, perhaps children or those new to church, to start taking communion with the rest of the church family.
Confirmation services are led by the bishop, who will make the sign of the cross on your forehead with oil; the cross as a sign of belonging to Christ, and the oil as a sign of the Holy Spirit. Through prayer and the laying on of hands by the bishop, the Church asks God to fill each candidate with the power of the Holy Spirit to live the life of a disciple of Christ.
Anyone may be confirmed who has been baptised and the Church of England suggests that anyone who is over 10 years old and can responsibly answer for themselves, could be ready for confirmation. If you would like to be confirmed, it is important that you have a strong personal conviction that it is right for you at this point in your life and you will also need to attend some confirmation classes to help you prepare.
More information on confirmation in church can be found on the Confirmation website, run by the Church of England.
To take the first step, please contact Rev John Sephton on 01695 580725 or by email minister@stjameswesthead.org.uk
Choosing to marry is always a big decision to make. There is always so much to organise beforehand, not least where you want to have your wedding. A marriage service in a church is much more special than any other; not only are churches stunning buildings in their own right, there is much more to it than that. By choosing to marry in a church, you make vows not only in front of your family and friends but also God, giving the ceremony an extra dimension not available anywhere else. In addition to this, the church family are there to help you keep these vows and to grow in faith throughout your life together.
More information on marrying in a church can be found on the Your Church Wedding website, run by the Church of England.
If you are interested in marrying at St James please complete the form below or come along to one of our Sunday services and speak to one of the welcomers or wardens who will be pleased to help you.
When a loved one dies, we all want the opportunity to express our grief and give thanks for a life that has been completed in this world. A Christian funeral also enables people commend a person into God’s keeping.
The funeral service of the Church of England aims to reflect the personality of the person who has died as well as the circumstances of their death. The service may be very short, quiet and with a few close friends and family or it could be a larger service with music or hymns. The words and actions in the service all speak of a God who loves the world and sees every human being as precious.
We understand that organising a funeral is a very difficult time and that the bereaved want to arrange something that respects the wishes of the person who died. Our clergy regard this as an important part of their work and will try and spend as much time as possible with family and friends. They will offer comfort as well as finding out what service is wanted and helping to arrange the details.
Everyone has the right to a funeral in their parish church, whether they go to that church or not. Our clergy will work to make sure that the funeral makes a fitting end to someone’s life in this world.
If you want to arrange a funeral, either in church or at a crematorium, please contact Rev John Sephton on 01695 580725 or by email minister@stjameswesthead.org.uk
St James Westhead is part of the Church of England.
Like many churches, St James is an “Excepted Charity” and is therefore not registered with the Charity Commission. The relevant certificate can be downloaded here
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