We hold special services to remember important life events, including the birth, marriage and death of members of our church and local community.
Baptisms, Dedications & Confirmations
Baptism and confirmation are public commitments to follow Jesus. At a Baptism, an adult promises to follow Jesus or, in the case of Children, Christian parents promise to bring up their child to follow Christ. Water is used either to immerse an adult or to sprinkle on a child as a symbol of the cleansing of sin by Jesus through faith.
Confirmation is for adults who have been baptised as children and who wish to ‘confirm’ the promises made by their parents.
A dedication or thanks giving service does not involve making promises; it is service to give thanks to God for the birth of a child and is suitable for parents who are not Christians or Christian parents who decide not to have their child baptised so that the child can decide to be baptised as an adult.
Baptisms, dedications and confirmations take place during the normal 10.45am Sunday service. If you wish to be baptised or confirmed, or have a child baptised or dedicated, you will need to meet with our vicar, Ian Gilmour. You may be asked to attend a Christianity Explored course to ensure that you are clear about the commitment you are making.
There is no charge for the service. Those who wish a Baptism Certificate or to search the Baptism Record will need to pay the Church of England parochial fee and should arrange this through the church office. Please note that some of our records are held at The London Metropolitan Archives, click here for more details.
Weddings
A marriage ceremony marks the joining of a man and woman in a committed life long relationship before God. It is an important step to take and we encourage couples considering marriage to do our three week marriage preparation course with our vicar. This helps couples think through some of the important areas of married life together like future direction.
To get married in church, it is a legal requirement to publish your banns of marriage in the parish church where you live or are on the electoral role. To publish your banns of marriage at the Holy Redeemer, you should contact the church office.
Our main church building is not currently in use and a special License is required to use our parish hall for wedding ceremonies. However, the hall is available for wedding ceremonies and for receptions (see our hire page).
Fees for publishing banns of marriage, certificates and wedding ceremonies are set by the Church of England and can be viewed here.
Funerals
Funerals are an important way of remembering the life of a person after death. Bereavement can be very difficult to cope with and we are available to to talk or pray with people if wished (click here for more).
Funeral services can be held in our parish hall, which is also available for receptions afterwards (click here for more). If our vicar is asked to lead a funeral service, he will meet with the family before hand to discuss the service and their requirements.
There is no charge for pastoral care and meeting with families. The Church of England sets fees for funeral services and searching the funeral register, which can be viewed here.
For more information about any of these services or for hiring the hall, please contact the church office.