ARRANGING A FUNERAL
Bereavement is a difficult time and we aim to offer a funeral service that helps people to appropriately express their love of the person who has died.
Please contact Mother Jessie on Email to let her know of your loss and find out how we can help. If you live locally we can visit you quickly to be with you and at an appropriate time to talk through the different options for offering an honouring funeral for your loved one.
Funeral directors can also get in touch with the Vicar if you request a service at St Andrew’s or St Mary’s church. You can also ask for the Vicar to officiate at a crematorium service or interment of ashes.
WEDDINGS (Congratulations on your Engagement)
Marrying in church is personal, meaningful and spiritual, just as you want it to be. Churches are special and unique places to get married in - the prayers, promises and the whole service of celebration become part of your marriage, on the day itself and beyond.
Weddings are normally conducted in the church of your parish; however St Andrew’s or St Mary’s church may have a special significance to you or your partner and therefore if St Andrew’s or St Mary’s church is outside of your parish there are still options open to you.
It is possible there are a number of churches that you can get married in legally, as a bride and groom-to-be can marry in a church away from where they live if either of them can show connections with the parish.
Find a Church
If you’re not sure which is your local church, try searching on www.achurchnearyou.com to find it. Enter your road name and area into the search box, wait for the address to drop-down and then select it. Click on the search arrow and your local church should be shown within its parish boundary. You can also search using a postcode.
You can marry in a Church of England church if you can show that one of you:
Has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months, or
Was baptised (christened) in the parish concerned, or
Is confirmed and your confirmation was entered in the register of confirmations for a church or chapel in the parish (this will usually be the case if you were prepared for confirmation in the parish), or
Has at any time regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months, or
That one of your parents, at any time after you were born has lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months, or
That one of your parents, at any time after you were born has regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months, or
That one of your parents or grandparents was married in the parish
If you cannot demonstrate any of the above connections, you could create one, simply by attending one of our Churches at least once a month for six consecutive months. If you decide to do this, leave enough time after your attendance for the banns to be read before your wedding too – about another two months should be enough. We look forward to meeting you!
Do get in touch with the parish office to discuss the possibility of you marrying at St Andrew’s or St Mary’s. We would love your special occasion to happen here and wish every blessing for you both and for your preparations.
BAPTISMS
Your child is precious to you and precious to God. You want the very best for them, and so does God. You want them to make right choices in life, for themselves and for others.
A baptism is just the beginning of this and so much more.
Over the years to come, it’s a journey you’ll share together with your child by:
- Being there for your child to talk to about the bigger questions of life – questions about hope, faith and love.
- Praying for your child through the ups and downs of their faith journey.
- Showing them practically how to make those good choices in life.
- Helping them to learn more about their Christian faith, through their church and in other ways.
- So it’s a commitment to start as you mean to go on.
You can have your child baptized regardless of whether or not you, the parents, are baptized.
It is only the godparents who are required to be baptized, (so the only time a parent would have to be baptized is if they were also acting as a godparent).
Godparents
Choosing the right people as godparents for your child is a big decision. Here are some key things which might help you decide:
- Godparents will be people who’ll be in touch with your family for many years to come. They may be relatives or friends of the family.
- They’ll be people who you know you can trust and who’ll be there for your child to talk about the bigger questions in life; questions about faith, hope and love.
- They should feel ready to make some big promises about faith for your child in church.
- Parents may be godparents for their own children, providing they have at least one other godparent.
- Because of the very special role they have in supporting your child’s faith journey, godparents must be baptized themselves. Ideally they should be confirmed too, but check with the vicar about local policy on this.
- If you’re thinking about asking someone who is under 18 to be a godparent, talk to your vicar first.
- There’s no minimum age for godparents, but they must be mature enough to understand the responsibilities they’re taking on; your vicar can help you decide if this is the right choice for your child and the young godparent.
Service
Christenings/Baptisms take place during the 10am so that the whole congregation can offer a warm welcome to you and your family.
The Church of England welcomes all babies, children and families for christenings – whatever shape that family takes.
Who can be baptised
You do not have to be married or have been a regular churchgoer – as a parent, you do not even have to have been baptized yourself – though you could be…
Get baptized or confirmed as an adult or young person
You are never too old to take this step!
You may have been baptized at a christening when you were a child or in a different Christian tradition, and there are always special ways to renew the promises that were made then in a fresh way as you discover more about what it means to live them out in your life.
Please contact the Church Office for more details on an Adult Baptism or Confirmation:
HIRE OUR SPACES
Church Hire
St Andrew’s or St Mary’s may be the perfect venue for your music or community event.
Please contact the Church office to discuss your requirements.
Church Hall Hire
The church halls at St Andrew’s and St Mary’s Church (adjacent to the churches) provide an excellent place for gatherings, meetings and a variety of other events and are used extensively throughout the week by both church and local groups.
If you would like to make a booking please contact the Church office on 07484 193 188 or email crayparish@outlook.com to ask about availability for one off or regular bookings.