Weddings

We are part of the Anglican Church of England. This means that our priests are registered as 'Clerks in Holy Orders'. They act as registrars at weddings as well as conduct the Christian ceremony.

The Church of England has relaxed the rules concerning which church you can be married in. If you live in the parish of Dudley Wood and Cradley Heath you can get married at St John's church. Or if you wish you can get married in another church if you have a connection with it - (there is quite a long list of qualifying connections).

A wedding day is one of the most important days in a couple's life together and many people value the opportunity to make their vows before God and seek His blessing on their relationship. We can help you through the necessary legal process and give advice on other aspects of your special day.  We really enjoy hosting a wedding and particularly like to make it a personalised service for you to remember.

At present, the total cost of getting married in our church is just under £700. This can vary depending on what you choose to have as part of the ceremony. We add another £50 if you would like us to provide the orders of service.

www.achurchnearyou.com

Nowadays, anyone wanting to video the  ceremony is required to have a licence. Information about this can be  found at www.wvrl.co.uk There are also added costs for this. Another useful website is www.yourchurchwedding.org

Prince William and Catherine Middleton's prayer as they married in April 2011.

Why not make it your own.

God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage.

In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.

Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.   Amen.

(Copyright of St James's Palace)

If you would like further information or would like to book an appointment to speak to someone about getting married, please speak to the Vicar:-

Revd Alicia Baker 01384 591096 aliciabakeruk@btinternet.com

Baptisms

Baptism can happen at any age. In baptism, we thank God for his gift of life and publicly acknowledge his love. A baptism also marks the decision to start yourself or your child on the journey of faith which involves turning away from all that is ungodly and turning towards Christ and becoming a member of the local and worldwide Christian family.

When we baptise babies and young children, it is the parents and god-parents who make promises on behalf of their children.

Baptism is a 'sacrament' (holy ritual to symbolise grace) in the Christian tradition that is traced back in the pages of the Bible to Jesus himself being baptised in the river Jordan.

In Baptism we use three symbols:- water is used as a symbolic washing away of the old and the new birth into the family of God; oil is a symbol of belonging to Christ; and a candle is given as a sign of the light of Christ in the life of the newly-baptised person.

You can have a baptism at St John's Church if you live within the parish boundary (see www.achurchnearyou.com to find out) or if you worship in the church, or if you have another personal reason (maybe this was the church you were married in) But in this case you will need permission from your local parish priest.

Sometimes people feel they are not quite ready to accept all that the Christian faith means but they would still like to mark the birth of their child. If that is the case we  offer a thanksgiving  ceremony. Here people can offer thanks for the gift of their child and ask for God's blessing. If this is what you would like please come and speak to us.

Confirmation marks the point in the Christian journey where those who have been baptised as children make a firm commitment for themselves to Christian discipleship. Through prayer and the laying on of hands by a Bishop, the Church also asks God to give those being confirmed power, through the Holy Spirit, to live the life of discipleship.

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