How to help baptism guests to pray
Three tried and tested ideas for welcoming baptism guests who may not be used to praying
THERE ARE LOTS OF CREATIVE ways to involve a congregation in praying for a child being baptized and this is an important part of welcoming the wider contacts – the guests in the congregation – who may not be used to praying.
It’s important to welcome the wider guests at baptism services and one of the easiest ways to do this is to involve them in prayer. If they aren’t used to praying, simple, creative ideas can help to make it more accessible, and memorable.
Pray using petals
Scented rose petals placed in the font can be both visual and fragrant – and everyone can take part.
After the petals have all been placed in the font, allow a ‘photo moment’ at the end so that anyone who’d like to can take a picture of the font and share it on social media if they wish.
Using rose petals as an aid to prayer can be used in all sorts of ways, perhaps as an alternative to lighting a candle. One Leicestershire vicar used the idea at a regular church service to help the congregation remember their baptism vows. Dropping the fragrant petals into the font in this context was a memorable part of the prayers.
Watch the video to find out more:
Pray using baby socks
Hear from the Revd Canon Sandra Millar about how baby socks were used as a prayer aid and keepsake, both at an Epiphany church service and at a stand alone baptism, in the video below:
How socks were used in the Diocese of Guildford to welcome the newly baptised
The socks idea has been spotted being applied in other ways too, as Emma Coy, Children and Families Ministry Adviser, Diocese of Guildford, shared with us:
On a visit to a church in our diocese recently, I found a display of baby socks, each with a name label (first name only) and below, a notice which read:
“Each sock here celebrates the recent baptism of a child at St Mary’s. Parents have a matching sock at home to remind them of their child’s special Baptism Day. We hope the sight of these socks will inspire our whole congregation to welcome these new members of our Christian family with loving thought and prayer for lives blessed by faith in God.”
Practical tip: Ask a local charity shop if you can sort through the baby sock box: it turns out that baby socks don’t sell well in charity shops!
Pray using luggage labels
A baptism is the start of an amazing journey of faith, and this idea uses luggage labels to gather the prayers from all those present, which can then be given to the family as a long-lasting keepsake.
This idea also helps to involve the wider contacts made through a baptism service. Find out more in the video below:
