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Encouraging grandparents

Children’s Worker Ester van Dijk, from the parish of Leatherhead, has been interested in the role of grandparents in children’s ...

The Best Gift – aka ‘The Dog Story’ – an idea for Christmas services

The Revd Canon Sandra Millar
This short, humorous presentation is ideal for a Christmas service which includes young children, or, it could be used in ...
Two teddy bears sat on the floor with a plate in front of them

Baptism Bears help to reconnect with families

The Revd Ruth Harley
We have recently started giving children a hand-knitted bear at their baptism. We decided to invite all our baptism families ...

VIDEO: Baby Socks and Shoes

The Revd Dr Sandra Millar
I originally developed this idea for a baptism that took place at Epiphany. I was thinking about gifts and journeys ...

Footprint Book of Prayers

The Revd Linda Cox
I give to each member of the congregation a cut-out footprint, and as part of the prayers, invite them to write ...

Prayers for Godparents’ Sunday

These are some prayers which may be especially suitable for Godparents' Sunday. For all: Loving God, If we are parents, help us ...

Praying Together card for parent and baby

Ellie Wilson, Under 5's Adviser, Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales
This Praying Together card compliments the second part of the booklet 'Prayer ideas with babies' and enables a parent ...

Name that tune: an Advent all age talk

Life Events team
This talk was originally done in Gloucester Cathedral, for an all age service at Advent 2, but the approach could ...

Baptism sermon idea using a ‘million pound cheque’

The Revd Shanthi Thompson
This is a brief outline for a Baptism sermon: God gives us a gift today – what will we do ...

‘Refresh’ – one way of inviting families back to church

The Revd Sid Bridges
Around 60 families a year bring their children for christening at Holy Trinity, Orton Longueville and St Mary’s Orton Waterville ...

Baptism breakfast for prep

Liverpool vicar
A couple of weeks ago we had our first Baptism Breakfast and it was good! We advertised in and around church ...

Using scallop shells to talk about pilgrimage

Rachel Noel
We use scallop shells to help explore journey symbolism within the baptism service. We use a scallop shell for the baptism ...

A Service Booklet for Baptism with Holy Communion

Revd Chris Bessant, Vicar in Surrey
This is the service sheet I've put together and used for the last two years or so. The service usually ...

Prayer board

Anne Le Bas
To help the congregation keep praying for the children baptised at Seal, we made a prayer board which has clear ...

Prayer for Mothering Sunday

Life Events Team
  This simple prayer can be used during the service to involve everyone. Try it out in school assemblies too.        
  1. Place a ...

Follow the Advent Star back to church

Rev Natalie Andrews
St Mary in Charnwood church, Nanpantan, Loughborough have used the Nativity scene invitations to personally invite our Baptism families to ...

Encourage parents and godparents to choose the Bible verse for baptism

The Revd Bryony Taylor
Back in 2015 I attended a conference in Durham Diocese to discuss baptism practices and theology with colleagues from the ...

New lyric set to classical music – used at a baptism

Nottingham poet and lyricist Don Read
Among other things, I write lyrics to classical themes, and some years back I wrote a lyric called 'Child' to the ...

Using Jelly Babies to speak about different roles in the family of God

The Revd Shanthi Thompson
This is a baptism sermon idea with the message that there are lots of roles in the Family of God and ...
Open church

Cool idea for hot weather

Life Events Team
When it’s hot, a cool church to sit in or look around might be the perfect refuge for a family ...

Baptism mini colouring book

Revd Shanthi Thompson
This is a simple colouring book for primary-aged children who come to a baptism. It doesn't explain everything but it offers ...

Using Posada to build community over Advent

Originating in Hispanic countries to celebrate the nativity story, Posada is a period of time during Advent when figures from ...

New website: Parenting for Faith

Life Events Team
      A new website Parenting for Faith, helps parents, carers, extended families and ...

Baptism Doves

Ally Barrett
Our children’s chapel kids make these as a gift for babies or children being baptized in our church, and present ...

Baby socks encourage congregation to pray

Emma Coy, Children and Families Ministry Adviser, Diocese of Guildford
On a visit to a church in our diocese recently, I found a display of baby socks, each with a ...

Prayer ideas with babies

Ellie Wilson, Under 5's Adviser, Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales
Attached is a booklet available in the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales, designed for churches to give to ...

‘Counting Christmas’ prayer idea

The Revd Canon Sandra Millar
This very simple prayer idea uses aspects of the Christmas story to pray.   Invite everyone to hold out their whole hand, ...

Plates with pictures!

Rev Rob Marsh
I created a series of paper plates, with pictures and messages on them Pictures were: water, cross and a candle Messages written on ...

Baptism Bears

The Revd Simon Cutmore
    We have reasonably recently started giving Baptism packs to the families of the children we baptise. The packs include a ...

Christening service sheet for children

Anne Le Bas
I have put together a special sheet which I give out to child guests at christenings, explaining the various parts ...

Who are the candidates?

Vicar, Gloucester Diocese
I invite parents to write a brief paragraph about their child based their personality. Very often parents add significant details ...

Palm Cross Prayer

Life Events Team
  On Palm Sunday everyone will be given a palm cross to take away. Here’s a simple prayer idea to use ...

Keep in touch with contacts by e-newsletter

Rev Bryony Taylor
One good way in which you can keep in touch with people who you meet through the occasional offices is by ...

Using toys to engage children

Yvonne
To encourage engagement for the children, I take a bag of soft toys that I’ll use in my talk eg ...

Pudding & Pamper Evening

Natalie Andrews
St Mary in Charnwood Church, Nanpantan, Loughborough ran a Pudding and Pamper Evening for expectant mothers and mothers of babies ...

Start conversations with the Christenings Tree

The Revd Rob Marsh
I recently led an outdoor service for Pentecost and the Church had a presence at the village carnival. I wanted ...

A baptism shawl as a symbol

Anne Le Bas
The Baptism service has provision for the "clothing" of the newly baptised person. I wrap a child in a white ...

Posada Storybook

The Revd Mark Abrey
During Advent families from villages of our Benefice take part in a Posada. Posada – Spanish for “shelter” – is a ...

Introducing ‘the Baptingle’

Photo and article supplied by Ruth Hewitt, Church Community Worker, Church in the Park, parish of Christ the King, North Gosforth, Newcastle
In February 2015 we had the very first baptism in the new church plant, the Church in the Park, in the ...

Lavabo towel alternative

Andrew Dotchin
Instead of using a small Lavabo towel to dry young ones' faces after baptism, a member of the congregation decorates ...

Baptism box

Ruth Harley, High Wycombe
This is my Baptism Box, which I use when preparing children age 3-10 (ish) for baptism. These are children who ...

VIDEO: Prayer petals in the font

Rev Canon Sandra Millar
There's lots of creative ways to involve the congregation in praying for a child being baptized. Here's one example from ...

VIDEO: Luggage label prayers

Rev Canon Sandra Millar
Here's a really simple idea from the Revd Canon Sandra Millar, Head of Projects & Developments, about how families can ...

Personalised baptism candles

Jeremy Fagan
I present to every child a personalised baptism candle with their name, date of baptism, the name of the church, ...

Using a rucksack and footprints to help speak of the journey of faith

The Revd Shanthi Thompson
This is a brief outline for a baptism sermon.  You will need a rucksack and some visual aids; a map, a ...

New prayer website

Projects Team
Justpray.uk encourages people to give prayer a try, with resources, live online prayers and links. Helpful for those ...

Using words from Methodist baptism as extra

The Revd Dr Sandra Millar
Occasionally, I have used some words that are in the Methodist baptism service, at the part which addresses the child:- “...for ...
Cream and jam scone

More tea, vicar?

Life Events Team

Repeated invitation helps families become more involved with their local church. Be ready to host events during school holidays ...

Wizard of Oz prayer idea

We had a baptism for a three year old who liked the film Wizard of Oz. For the prayers of ...

Talking about baptism using ‘The Lion King’

Gill O'Neill, priest in Southwark Diocese
I have used the opening sequence to 'The Lion King' – when the infant Simba is presented for a kind ...