Christenings (also known as Baptisms) and services of Naming

 At Barton we hold Christenings most months at 11.30am on the fourth Sunday and at 4.00 pm on the second Sunday. We’ll be as flexible as we can in difficult or unusual circumstances.  (Occasionally we hold one during a 9.30 Parish Eucharist, but we would only recommend that to a ‘hardened’ churchgoer.)

In the village Churches  we sort out a time and date which works for everybody.

Wherever the service is, we’ll do our best to arrange a date as near as possible to when you'd like it. Sometimes there can be a bit of a delay, especially when Church diaries are full, (like around Christmas, or during the school summer holidays).   

Godparents must have been Christened themselves, and old enough to take a real part in your child's upbringing., but perhaps the first question to ask yourselves before choosing Godparents is whether they really do care about your child.

•  Will they be prepared to try and help their Godchild find answers to hard questions (not just about religion) and do so honestly?  
• Will they be people your child can trust to take an interest in and support  them? 

If they are, then they have the makings of everything a really good Godparent needs to be.

If there's someone you'd like to ask to be a Godparent who hasn't been Christened themselves, then - if they wish - they can themselves be Christened, or instead they can play as full a part in the service as they feel comfortable with to show that they, too, will be playing an important part in your child's flourishing.

Traditionally, three’s the usual minimum  number of Godparents (2 the same sex as the child, 1 the other), and anything much above four gets a bit overwhelming. 

Those who are old enough to speak for themselves don't need a Godparent at all, but they might like a friend to act as a supporter on the day.

You'll get exactly the same welcome as everyone else.  And you wouldn't be the first unmarried/single/same-sex parents to  have a Christening with us. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, 'We are the rainbow people of God.'

Donations to help keep our Churches  going for the next generation are always welcome: most of the cost of upkeep of our buildings falls on the congregation and supportive members of the community (we're not paid or supported by The Government).  

Unlike a wedding, there are no legal fees, but the price of a round of drinks at the party afterwards isn't a bad starting point as a suggestion....

Barton's by far the biggest of the Churches and can hold a hundred or more with ease. Smallest in terms of being able to see what's going on are probably Horkstow (60, though more with chairs)  Bonby (50), and Worlaby (50). Ferriby, (80) and Saxby (100) fall in the middle.

Photographs may be taken during the service, but we do ask folk not to go over the top, especially with flash. It spoils the atmosphere, for one thing.  

We’re happy to pose groups around the font at the end — there’s no rush. 

There’s not usually a problem with someone’s taking a video — but please ask them to have a word with the priest before the service begins so they know the best place to stand. 

We've done that more often than you might think - the service needs to be designed for each family to get it right, but it can add even more to an already joyful occasion.

Our churches are all very different:

Access is easiest at Horkstow and at Barton (roadside parking and reasonably level access, with ramps available if necessary). Both have toilets which are accessible, and Barton has a loop system.

At Bonby (no toilet) and Worlaby (accessible toilet), access is via a long, but well-surfaced path. Small steps may be encountered at both.

Ferriby and Saxby have ramps available which make access possible, but not easy, both having significant climbs up from the road. Neither has a toilet within the building.