Thanksgiving

An alternative to the baptism (christening) service for a child is a Thanksgiving
service. This is different from a christening and often suits parents and guardians
who would prefer for their child to make their own decision about baptism when they
are older, or when parents have a spiritual faith, but are less connected to church
life, so they would like a way to say thank you to God for their child but not make the
commitments that come with a baptism. Some couples choose a Thanksgiving
because it is a challenge for them to find people to be godparents who are baptised,
or the couple themselves have not been baptised.
Some people also choose this service when they have adopted a child into their
family or when a baby is born and they want to mark God’s blessing over that child.
The Thanksgiving can take place in a church building within or outside of Sunday
services, or at someone’s home, even on the beach. The service, which is a simple
pattern of prayers and giving the child their name with a blessing said over their life,
is free of charge.