Gainsborough.

The Parish Policy of St George's Gainsborough Rev Craig Smith - Team Vicar in the Gainsborough and Morton Team Ministry, Doncaster
I have for a number of years struggled with the whole area of Baptism preparation. Many of us have used the CPAS video “Stairway” (or the filmstrip which preceded it), which now has a large “cringe factor”. I have to say this is mainly because it assumes that couples asking for baptism know all about the Christian faith. I know the church has got itself into a mess, allowing infant baptism, as the established Church, with couples who know little or nothing about the central precepts of the Christian faith. Despite this, baptisms do provide an invaluable point of contact with the community. Some will accept thanksgivings. I personally am reluctant to go down the path of compulsory thanksgivings followed by baptism, mainly because of the loss of folk who do not want the extra hoop etc. For me it is a tension between defending and standing up for our faith “unashamed”, and capitalising on every point of contact with the community. A community which increasingly sees the church as irrelevant. So for us the emphasis is on upfront hard-hitting preparation. In one session we start with the trial and crucifixion of Jesus from the film “Jesus of Nazareth”. We invite people to reflect on the horror of it as being behind the promise: “Do you believe in Jesus Christ who redeemed the world?” We have had a number of profound comments made as people come to acknowledge the horror and the seriousness of the crucifixion. Secondly we watch part five of the CPAS “Christian Basics” video, often not pausing for discussion but sending folk home with a summary sheet from the video’s main points (see below). This has been very effective, not least in that it finishes with where Baptism fits in with the Christian faith. We cannot presume that folk even understand the basics today. It is a pick and mix approach, but it appears to work and makes use of the visual aids mentality
1. Does believing in God make sense? Comments: 2. What is wrong with the world? Comments: 3. Does God speak to us in the bible? Comments: 4. Is Jesus’ cross the bridge to God? Comments: 5 Do I want to walk across the bridge of Christ’s cross? - Do I want to join the Christian family? - Why the church? What is the process of Christian commitment? Peter (in Acts) puts it this way: A) Turn around B) Be Baptised C) Be Forgiven D) Receive the Holy Spirit. In the end becoming a Christian is a matter of choice.
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