Baptisms, Weddings & Funerals
Weddings
St. John’s is pleased to be able to offer wedding services to people who live in the parish or people who are regular worshippers at the church.
We offer marriage preparation to all those who are going to be married at St. John’s. The course meets once a week for 3 weeks.
We believe that marriage is a gift from God. In the marriage ceremony, a couple make a public declaration of lifelong commitment to love each other, come what may.
The Bible compares married love with the love Jesus has for his followers. He expressed his love by being prepared to sacrifice himself, even to die for the people he loved. This is amazing, unconditional love.
In marriage we can try to follow his model by loving each other in a self-sacrificial way, putting our partner’s needs before our own.
The marriage ceremony gives you a new legal status as husband and wife. We believe that marriage offers the right place for the fulfilment of our sexuality and a stable and secure environment for bringing up children.
If you would like to make an enquiry about getting married at St. John’s please contact the office.
Baptism
Baptism is a visible sign of God’s love. In baptism, we are thanking God for his gift of life and publicly acknowledging his love. We are acknowledging that we need to turn away from the darkness of evil and to make a new start with God. At St. John’s we welcome adults and children to take this important step in their Christian life.
In infant baptism (Christening), you as parents are: thanking God for his gift of life, deciding to start your child on the journey of faith and asking for the Church’s support. For your child, baptism marks the start of a journey of faith which involves: turning away from the darkness of self-centredness, turning towards Christ and becoming a member of the local and worldwide Christian family.
Thanksgiving
We are pleased to be able to offer a service of Thanksgiving for the life of a child. Thanksgivings take place during our regular services and provide an opportunity to pray publicly for your child and family life. Thanksgivings are normally offered for those who want their children to choose for themselves to be baptised later in life and for those who feel unable to make the promises and commitments of baptism.
If you would like to make an enquiry about Baptism or Thanksgiving at St. John’s please contact the office for an appointment.
Funerals
Here at St John’s an important ministry that we offer to the community is the provision of Funeral Services and support to people who are bereaved. Most of the funeral services at St. John’s are for those who live within our parish or those who have been regularly attending St. John’s for Sunday worship. We are fortunate enough to have four ordained members of the team who can officiate at funerals, as well as two lay readers, so there is normally someone available to offer help and support when needed.
We believe that our Christian faith provides a great wealth of hope and encouragement to those who are bereaved; as well as leading the funeral service we are able to offer a listening ear and bereavement support to those who would like it. Please do contact us if you would like this. St. John’s has a number of groups that meet during the week and in people’s homes to offer friendship, encouragement and prayer, please click here if you would like further details.
Funerals are normally arranged through the Funeral Directors, so they should be your first point of call for practical arrangements, but, please contact us if you have any questions and we’ll do our best to help. The Church of England website may also be helpful.
Annual Service of Remembrance
Every year in May we hold a Service of Remembrance. This service gives us an opportunity to gather with all the families who have been bereaved over the past year, we give thanks for those who have died and pray for each other in our loss. The service is held at St. John’s and followed by a light tea and refreshments. If you would like us to remember a loved one by name during this service please contact us with details and come and join us at the next service which will be a Sunday in May 2014.
Greenwich and Bexley Cottage Hospice
We support the work of the hospice by hosting a Christmas Service and through regular prayer. Please follow this link to the hospice website or get in touch with us if you would like to know more.
