Baptisms

In the Uniting Church the majority of those baptised are little children, brought by their parents who want them to grow up in the Christian faith.

However baptism can happen at any age. Teenagers and adults are baptised after a period of teaching, formation and reflection about the Christian faith and what joining the Church involves.

If you are not baptised and have questions about the Christian faith you can join an enquirers’ group where you can ask some of the big questions…

  • How do we know God?
  • Why is Jesus’ death important?
  • What is the purpose of life?
  • What is Christian discipleship?
  • Why do people die?
  • What happens after death?

If you are an adult and want to know more about the Christian faith or want to explore the possibility of baptism or Confirmation please contact the Minister.

The baptism of infants and children at St John’s Essendon normally takes place during the Sunday 9.30am service on the third Sunday in each month. In baptism children are welcomed as members of the Church – i.e. the local and worldwide Christian family. Therefore, it is important that other members of the Church are present. For your child, baptism marks the start of a journey of faith.

If I am not a regular churchgoer. Can I still have my child baptised?

Yes. The Church believes that God’s love is available to all, regardless of their background. The Minister would be pleased to talk to you about the baptism of your child.

Baptism is the beginning of a lifetime journey of faith, and throughout our lives we need people around us who will support, encourage and at times challenge us. In the Baptismal service we encourage people to involve godparents.

We will always have a time of preparation prior to the service and encourage families to invite their godparents (if they plan to have them) to come along to that event as well.

We hope your baby’s baptism will be a wonderful and memorable occasion and that it will mark the beginning of a long and happy association at St John’s Essendon.

Please contact the Minister who will be delighted to talk with you.

You can download the INFANT Baptism Request form Here
You can download the ADULT Baptism Request form Here

To go deeper you might like to read DocByte_Baptism

The Uniting Church in Australia’s National Working Group on Doctrine has now prepared discussion starters known as DocBytes. These two-page publications aim to encourage theological thinking on specific topics across the Uniting Church.