Life Events

St George's is a welcoming place where you can come to for those big life events whether in joy or in sadness.

Baptism/ Christening

We are always delighted to welcome new members of our church through Christening. There is usually a wonderful party atmosphere at St. George's when families bring their children along to celebrate the beginning of their Christian journey. One of our Pastoral Assistants usually visits you prior to the Christening to explain what Christian Baptism is all about and the Vicar likes to meet with families too.  We conduct all our Baptisms/Christenings at St. George's in our main Sunday service at 10.30am, usually on the fourth Sunday of the month.  Baptisms are not 'tagged on' to the usual service, they are the main event, and to capture the occasion we have started making short films that can then be downloaded by the family as a special keepsake of this wonderful event. 

 

Christian Baptism however is not just for little ones. We welcome all ages to be baptised. Sometimes adults and young people decide to be baptised and confirmed in the same service, called Confirmation. This is conducted by a Bishop. Please talk to the Vicar if you would like to explore this option.

 

A service of Thanksgiving for the birth of a child is also available on request.

 

There is no charge for a service of Baptism/Christening or a Thanksgiving.

Weddings and Marriage Blessings

St. George's is a great venue for a wedding and we make sure that we really look after our brides and grooms and their guests. We want to give you a wonderful church wedding, whether you opt for the traditional kind, with church organ and robed choir, or whether you'd prefer a worship band or recorded music.  Whatever you decide, we are here to help you celebrate your Big Day. The Church of England's marriage ceremony gives a beautiful framework to the proceedings and we aim to offer a mixture of warmth, dignity, professionalism and joy.   All of this also applies to those who are seeking a marriage blessing after a civil ceremony.

 

If one or both of the couple has been married before, this does not necessarily preclude having a wedding at St. George's.  We want to support you in your new relationship, as well as engage sensitively over all that went before.  We would invite any couples who want to explore getting married at St. George's to have a conversation with the Vicar. 

 

At present, the law prevents ministers of the Church of England from carrying out same-sex marriages, and although there are no authorised services for blessing a same-sex civil marriage,  we can still support you with prayer. 

 

A very helpful website answering lots of questions you might have about marriage in the Church of England is yourchurchwedding.org.

 

Fees for holding a wedding or marriage blessing at St George's can be found here.

Funerals and the Burial of Ashes

We recognise that bereavement is a difficult time and we at St. George's want to provide sensitive support for you in your time of grief. We work with local funeral directors to provide a caring and compassionate service at the crematorium, or in the church and at the graveside. We have a Garden of Remembrance for the burial of ashes and the Vicar should be contacted in the first instance to discuss your needs.  We are often asked about what is permitted in terms of  headstones and monuments in our churchyard.  These details are on the page about fees below.

 

There is an annual memorial service held at the beginning of November which all are invited to.

 

Fees for holding a Funeral at St George's and the Burial of Ashes can be found here. 

If you would like to discuss anything further please do contact the vicar Revd. Canon Mandy Carr

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stgeorgesweald.co.uk