To look at the Christian ceremony that takes place when a baby is born. Last RE lesson we started a topic looking at the journey of life & talking about rites of passage. What are rites of passage? We’re going to start today by looking at the first rite of passage that happens in religious believers’ lives – the ceremonies that happen when a baby is born… What did you find out for your homework about what happened when you were born? Do we know anything about the Christian ceremony that takes place when a baby is born?

When a baby is born to Christian parents (or often to parents in this country who aren’t Christians or who don’t usually go to church) there will be a ceremony to celebrate the baby being born & to welcome the baby into the Christian faith – this ceremony is called a Christening (sometimes it is also called a baptism - but a baptism can also be something quite different - do you know what?) We’re going to watch a clip of a Christening from ‘Gavin & Stacey’ – watch carefully, you’ll need to answer questions about what happened… 1.Who is Bryn going to be for the baby? 2.What does Bryn say is the role of the God father? 3.Where does the Christening take place? 4.What does the baby wear for the Christening? 5.Who goes to the Christening? 6.What do the people who go to the Christening wear? 7.Who is in charge of the Christening service? 8.What is Gavin holding during the Christening? 9.What part of the church is where the Christening takes place? 10.What happens after the church service? 11.What do people give to the parents?

Look at the statements below - which are true & which are false? Copy the true statements into your books.  A Christening normally takes place in a church.  The ceremony often takes place as part of the normal church service.  The vicar of the church is in charge of carrying out the Christening.  If you want to have your baby christened you have to pay for the service.  Traditionally babies wear a white christening gown, as a sign of purity.  Baby boys are always christened first, before baby girls.  The parents and Godparents gather around the Font and make vows (promises) that they will bring the baby up in the Christian faith.  A baby can only be christened in their local church.  The font looks a little bit like a big bird bath (or a large round sink with no taps!). It has water in it, often this water has been blessed by the vicar. The water is poured over the baby’s head three times - once for each member of the trinity.  Babies never cry during the christening ceremony - they like having water poured over their heads.  The parents name the child and the vicar or priest makes the sign of the cross on the child’s head.  Some churches hand a lighted candle to the baby’s parents which signifies the baby now belongs to Jesus.

What have we learnt today about Christenings? Imagine that your friend has just had a baby & they have asked you to be a God parent. You have just been to the Christening & have returned home & decided that you would like to write an account of the day to give to the baby when it grows up. You need to include all of the major points, including:  What the ceremony was called  Why did the parents decide to have a Christening  Where the ceremony took place – which church & where inside the church  Who went to the ceremony  Who was in charge of the ceremony – what were they like, what did they do & what did they wear  Your role as a God parent – today & in the future  What happened after the ceremony  Your feelings about the Christening – explain these  Your opinions about the Christening – make sure that you explain your opinions Use what you have seen in this lesson & ‘Discovering Religions: Christianity’, pg 44 to help you. Finish this description for homework