Bitterne Park
WEDDINGS BAPTISMS & FUNERALS
Weddings
Marriage, vow renewals and weddings blessings are wonderful opportunities to celebrate the love and commitment between two people. In a church wedding a couple can make these vows surrounded by the people who love them most and in the presence of God.
We can accommodate weddings large and small and as of 2016 we offer samesex weddings. All the information on this page applies equally to opposite-sex and same-sex couples.
Every wedding is different because each couple is different. We encourage couples to think out all the details including music and readings to reflect their own special concerns. This also gives an opportunity to explore and deepen their relationship with God.
We encourage couples to attend some Sunday services before the wedding so that they can get to know the minister and build a relationship with the people at the church who will be praying for them as they prepare for their wedding.
Whenever anyone who marries here asks for guidance, we are ready to listen, encourage and pray for them.
We welcome couples who want to marry in church whether for the first time or after a divorce.
For more information and to book a wedding service. Please get in touch with our Church Secretary Bridget Colwill. Email bridget.colwill@btinternet.com
Baptisms
We offer both Infant and Believer's Baptisms. We also offer a service of Thanksgiving and Blessing (or Dedication). Baptisms and Dedications are normally held as part of regular Sunday morning worship on dates previously agreed to suit the Church's progamme of worship.
Bitterne Park URC follows the teaching and practices of the wider denomination; when parents contact a church to enquire about baptism, the minister or a church elder will visit to talk through their understanding of baptism, their commitment to the Christian Faith and the promises they will be asked to make.
If they are not church-goers and cannot, in all truthfulness, promise to bring the child up in the life of the church, then there is an alternative service of Thanksgiving and Blessing, where thanks are given for the gift of the child and God's blessing given to the child and parents. The child can, when she/he is older, make his/her own decision to be baptised.
For more information and to book a baptism service, please get in touch with our Church Secretary Bridget Colwill.
Funerals
It is an honour and privilege to conduct a service that marks the end of a person’s life. Our minister will develop a personal service with you according to your needs and wishes. Our core aims for all funeral services are:
-
To honour the person who has died by celebrating their character and special events in their life.
-
To give thanks for the person’s life and to cherish what they mean to their family and friends.
-
To draw upon the Christian conviction that death is overcome in Jesus Christ.
If you need to arrange a funeral, you should firstly contact a Funeral Director. They will advise you, and would contact our Minister at your request.
You are welcome to have a service in our church. A service at church (whether before or after the burial or cremation) can be a helpful way to honour your loved one, and to be comforted by the promises of God recorded in the Bible. A Church service may also offer more capacity if you're anticipating a large number of people.
For more information and to book a funeral service in the Church, please get in touch with our Church Secretary Bridget Colwill. Email: bridget.colwill@btinternet.com