Christenings
A christening (or baptism) marks the start of a journey of faith that involves becoming a member of the local and worldwide Christian family.
As a parent of a child being baptised, you are thanking God for the gift of your child’s life and making a decision to start him or her on that journey of faith with the support of the Church.
Baptism is a ‘sacrament’, 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 recognising that we all need to turn away from our failings and to make a new start with God through Jesus Christ.
If you do not feel able to make the commitments of baptism we can offer a service of thanksgiving instead.
We also welcome adults to be baptised. Please contact the vicar if you would like to discuss this.
Baptisms normally take place once a month after our main Sunday service. You may be required to share this service with another family. Anyone who lives in the parish (Wentworth, Harley or Hoober) or who regularly attends worship may be baptised here and other connections may be acceptable. Please contact us to ask.
Parents requesting baptism will be asked to attend a Sunday service and a preparation session (normally held on Sunday afternoons). Although it is not a legal requirement to attend church, we encourage you to do so. You are promising to bring your child up in the faith of Christ and will need support to do this. Our monthly Messy Church services are designed
specifically for young families.
To support your child on their journey of faith you will need to choose godparents. Traditionally there are three godparents with two of the same sex as the child being baptised, but one godfather and one godmother is sufficient. All godparents must be baptised themselves.
There are no fees for baptism, but families are invited to make a donation to the work of the church.
For more information, please see our Baptism Policy (link) or contact our baptisms coordinator (address).
Further information on baptism can be found on the Church of England website.
Weddings
Can we get married at Wentworth?
Holy Trinity is a very popular venue for a wedding ceremony, and we are delighted to welcome couples who are seeking God’s blessing on their marriage. To legally marry in any Church of England church a couple must show that they have a qualifying connection. You will qualify if you live in the parish (including Harley and Hoober) or already attend church here, but there are a number of other possible connections which you can check here. If you still don’t qualify you can create a connection by regularly attending church for 6 consecutive months (you will need to start this at least 8 months before your wedding).
To get the most out of this we encourage you to get to know us and get involved. You may even decide to stay after your wedding!
Please note that for legal reasons marriages cannot be celebrated at Harley Church.
How much will it cost?
The Church of England sets the statutory fees for weddings each year and each church has discretion to add fees for a verger and heating costs. For a copy of the fees for the current year please contact our weddings coordinator.
Can I get married in church if I’ve been divorced?
The Church of England agreed in 2002 that divorced people could remarry in church under certain circumstances. We believe that marriage is for life, but also recognise that sadly, some marriages do fail. If this is your situation then please speak to the Vicar. She will want to talk to you frankly about your past and your hopes for the future and will discuss whether it is appropriate for you to be married in church.
How do I make a booking?
Please contact our weddings coordinator Janet Sinclair-Pinder. Janet will be able to check possible dates for you and check whether you have an eligible connection (see above). If you have any questions about the process, then please don’t hesitate to contact her in the first instance to have a chat about it.
To find more information about planning a wedding do have a look at the Church of England website.
Blessings
We are also happy to offer services of blessing after a Register Office wedding, or a renewal of vows service. Please contact our weddings coordinator for more information.
Funerals and Burials
We welcome any who wish to hold a funeral service for their loved one in either Wentworth or Harley churches.
Families usually choose to do this if their family member lived in one of the villages or had some other connection with either the places or the churches.
Burials or the internment of ashes in Wentworth churchyard are restricted to people who have lived in the village or who have regularly worshipped at the church. This is because space is limited, and we wish to allow local people to use the churchyard for as long as possible.
The Vicar can also lead services at a crematorium.
When you have chosen your funeral director, let them know that you would like to have the funeral in Holy Trinity or Harley Mission Church. They will then liaise with us to make the necessary arrangements regarding the date and time.
The minister who will be taking the service will contact you directly to arrange a visit to discuss the service and help you with details such choosing hymns and readings. They will also want to chat about your loved one so they can make the service more personal.
Many families like to do their own eulogy or tribute during the service and guidance about this can also be given. Further advice on planning a funeral can be found on the Church of England website.
