St Luke's is a beautiful and welcoming venue to celebrate and remember important life occasions together. Please contact the church wardens for more information on any of the services below.
Baptisms and Thanksgiving
The arrival of a new baby is a time for celebration and thanksgiving and many families wish to mark the occasion with a special service surrounded by family and friends. There are two main options for such a celebration.
A Baptism service (sometimes known as a "Christening") is a joyful event that takes place during the 10.00am Sunday service at St Luke’s. In a baptism service, the child is baptised on the understanding that they will be brought up within the Christian faith and that their faith will be nurtured in the home and within a local church congregation. In the service, parents and godparents make declarations and promises about their own faith and about their intention to nurture their child’s faith.
A Thanksgiving service is similar in that it celebrates the child's life and offers prayers for God's blessing on them. However, there is no baptizing with water, and it doesn't require you to make promises about how you will raise your child. For parents who want to let their child decide whether they wish to be baptized when they are older, or for parents who are not comfortable making promises which they may not be able to realistically keep, a Thanksgiving offers an excellent alternative to Baptism.
You can find out more about both Baptisms and Thanksgivings in a special section on our website.
Weddings
On the assumption that you are looking here because you intend to get married, many congratulations to you! St.Luke's is a beautiful location steeped in over a century of prayer and a wonderful place to hold your marriage ceremony. We would be delighted to speak with you about arranging a service and we are very committed to helping you have a wonderful day, and also a happy and fulfilling married life together.
There are all sorts of myths around who can marry in church and most of them are not true! You don't have to go to church regularly, be baptised, have never married before or even live in the parish to be able to consider a wedding at St Luke's. We've prepared a special section on the website to help answer all the most commonly answered questions and set out the important legalities for what is a life-changing event.
You can find out more about having your Wedding at St Luke's in a special section on our website.
Funerals
When someone we love dies, it is important to mark the occasion properly. A church funeral is an opportunity to give thanks to God for the person who has died, for all that was good in their lives, and for the way in which our lives were enriched by them. A church funeral is also important as a way to say goodbye and mourn for the person we loved and have lost. A funeral service normally includes music, readings, prayers, a tribute, a short address and space for reflection. The length of a service can vary, although it usually lasts for 45-60 minutes in church or 30 minutes in a crematorium.
You can find out more about how we can help you with a Funeral in a special section on our website.