Life Events

St Andrew’s Church is here to help people mark significant life events – please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions about: Baptism, Renewal of Baptism Vows, Confirmation, Accepting Children in Communion, Weddings, Marriage Blessings, Renewal of Wedding Vows or Funerals. We will do our best to help.

Baptisms

Baptism - Asking to Join our Church Family

We would be overjoyed to welcome you into our congregation. We have prepared this page for you because baptism is very special and we want to make sure that we have done our best to explain the very real commitment that it involves.

What’s it all about?

We are special to God! He delights in us just as you do in your child! Before all things began he designed us in a special way that enables us to live in friendship with him. He also gave us the gift of freedom of choice.

We made a mess of things and we still do

Sadly, we misused our free will and made a mess of things.  The good news is that God didn’t cast us off as we deserved. Because he loves us so much that he sent his Son (Jesus) to rescue us – to offer us a second chance and invite us back into friendship with him.

Jesus came to do six important things

  1. To express the love that God has for us
  2. To clear up misunderstandings about God
  3. To explain things, including how to live in fellowship with God
  4. To undo the effects of our sins by dying for us on the cross
  5. To undo the power of death by his resurrection
  6. To invite us to be rescued and to begin again in a new and personal friendship with God

but the choice is ours.

A Christian is basically someone who says a personal ‘Yes’ to Jesus and to God’s invitation to come back into day-to-day fellowship with him.

Where does baptism fit in?

Baptism is the doorway to becoming a Christian. It is the point where a person publicly declares that they want to leave their old way of life behind and begin a new life as one of God’s people.

They are then immersed in water (or water is poured over them) as a sign of dying to their old life and of beginning again as one of our Lord’s people. 

In baptism we are immersed into Jesus and all he has done for us and we come out of the water to begin a new life in the family of his people.

Baptism has two sides to it

There is the bit that God does and the bit that we do – both are necessary

It begins with God. He reaches out to us to rescue us and invite us back into fellowship with himself. Our part is to accept the invitation. Becoming a Christian is all about;

  • Saying a big ‘yes’ to all that Jesus has said and done
  • a big ‘yes please’ to all that Jesus offers
  • and a big ‘yes’ to living out the gospel in the real world with the rest of God’s family – the church

So, you could say that the human part of baptism is about believing and belonging.

An added gift from God

There is the bit that God does and the bit that we do – both are necessary

When someone genuinely does this – God is so overjoyed that he adds yet another gift. God adopts us into his family. Before we were just beloved creations but through baptism we become part of the family of God we have the status of being an adopted child.

Now along with all God’s other children – all the other members of his family we have the privilege of calling God  ‘Father.’ 

Your Commitment

The church agrees to baptise infants because the parents and Godparents promise to bring the child up as a member of our church family and also to back this up at home by help him or herto pray and become a follower of Jesus.  The promises made in the service are made to God and to the congregation.

Please only ask for baptism if you are genuine about doing this.

Godparents

For this reason we would ask you to choose Godparents who have a real personal commitment to Jesus. They must have been baptised themselves and should be genuinely prepared to pray for and help their Godchild to be part of the family of God.

There should be three Godparents, two of whom should be the same sex as the child and one of the opposite.

The church family

Our Church family meets at 10am on a Sunday morning

There is a crèche area and a thriving Junior Church that meets during term time

For more details please phone Revd. Canon Andrew Studdert-Kennedy on 01895 239055

Weddings

A spiritual event

A Wedding is one of life’s great moments, a time of solemn commitment as well as great joy. Marriage continues to enrich society and strengthen community. On their wedding day the bride and groom face each other, make their promises and receive God’s blessing for their new life together. Weddings are an important part of the life of the Uxbridge Parish and one of the varied ways in which we try to serve God and the community.

Congratulations!

Firstly, if you are thinking of getting married in one of our churches we would like to offer you our congratulations.

Your Church Wedding Website

Click on the link bellow to take you to the yourchurchwedding website where you can discover all you need to know about Church of England weddings and blessings. Marrying in church is personal, meaningful, spiritual and beautiful, just as you want it to be.

How to contact us

If you would like to discuss how to arrange your wedding here at St. Andrew’s Church please email Jeff Rea, our parish administrator, who will forward your details to one of the clergy. Alternatively, you can telephone the parish office on 01895 258766. Someone will then make contact with you.

Funerals

An Introduction

It is our privilege to accompany those who are experiencing a difficult time of loss and we seek to offer as much support as we can at this time of need. A Church of England-led funeral is available to everyone – regardless of whether or not they go to church – giving support before, during and after the service, for as long as it’s needed.

Normally a funeral director will offer those who live in the Uxbridge Parish, a service in either St. Andrew’s or St. Margaret’s or at one of the nearest crematoria conducted by the clergy or a licensed reader from the ministry team. Sometimes a family wishes to hold a service in the church and then have the committal at the crematorium or cemetery. In each case we seek to meet the family’s requests as far as possible.

The funeral director will liase with the church and a meeting is arranged by the minister with the family to discuss all the details and offer comfort and help.

Support, Prayer and Guidance

Families are also remembered in prayer at our services and in our daily prayers across the parish.

You may find it helpful to think about the following:

  1. Any special requests about the funeral made by your loved one
  2. Any particular hymns/songs they liked or that you feel appropriate
  3. Any poems/ readings/ tributes or prayers to be spoken in the service
  4. Whether any children will be present at the service and if they need any special guidance and support before and during the day.
  5. It is possible to have recorded music should you wish to provide a special song or piece for the church or crematorium.

There is no need to have any answers to the above as we are there to guide you through the service offering as much help as you need.

In November there are two special opportunities where we remember loved ones who have died.

At 8pm on All Souls’ Day (2 November) here at St. Andrew’s Church we hold a service where the names of those who have died are read out. Everyone is welcome at this service. If you would like a name read out at this service please email Jeff Rea, our parish administrator.

On Remembrance Sunday at 4pm, we invite families to our annual Parish Memorial Service to remember and give thanks for lives of those we have loved and lost. This is a very sensitively led service in which there is an opportunity to light a candle of remembrance. Afterwards a light tea is served and there is time to talk if it is helpful. This service is held at St. Margaret’s Church. Please email Jeff Rea, our parish administrator for further details.

Arranging a funeral

Find out some of the first things that need to happen