Weddings

0342 Firstly, congratulations on your forthcoming marriage!

If you live in the parish of St John the Baptist, have a close pastoral connection with this Church, or regularly attend services here then do please make contact with us about the services of Baptism or Marriage. You can find out which is your local parish church on the website A Church near you.

Weddings or Marriage Blessings:

How can you get married at St John the Baptist?

The guidelines set by the Church of England state that a couple may be married in a particular Church if they can show one of the following seven connections to it.
That one of you:
    Was baptised in the parish or
    Was prepared for confirmation in the parish or
    Has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or
    Has at any time regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months and is on the electoral     roll* or
    That one of your parents, at any time after you were born:
    Has lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or
    Has time regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months and is on the electoral roll* or
    That one of your parents or grandparents:
    Was married in the parish.

The electoral roll is our membership list and is made up of those who worship here regularly. People can join the electoral roll once they have attended the Church regularly for six months, and if they intend to continue doing so.

To book your Wedding or Marriage Blessing

Initial enquiries can be made by contacting us or by dropping into the Church each Saturday, between 10am-11am. Please come and meet us!

What to bring with you:
Proof of ID- a passport or driving licence
Proof of address- driving licence or recent utility bill

Any specific documents required- your decree absolute if you have been divorced; your marriage certificate if you would like a Wedding Blessing.

Planning your Wedding service

The Church of England website has lots of helpful information about preparing for marriage. It can also answer many of your practical questions as well as providing ideas for readings and hymns

Charges for Weddings and Marriage Blessings

These fall into two categories: statutory fees required by the Church of England and charges for music etc which are at the discretion of the local church. Statutory fees do not apply to marriage blessings.
    Statutory Fees – from March 2023
    Publication of banns of marriage: £34
    Certificate of banns (if required): £17
    Marriage service: £505
    Local charges
    We are able to offer you an Organist and a choir to enhance the music at your Wedding. It is     worth noting that there are extra charges for the musicians if you have any video recording.

You may also wish for the Church bells to be rung before or after the
service.

We would be delighted to make these arrangements with you so please
discuss your requirements with the Priest. The cost of these additional
services will be set according to what you ask for.

Eltham-London-Wedding-Ella-Ric

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning. People of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to join us. We are an eclectic inclusive church. There is space for buggies and it is a safe place for breastfeeding.

Where and When

We meet in the Church for our Sunday Service starting at 10am. When you arrive, you will be greeted by one of our welcomers.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. We don't currently have a disabled toilet.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10am with a warm welcome from the priest. You will then be invited to stand and we sing a hymn while the choir, servers and priest process in. The service can be followed in the service booklet handed out by the welcomers. Our style of worship follows the Church of England Common Worship. It is easy to follow, with a mixture of prayers and hymns (both traditional and modern), and includes Holy Communion each week. We all begin together in church, and on the weeks when there is Children's Church, the children move into the hall before the readings begin. They then rejoin us for Communion. After the service free refreshments are available in the hall.

What about my kids?

Children are welcome in the church service. There are books available and a colouring table. We encourage parents to help the children engage in the service by following the service sheet together, joining in with the talk in All Age services, and joining in with prayers where they can.

On the second, third (and sometimes fourth) Sunday of the month we have Children's Church which uses the Diddy Disciples resources. It involves bible stories, songs, prayers and craft. Parents are encouraged to stay with their children if they are below school age to help them get as much out of the session as possible.

We want parents to be able to feel they can worship as much as possible as well as the children, so that church can be a place of refreshment, friendship and spiritually uplifting for everyone.

As children get older, there are more opportunities for them to participate in the life of the church. For more information please see our Children's Church page.

Children

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Leader 1		Leader 2
Leader Intro		Leader Intro

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

(Handwritten Signature)