Thanksgivings - Baptisms - Confirmation - Weddings - Prayer and Dedication after civil marriage – Funerals and burials
The Church is very much involved with important moments in life. Whether it is right at the beginning with Christening
- which we call Baptism; or the joy of seeing two people committing their lives together in marriage. Or maybe at a sadder time
when a loved one has died.
Thanksgiving and Baptism are 'ways in' to belonging to the family of the church.
Baptisms
It's always good to celebrate the arrival of a new member in the family - whether the child is your own or adopted. If you are
thinking about asking for Baptism, please Contact us or phone 01934 822857. We will visit you and talk over the issues surrounding
Baptism. In the service you will be expected to make promises about bringing your child up in the Christian faith. These include
being an example as a Christian yourself, praying for your child and bringing them regularly to church. If you feel that this
is something you are unable to do but still want to have a special service in church, then ask for a Thanksgiving service. No expectations
will be made of you and – if you choose, you can leave
it at that.
Baptism - what will happen next
But if you would like to go further and together with Godparents, make vows about how you want your child to grow in the Christian faith,
then we will invite you to explore more about your faith. There will be three visits to your home. The first will be to give you information
and to get your details. The second will be to watch a video together and chat about what baptism entails and what it means to be a Christian.
The third meeting is to look at the service together. It is a chance to get to know the family and for you to get to know us.
What if a parent wants baptism too - or an adult coming for baptism?
Sometimes parents who have not been baptised themselves want to be baptised at the same time as their children. This
is fine, but adult baptism is about owning your Christian faith and we would expect you to think about either belonging to a
church and coming regularly and/or consider doing a Christian basics courses which will run at various times through the year.
Thanksgiving for a child
The Baptism service requires promises that sometimes people may feel that they will be unable to keep.
If this is the case then an alternative is a thanksgiving service. In the service we give thanks for the child and for a safe delivery. We bless and name the child and pray for them. The child has sponsors who promise to help in the upbringing of the child.
Give us a ring on 01934 822857.
Weddings at St Mary's Church Hutton
Thinking about getting married and wondering where? We love doing weddings.
A church wedding offers something unique - a beautiful setting, a meaningful service, a spiritual element God is involved.
Some questions people ask:-
Do we both have to be baptised?
No neither of you have to be baptised
Do we have to live in the parish?
Not any more. You can get married in Hutton Church if you fulfill one of the following
1. One of you lives In Hutton
2. One of you is on the church electoral roll
3. One of you has at any time lived in Hutton for 6 months or more
4. One of you has at any time regularly worshipped in Hutton Church for 6 months or more
5. One of you was baptised in Hutton Church
6. One of you was prepared for confirmation in Hutton Church
7. One of your parents has lived in Hutton in their life for
6 months or more
8, One of your parents has at some time worshipped in Hutton Church for 6 months or more
9. One of your parents or grandparents was married In Hutton Church
Neither of us attends or belongs to a church.
That's OK - we want to welcome you and help you with your special day and beyond
How much does it cost?
Calling of banns: £36*
Certificate of Banns: £18*
Marriage Service: £531*
Organist: £65
Verger: £50
Bell Ringing: £120
Choir: £70
Heating/lighting: £25
* these are mandatory, while the other items eg. organist, bells and choir are optional additions.
Audio/visual licence fee: £15 - If a video or sound recording is made of the wedding and recorded
music (on CD or tablet/phone) is played you must obtain a licence from www.prsformusic.com
The cost is dependent on the number of copies made.
Payment can be by BACS (please ask) or by cheque. Please make cheques payable to ‘Hutton Church Parochial Church Council’.
Church Wedding Flowers
You are welcome to bring in your own florist or arrange them yourselves, but please contact Glenda Martin on 812236 at least 3 months
in advance to let her know your plans.
Please note that any accessories left behind from your wedding decorations will be disposed of if uncollected after 4 weeks.
Do we have to do marriage preparation?
We encourage all our couples to come for one evening - it's fun and informal and you will meet other couples.
What about the reception?
You can choose anywhere for your reception - though in Locking we have a lovely new refurbished centre opposite the church
that can be hired out Locking Church Centre,
and in Hutton there a large village hall.
What if one of us has been married before?
We would love to meet with you and explore whether this is possible for you. We are always able to offer a Service of
Prayer and Dedication after a civil wedding.
We are celebrating our wedding anniversary and would like to re-do our vows.
We would love to do that — it is a very special thing to do. There is a special service that we use for this.
So if you are thinking about getting married in church, or have questions you would like to ask, then please
be in touch with us —
we would be happy to meet with you. Please Contact us or phone 01934 822857.
Funerals
When someone loved dies, there are many jobs to organise in the first few days including the funeral service.
We always try to be available to take services for anyone in Locking/Hutton. We enjoy good relationships with the Funeral
Directors in this area. If you want Rev Geoff Hobden to take your service, please either contact us directly or do so through
the Funeral Directors.
Every November, there is a Parish Memorial Service in Hutton and Locking where everyone who has been to a Parish
organised funeral in the last year is invited to hear the name of their loved one read out.
Churchyard Rules
Both Hutton and Locking churches have ‘closed’ churchyards. This means that we cannot start any more new graves
in the yards. We can carry out burials only in family graves where there is still space.
However, cremated remains can still be interred, either in an existing family grave plot or in the area reserved for interments.
According to Diocesan Regulations anyone wishing to put a tablet, vase, memorial or other marker in St Mary's
Hutton churchyard, must first seek the permission of the Incumbent Priest and the Parish Church Council. Ornaments placed on a
grave may be removed in order to allow the maintenance of the grass in the churchyard. Please do not leave flowers in cellophane
wrappers. All dead flowers and plants will be removed.
Our local stone mason is Rob Filer, who can be contacted on 01934 814928.
Please see Churchyard Regulations for required permissions and specifications
regarding monument and tablet sizes.
