Having a Christian burial, funeral before cremation or a memorial service can be a very moving and appropriate way of paying respects to a loved one who has died.  

Will a church funeral be expensive?

Contrary to popular belief, funerals in church or having a priest conduct your loved one's funeral at the crematorium is not expensive.  The fee for clergy attending the crematorium is similar to that of most civil celebrants.

My loved one wasn't very 'churchy'.  Can they still have a Christian funeral?

Absolutely.  We make no distinction at all, and everyone is welcome to have a Christian funeral if their loved ones choose this for them.

Will I be able to include what I feel my loved one would have liked at a church funeral?

You will receive a visit from the member of clergy conducting the funeral, to allow you to plan the funeral together and to include what you would like in the funeral service.  There are some things that do need to be included in a Christian funeral, such as the commendation at the end, and the Lord's Prayer.  People normally choose at least one Bible reading too.  However, often people also choose secular poems or readings, and there is space to have a wide variety of music.  We try to be as absolutely accommodating as possible.

What can I expect?

A member of clergy will liaise with the funeral directors and we will visit you to have a chat about your deceased loved one, and to plan the funeral alongside you.  In the days after the funeral, we will check in with you to make sure you are doing ok and to offer any relevant pastoral care.  

After the funeral

We run a Bereavement Cafe which meets at Christ Church on a monthly basis.  Click here for more details.

Often people also book our halls and grounds to hold wedding receptions.  Click here for more information about booking our halls.

In the Church of England, we are legally able to marry couples where at least one member lives in the parish, or has regularly worshipped at one of our churches for more than six months.  There are also other qualifying connections which may allow you to marry in our parish.  You can find out more about these here.

Is getting married in Church expensive?

Weddings these days tend to be very costly and it is quite understandable that couples are often worried about expense.  Getting married in church tends to cost between £600 and £1000, depending upon what couples would like.  At the top end, this would include organist, flowers and bells, but these are not compulsory.  Ultimately, getting married in church tends to be far cheaper than being married in an equivalently beautiful listed building in a civil ceremony.

Do we need to be regular churchgoers to be married?

Not necessarily, but it helps to come to the idea of Christian marriage with a sense of understanding of what it means.  Feel free to chat with Fr James about this if you are unsure. 

I or my parter are divorced.  Can we be married in church?

Fr James is happy to marry people who have previously been married in most circumstances.  Contact him for a chat in confidence, if this is a concern for you.

I am in a same sex relationship and would like to be married in church.  Can you marry us?

Unfortunately we are not allowed to marry same sex couples at the moment.  We seek to be an inclusive church and recognise that this is a source of great pain for many couples who would like to be married in church.  We pray that we shall be allowed to offer marriage to same sex couples in the future.  However, we can now offer a service of prayer for a civil marriage for same sex couples.  Contact the Rector for more details.  

How will we get our Marriage Certificate?

Until 2020 Anglican clergy were officially registrars, meaning that they would issue the marriage certificate during the marriage service.  Since 2020, this 200 year-old tradition has stopped and now it is necessary for coupes to apply to the local registry office for their marriage certificate.  Couples are advised to wait for one month after the date of their wedding, and make an appointment with Redbridge Registry Office.  You will, however, be legally married from the date of your wedding day.

If you are thinking about getting married in church, contact Jan, our Occasional Offices Co-ordinator, for more details.

If you live in the Parish of Wanstead and would like to bring your child for baptism, please get in touch with Jan, our Occasional Offices co-ordinator.  We often get quite booked up for a year, so please get in early to ensure we are able to provide a slot.  Baptisms normally take place at 12:30pm on Sunday afternoon, and we then invite families to attend a Sunday morning service afterwards to receive their certificate.

If you do not live in the parish but would still like to explore baptism here, contact us and we can discuss this further.

If you are an adult and would like to be baptised, we would be delighted to meet you to talk about this.  Please {email_encode:jbgilder@hotmail.com,link=contact the Rector} for more details.