Preparing for Baptism: Using the Book of Alternative Services

A.J. Pell is the rector of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Diocese of New
Westminster, British Columbia.

Although these two books about baptismal preparation in the Anglican
church came from the same publisher in the same year, they are very
different. Preparation for Baptism is the work of one person and
addresses candidates or sponsors who are adults. A Gift for the Journey
is the product of a national working group and is concerned with
children and families.

Robert Ross has designed his book as an aid in preparation for adults
whose children are to be baptized or who are being baptized themselves.
A series of short chapters discuss consecutive parts of the actual
baptismal rite in the Book of Alternative Services. Each chapter
concludes with a series of questions and tasks to assist the reader in
reaching a deeper understanding of what has been discussed. But Ross’s
worthwhile concept fails for two reasons. It assumes a church background
on the part of the reader, and so would be unsuitable for most adults
seeking baptism. A combination of brevity and technical liturgical
discussion mires the reader in extraneous details of little interest to
most laypersons.

A Gift for the Journey is a kit. The pages are perforated to allow them
to be torn out for use. There are two main sections. “Family
Opportunities” contains ideas for activities and discussions
appropriate to three different age groups: 3- to 5-year-olds, 5- to
10-year-olds, and 11- to 15-year-olds; these ideas can be used in
families or in Christian education programs. “Parish Opportunities”
has four main parts: an outline for a half-day intergenerational parish
event; suggestions for planning the celebration of baptism so that it
becomes an important event for candidates, sponsors, and the whole
congregation; a section of liturgical ideas for baptismal celebration;
and finally, a group of resources, ranging from a wide-ranging
bibliography to an outline of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development
as related to spiritual development. A Gift for the Journey is an
imaginative and easy-to-use resource that should be available in every
parish.