Life Events

Baptisms

Baptism (also known as christening) is the start of our journey of faith, a sign of a new beginning as we join the family of the Church.  In the case of the baptism of children, it is also a time when we thank God for the gift of a child and is a very special day for parents, godparents, friends and family.

You are very welcome to explore taking this important step for yourself or for your child at All Hallows by the Tower if you live in the parish, regularly attend our church, or have a significant connection to All Hallows. Baptism normally takes place during our Sunday morning service.

In the first instance you should come along to our 11.00 am Sunday service and speak to a member of the clergy afterwards. A meeting will then be arranged in order to talk through the practicalities and to explore the purpose of baptism and what it means for you and your family.

Weddings & Blessings

All Hallows is a beautiful church for weddings and wedding blessings and we are delighted if you are thinking of taking this important step with us. The church is large, light and airy, we have excellent music and there are a number of good venues for the reception nearby. Among the many weddings that have been held in our historic building was that in 1797 of Londoner Louisa Johnson to John Quincy Adams, later to become sixth president of the United States of America.

If you would like to get married at All Hallows, please do contact us as soon as possible before the event, or come and speak to one of the clergy after our regular 11.00 am Sunday service. By choosing to get married in church you will be making your solemn promises to each other not just in front of your family and friends but in the sight of God and with God's blessing. We will do everything we can to make sure your wedding day is a very happy one and that the service is personal, meaningful and memorable. We will also help you prepare carefully, not just practically but also emotionally and spiritually, both for the wedding itself and for the years ahead.

You can get married at All Hallows by fulfilling one of the following three legal requirements:

• If one or both of you live in the parish
• If one or both of you have been regular worshippers at All Hallows for at least six months and are on the church's electoral roll
• If one or both of you have some other connection to the parish such as your parents lived in the parish during your lifetime, your parents were married here, or you were baptised here. Please contact us for further information on these points.

Being divorced is not necessarily a bar to being married at All Hallows. Please contact the clergy who will discuss this further.

You can find more information about planning your wedding, including readings and hymns, on the Church of England website.

Wedding blessings

As well as wedding services, we are happy to arrange a service of blessing after a civil ceremony elsewhere. For couples who have got married abroad, for instance, this may be a way to enable a larger number of family and friends to celebrate the marriage. A wedding blessing is a way of dedicating your marriage to God and asking for his blessing on your commitment to each other. The service can be designed to be similar to a wedding ceremony, with hymns, readings, flowers and bells, or it can be more low-key according to what feels right for you. Please contact us to discuss your ideas.

Same-Sex Marriage and Civil Partnership

The law currently does not allow us to perform marriages when both spouses are of the same gender. However, we will be happy to discuss the possibility of holding a service to mark this significant event in your life and pray for the future. The parish expects a similar level of commitment in terms of eligibility from all couples. Please contact us for more information.

Renewal of Wedding Vows

It is possible to arrange a special service where you can renew your wedding vows, whether or not you were originally married at All Hallows. Often people choose to do this to mark a significant anniversary and gather family and friends together for the occasion. The Church of England ceremony is called ‘Thanksgiving for Marriage’ and there is an opportunity for rings to be blessed as part of the service. Please contact us for further details.

Funerals & Memorial Services

Funerals at All Hallows

Funerals are a very important way of marking the end of a life on earth. They are an opportunity for friends and family to express their grief, to gather up the threads of the life of the deceased, to give thanks for them and to commend them to God's keeping. The words of the service speak to us of hope, of the love of God and of life with him beyond death.

We are happy to discuss arranging a funeral at All Hallows for anyone who has lived in the parish or who has a connection with our church, perhaps through working nearby, or through one of our associated livery companies or other links.

We have space for a large congregation if necessary and will work with you to make the service appropriate and individual. We may also be able to help with other patterns of service such as in a crematorium. Please contact us for further details and to discuss the practicalities.

Please also see the following website for helpful information on funerals: www.churchofenglandfunerals.org

Memorial Services at All Hallows

A memorial service is an opportunity to remember and celebrate a life, and is usually held a few months after the funeral. At All Hallows we regularly hold memorial services for those who have worked in our area of the City or who have an association with our church. The service is primarily one of thanksgiving to God for all that a person meant to us, and incorporates prayers, biblical and secular readings and music which reflect the tastes and interests of the person being remembered.

We can also work with you to organise a special service to provide space for reflection and mourning after a tragedy, or to commemorate an important event in the life of your company (such as Founder's day etc). If you would like to discuss the possibility of organising a service, please contact the Vicar, who will be able to advise on format and content, and discuss practical details.

All Souls Day Service

Each year we hold a service for All Souls, when we remember our friends and loved ones who have died. This year the service will take place on Thursday 2 November. Please get in touch if you'd like to receive more information.

Chaplaincy

As the parish church of the Tower Hill area of the City of London, All Hallows aims to care for all who live or work here, or who come as visitors.  We offer a non-judgmental and sympathetic listening ear to anyone, regardless of their faith or background, who feels the need for a confidential chat.  Our service is free and we can arrange to meet at a time to suit you, either in the church or in a coffee shop nearby. Our usual days for appointments are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, though we can meet at other times by arrangement.

If you think we might be able to help or support you, please do not hesitate to get in touch either by phone or email – you don’t need to be religious and there are no strings attached: we just want to help.

An informal chat over coffee may help you to deal better with:

• Problems at work, stress or redundancy
• Difficulties with relationships, or relationship break up
• Worries about family members, young or old
• Anxieties about the serious illness of a friend or relation
• Coping with the death of someone you love

For more information either ring the parish office on 020 7481 2928 or email parish@ahbtt.org.uk.