Jennifer Garner’s latest visit to Charleston was billed as a red-carpet gala but included something far more personal.
She and her actor-husband, Ben Affleck, had their younger daughter christened at the East End church that watched her grow up.
Garner, who was raised in Charleston, visited over the weekend to attend a Saturday night benefit for the theater program that helped her blossom into the actress she is today.
The next morning, she and the rest of her family watched as Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck was baptized at Christ Church United Methodist.
Seraphina, 2, is one of two daughters of Garner and Affleck. The couple’s older daughter, Violet, 3, was baptized in the same church when she was 1.
The Rev. Randall Flanagan, the Rev. Shauna Hyde and retired Bishop William Boyd Grove performed the christening.
Hyde said the service was a delight for the couple and the congregation.
“They were happy, I think. It’s not a decision that parents enter into lightly; it’s something you want to do,” Hyde said.
“It was nice and we love baby baptisms around here. We celebrate each one.”
Bill and Pat Garner, Jennifer’s parents, and other family members also were at the christening, along with actors Victor Garber and Corena Chase, Seraphina’s godparents.
Garber co-starred with Garner on the long-running TV series “Alias.” Chase has appeared in movies with both Garner and Affleck.
The Christ Church congregation was just happy to see Garner return for a visit.
“A lot them have known her for a long time, so I think more of their excitement comes from not seeing her for awhile than anything else,” Hyde said.
“They’re proud of her, I think. They were happy to see her.”
The church requires prior notice for all baptisms, and that is especially important now that Flanagan, the lead pastor, is on sabbatical.
He will officiate at a few other weddings and baptisms this summer for people to whom he had made commitments before he scheduled the time off, Hyde said.
“It’s a little not fun to tell someone that ‘sure, I’ll do your wedding’ and then turn around and say, ‘Oh, I won’t be there,” she said.
After the christening, it was confirmed by someone working at Bridge Road Bistro that Garner and her family went there for a private lunch.
However, she didn’t visit West Virginia just to have her little girl baptized. Garner, 39, paid a visit to her old friends at the Charleston Light Opera Guild, for which she performed in her younger years.
Her last performance there was in 1991, but she came back Saturday to host a benefit for the theatre program, and the event raked in at least $25,000, according to Guild President Tim Whitener.
“We only got three weeks of notice from Jennifer, but we were able to pull it together and keep our sanity,” Whitener said.
About 400 people showed up, and the more expensive tickets — $200 a person — guaranteed a picture with Garner. A silent auction featured signed DVDs and posters for movies that have starred Garner and Affleck, including “Juno,”"Valentine’s Day,”"State of Play,” and “The Town.”
The gala came after the Guild’s performance of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in the Civic Center’s Little Theater. The reception was held in an upstairs room at the Civic Center.
But before the 7:30 p.m. show began, Garner treated actors to a surprise pep talk.
“It was great to hear how excited she was to see us in action,” Whitener said.
“She’s never forgotten us.”
Source: http://www.dailymail.com/
