DEDICATION
At the heart of dedicating a child is the dedication of mom and dad, because God has gifted you with this marvelous gift of life.The dedication of your child indicates your desire to raise them to one day make a personal commitment to not only accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but to serve Him with their whole heart all the days of their life. (Deut. 6:5)
The dedication of your child is done during scheduled Wednesday evening services. As parents, you will present your child publicly before the congregation, the pastor, and most importantly the Lord. We do, however, believe it is scriptural for the parents of a child to dedicate him/her to the Lord, as a symbolic gesture of the commitment they are making to raise their child to follow the Lord.
What About Baptism?
Dedication at Grace North does not involve baptism. We believe that baptism is meant to take place at a time when an individual makes a personal decision to follow Christ and is old enough to repent of sin and confess Jesus publicly.
We at Grace North believe that all children are under God’s covering until they are old enough to make a decision on their own to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior. Therefore, we do not believe that it is necessary to “baptize” a baby in order for them to be under God’s covering.
Making Memories for Your Child's Dedication
Your child’s dedication is very significant and meaningful to you, your child, and their relationship with God. It’s the first step to building a legacy. It’s an opportunity to publicly stand before your extended family, friends, church and God to commit to raise your child in such a way that he/she would honor God all the days of their life. We encourage you to personalize the day. Make it special. Create a memory that will last forever.
Here are some ideas
we’ve gathered that may help.
1. Prepare your heart to have the attitude of giving your child to the Lord’s plan, care, and protection.
2. Prepare a special note, song (on tape or live), or prayer that can be incorporated into the dedication. (time is limited so we ask that it stay under 2 minutes).
Some suggestions are:
A. What a blessing your child has been
B. Any significant story of your child’s birth or pregnancy
C. Promises God fulfilled pertaining to your child
D. Your God-given desires for your child
E. Possibly as simple as “how much you love your baby and family”
3. Take the time to pick out a special outfit for the day. Old or new doesn’t matter, just taking the time to think about it makes it special.
4. Taking pictures of this special day. If you have a video camera you can video the dedication or have someone do it for you. If you do not have a camera, you can buy a one-time-use one. The pictures will be something you can use to help you remember every moment in that special day. (We will also have a photographer available)
5. Write your child a letter describing how you felt on that special day. You can have other family members write a short note describing him/her. Your child will read these letters as they get older and they will be priceless through-out the years.
6. Involve the other siblings in the planning of the day. Let them participate.
7. Plan on a family gathering around food after church is over. Family and friends enjoy this time with you and your new little one.
We pray that God will give you great wisdom, and that your home will be filled with the love of Jesus. May your love for Christ be so richly evident that the most natural thing for your child to do is love Jesus just like mom and dad do.
If you are interested in Dedicating your child or for more information, please visit “Got Questions?”