Child Dedication Celebrations
Child Dedication Celebrations are currently being scheduled for the second and fourth Sundays of select months. They will be held individually during either the 9 AM or 11 AM service on each of the available dates. Questions? Contact us at offices@rockpointe.org.
Congratulations…
on your decision to dedicate your child! We know this is a very exciting time for your family and we look forward to celebrating with you.
Child Dedication at Rockpointe is more than an event. It is an opportunity for you to take some time at the beginning of your journey as a parent to really think about what will matter the most in the life of your child and to talk together and decide what you value and what you can do today that will have the greatest impact on your child’s future…
I’m ready…
If you’re ready to apply to participate in an upcoming Child Dedication Celebration, please listen to the following message and then email us at offices@rockpointe.org to discuss next steps.
What is Child dedication?
The act of dedicating children to the Lord was a common practice of blessing among the people of God in both the Old and New Testament periods. In addition, it was a statement of recognition in the part of parents that their child really belonged to God. As Christians today, we dedicate children with the same purpose in mind.
Child Dedication is a public expression of faith and commitment on the part of the parents. This act by the parents is a prayerful declaration of their stewardship over God’s gracious gift to them. It is also their pledge to do all they can, as God gives them wisdom, to raise their child to respect and honor and to love and serve Jesus Christ.
As parents, we cannot make a decision to follow Christ for them. Each person must make his/her own decision about their relationship with Christ. Parents can, however, lay a foundation by their teaching and examples that will help a child be ready to make the most important decision of his/her life.
The Child Dedication celebration is a commitment on the part of the parents to honor the Will and the Word of God. As part of this dedication, you are asked to:
- Publicly affirm your personal faith in Christ and renew your dedication to Him and His Word.
- Recognize that your children belong to God and have been born to experience His love and to serve Him.
- Pray daily for God’s direction in your lives and in the lives of your children.
- Faithfully participate in Sunday worship with your children.
- Teach your children the truths of God’s Word in your home.
- Anticipate and seek to gently lead your children to a personal faith in Christ as soon as they are ready.
We realize that in some families, both parents may not be able to affirm all of the above statements. We do expect at least one parent to commit to all of them. However, in the instance that the other parent cannot do so, we still invite him/her to participate in this important ceremony in the life of their family, but to refrain from vowing these things during the ceremony. The Bible says, “It is a trap for a many to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows” (Proverbs 20:25).
Why not infant baptism?
The pattern that we see in scripture related to water baptism is for those who have made a personal commitment to Christ. Baptism is then the next step of obedience, as commanded by scripture that a person takes after beginning a personal relationship with Christ. Hence, we see this as a life changing decision made by the individual with both their heart and mind.
The process…
In order to participate in an upcoming Child Dedication, you must either; be a member of Rockpointe, be a volunteer on one of our ministry teams, or attend service regularly. This is the first step for you as a parent to understand what we believe and to ensure that we will be able to partner with you to raise your child to Love God and Love Others. Once the above has been established, completion of the following steps is required:
Step One: Listen to this message that is designed to help you begin thinking about parenting with the end in mind. It is by no means the complete word on parenting. It is an opportunity for you to hear what we believe as a church and how we hope to partner with you as parents. Unless you are a single parent, it is important that both parents listen to the message.
Step Two: Register to participate in an upcoming Child Dedication Celebration.
Once you have completed steps one and two, we will be able to confirm your registration. Please keep in mind that while there is no set time limit for completing the entire process, the individual deadlines for each Child Dedication are firm and need to be honored. Also, although we do not have a specific age limit, we do encourage parents to have their children dedicated by the time they are two years old.
Teaching of Scripture
“As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given to the Lord.”
1 Samuel 1:26-28“When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.”
Luke 2:22“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Deuteronomy 6:5-7“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:4“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
Proverbs 22:6
Want to know more? Contact our Family Life Pastor, Jeff Brown.
