2014
Mother’s Day Child Dedications
DCC Family,
On Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11th, we’ll be holding our next round of child dedications. If you’ve recently welcomed a baby into your family, or have a child you would like to dedicate (regardless of age), we’d love to give you the opportunity to do so.
As a church we do not baptize children, however we do offer an opportunity for parents to publicly dedicate their children to the Lord before the church and for the church to publicly commit to supporting the families. For more information, read more below. If you would like to dedicate your child on May 11th, please let us know by filling out this form:
Why Child Dedications?
- The practice of child dedication is based on scriptural precedent, rooted in the Old Testament, in which Jesus was presented to the Lord in the temple as an infant (Luke 2:22-35).
- The practice of child dedication is also based on, and acknowledges, God’s blessing towards and care for children (Isaiah 54:13; Matt 18:1-5, 10; 19:13-15; Luke 18:15-17; Acts 2:39; 1 John 2:12-13).
- The practice of child dedication is fundamentally an act of the parents. It is a commitment you, the parents, make in your heart before Jesus and agree to live out in your home together. The dedication we perform during the church gathering is simply a public acknowledgment of that commitment.
- In dedicating your child, you acknowledge that your children are a gift given to you by God (Gen 33:5; Psalm 127:3-5). As such they are a blessing, privilege, and tremendous source of joy (Prov. 23:24-25) — even though they require much labor. Ultimately, we recognize that they have been created by our Father in heaven (Psalm 139:13) and, as such, belong to Him, though entrusted to you to be raised in Christ (Exodus 13:2, 12).
- In dedicating your child, you commit to live as parents who, by the grace of God, have a genuine walk with Jesus. In this way, you are committing to live a life worthy of emulation so as to not serve as a stumbling block to your child’s ongoing faith and trust in Jesus. (Matt. 18:5-6)
- At the same time, your church (elders, deacons, members and community) commits to supporting, encouraging and praying for you, by the grace of God, as you seek to fulfill your God-given task of parenting and raising your child up in the knowledge of the Lord.
Child Dedication is Not:
Baptism: In order to avoid any confusion, it is important to note that dedicating your child is not a “dry” baptism nor a substitute for baptism. As a church, we recognize believer’s baptism (i.e. baptism following the placing of your faith in Jesus) as the biblical model of baptism. For more information go here.
Magic: This likely goes without saying, but it too needs to be said. The practice of dedicating your child is not magic, nor a formula by which to manipulate God, nor does it place any kind of extra-special blessing or protection upon your child, nor does it secure or ensure their immediate or eventual salvation.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to email us at:
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We are looking forward to partnering with you to raise your little ones to trust and treasure our King, together. (Eph 6:4)
Christ is all,
The Elders of Downtown Cornerstone
