Steven's Dedication

On Father's Day, we dedicated Steven and ourselves to God. We had a series of vows that we said, and then Steven received a really nice certificate and a little New Testament. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the ceremony (but family members that do--please send them to me!), but I have some family ones from afterwards.

It was really nice to have my dad do the dedication even though he is on sabbatical. Steven kept turning to look for him--he definitely knows grandpa's voice!

The outfit in the pictures is not what he wore on stage--he wore his Easter outfit which was quite snug (and too hot for the weather), so I changed him afterwards. I didn't think about changing him back, probably because he was asleep at the time. Unfortunately, I was quite sick that day as you can probably tell in the pictures :(

My family minus Lauren (who had already gone home).

Us with Mark's parents. Unfortunately Uncle Andy had his eyes

closed in both of the family ones.

When we told our neighbor about his dedication, she asked if it were like a baby baptism. I paused for a while to think about it, and then I said, no not really. The purpose of baby baptism is to make sure that the infant goes to heaven when he/she dies. Unfortunately, that's not a decision we can make on our child's behalf. Steven has to make that decision himself.

In the dedication, we promised to teach him about God and raise him according to the Bible. Baptism and dedication have two drastically different purposes, but only the dedication's purpose is compatible with what the Bible says.

Here's a copy of our portion of the vows:

The Convenant of the Parents

Pastor: Since it is your purpose to present your children to the Lord, and to pledge yourselves to "bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord," please answer "We do" to the following promises:

Recognizing the dignity and responsibility of parenthood and of your dependence upono God for strength and wisdom to faithfully fulfill the duties of parents, do you present your children in dedication to God, seeking His blessing and guidance for your children's lives?

We do.

Do you, in the presence of this congregation, promise to strive by prayer, example and teaching, to train your children in love towards God, family, and others in the spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord?

We do.

Having presented your children in dedication to God, do you dedicate yourselves to the will of God and in the spirit of this commitment live Christlike lives before your children, relying upon the grace and wisdom of God to so commend Christ by your example?

We do.

Having heard these intentions and assurances, we entrust your children tot he gracious keeping of God, our Heavenly Father. Your children will not remember this day; therefore, tell them early of the commitment and the prayers made this day on their behalf.

**After this, there were vows for the church members to agree to, but I don't have a copy of them. They included promising to support us as we raise our children and pray for both us and our children. I love how that makes it a true community commitment!