Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Faith Map Milestone #1 Parent-Child Dedication



Having a new baby in your home is both an exciting opportunity and a big responsibility. And we hope to share in this important time in your family’s life at New Beginnings Church, through Parent Child Dedication services. The actual service will take place on Mother’s Day May 12th but parents have until April 28th to register and attend  the 1st Faith Milestone event for Child Dedication on April 28th at 11am-Noon in W303.  If you desire to attend this class please RSVP to Pastor Travis at travis@nbchurch.info .

During a parent-child dedication, there are some significant details that call for our attention.

Dedication is an opportunity for parents to make the following commitments:

  • to commit themselves to be, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the primary faith-shaper’s in their child’s life, following the clear example of Deuteronomy 6:1-9;
  • to make a public commitment to God that you will teach your children to obey you in the Lord, for this is right, that you will teach your children to honor you as their parents, that you will not provoke your children to anger, and that you will bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:1-4);
  • to covenant with God to tell the next generation the glorious deeds of the Lord so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget His works but keep his commandments (Psalm 78:6-7);
  • to commit, from this day forward, to raise your children to love God with all their heart, soul, and mind, and to love their neighbor as themselves (Matthew 22:37-40);
  • to express your thanksgiving to God for blessing your family with a new life (Psalm 127:3), which flows out of your personal gratitude to God for extending to you the free gift of new life through Jesus Christ (John 3:3);
  • to prioritize your family’s relationship to God as most important. This shows itself in family life through practices such as the reading of Scripture, prayer, teaching the word of God to your family, evangelism, and supporting the ministry of New Beginnings Church through regular attendance, service as the Spirit of God enables you, and giving financially to New Beginnings Church to further advance the kingdom work of God.

On the other hand, dedication does not:

  • secure salvation for your children. We believe that, by the sovereign grace of God, each person must make a personal decision to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, and follow after him (John 11:27; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:1-9);
  • provide forgiveness for sins, nor does it guarantee that your child will go to heaven when they die (1 John 1:9);
  • serve the same role as baptism and does not earn special favor with God for your children. We believe that upon a clear confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, a person should be baptized (Romans 6:1-4).

A parent-child dedication is also an important opportunity for our church family. Here, we have the blessing of publicly declaring our commitment to pray for your family and to be a model of transformed living as God presents us with various ways to serve you and build into the life of your family through personal relationships and the ministry of our church.

Furthermore, the Family Ministry of New Beginnings Church is committed to helping you and your family follow hard after Jesus Christ. So, at the dedication, we would like to provide you with helpful and relevant resources that will leverage your authority and ability as parents to be the primary faith influencer in your home so the next generation will know the glorious deeds of the Lord and set their hope in God.

To arrange a Parent-Child Dedication, please contact Pastor Travis at travis@nbchurch.info or 918-366-6700 at least 2 weeks in advance of the next scheduled Parent-Child Dedication service.

Upcoming dates for  Parent-Child Dedication services are:

May 12th (April 28th Class) 11am-Noon in W303

June 16th (June 2nd Class) 11am-Noon in W303

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