NOTES. The 12StoneKiDS Team. Dear Parents,

Transcription

1

2 Dear Parents, NOTES Thank you for your interest in Baby Dedication (BabyD). At 12Stone, we believe that the single most important element in a child s spiritual development is the influence and example of their parents. As a church and children s ministry, we are excited to partner with you in this journey, but ultimately you must teach your child what it means to follow Jesus. Because we believe this, we offer opportunities to begin this process in your children s lives by dedicating them to God and accepting the responsibility to nurture, teach and care for them in a Christian home. Child dedication is not baptism and has nothing to do with the child s spiritual state. It has everything to do with the parents commitment before God. Child dedication doesn t insure salvation or forgiveness of sin. These are the result of a relationship with Jesus, a relationship that begins with a personal decision to follow Jesus. While you can guide your children and introduce them to Jesus, you cannot make this decision for them. Children must choose to follow Jesus on their own when they are old enough to understand what that decision means. Baby dedication is a time when we gather with family and friends to make a promise before God. We promise to raise our children in a way that honors God and helps them come to know Jesus. We want this to be a meaningful experience for your family, so we ve created several opportunities that will help you capture the significance of your child s dedication. These opportunities are outlined in this booklet and include exercises such as choosing a life verse and writing a letter to your child. I realize at first glance these may seem a little daunting, but our goal is not to create work. Over the years, we have found that doing these things really does add a great deal to the experience. The parents who have participated in BabyD will tell you it s definitely worth the effort. We ve created this booklet as a keepsake for you, but please remember the items in this book will be used during the dedication ceremony, so be prepared to upload them as part of the registration process. You must register online; we will not accept paper registrations. We re so excited to be a part of this special occasion with you! If you have any questions regarding BabyD please don t hesitate to contact us. God Bless, The 12StoneKiDS Team

3 CONTACT INFORMATION Baby Steps TOWARD DEDICATION DAY Central Campus - Jennie Welch jennie.welch@12stone.com Hamilton Mill Campus - Sandy Whaples sandy.whaples@12stone.com Flowery Branch Campus - Lyndsey Langley lyndsey.langley@12stone.com Sugarloaf Campus - Karen George karen.george@12stone.com

4 PARENT RESOURCES Parenting Resources The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell Bringing Up Boys by James C. Dobson Bible Verses for Busy Moms by Linda Stueve Making Children Mind without Losing Yours, by Dr. Kevin Leman Marriage Resources The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman Boundaries in Marriage by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey Family Devotional Resources The Early Readers Bible by Gilbert Beers More Baby Bible Stories by Robin Currie Playtime Devotions by Christine Tangvald High Chair Devotions by Christine Tangvald 5 Minute Bible Stories by International Publications, ltd Devotions for Girls/Boys by Lynn Marie-ittner Klammer What Would Jesus Do Today, A One-Year Devotional by Helen Haidle Sticky Situations by Betsy Schmitt The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones (presented at BabyD) 1. Select a photo of your child for Dedication Day 2. Select a photo of your family with your child who will be dedicated 3. Select a Life Verse for your child 4. Select Prayer Partners 5. Write a Dedication Letter to Your Child 6. When you ve completed the items above you may register for BabyD by completing the online registration form. After your register you ll be scheduled for the next available date. 7. Once your BabyD date is confirmed, invite family and friends to Baby D. 8. Attend BabyD orientation

5 Step 1 YOUR CHILD S PHOTO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 6. What is the age limit on Baby Dedication? Newborn to toddler (23 mths old). 7. What is the role of the prayer partner? A prayer partner is one or two people that are special to your family. After the babies have been introduced, they will be asked to stand with you and pray for a few moments to seal the covenant you have just made. A prayer partner does not have to attend 12Stone Church or pray in front of anyone but you, your spouse, and your child. 8. I have other children besides the one being dedicated; can they participate in the ceremony with me? If your other child(ren) has already been dedicated or is past the age of dedication, we ask that they sit in the audience with family members so that this special moment is reserved for you, your spouse, and your new baby. 9. Do I have to be a member of 12Stone Church to participate in BabyD? No but we do ask that you be an active participant defined as one of the following: 1. You are a member of 12Stone Church. 2. You are part of a 12Stone Small Group. 3. You are volunteer as part of a 12Stone Ministry Team. 10. What are the pictures used for? Do they have to be professional? Can I the pictures? Child s Name Birthdate We put all the pictures into a presentation, which is shown during the ceremony. The pictures do not have to be professional, many people use candid photos. We do prefer that they be.jpg or.png format and at least 1024 X 768 dpi. Landscape (wide) orientation is preferred over portrait (tall) orientation as it comes out better in the presentation.

6 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. What is the difference between Baby Dedication and Infant Baptism? Step 2 At 12Stone Church, we believe that baptism is something done only after the person has made a conscious choice to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. However, we recognize the importance of making a commitment to raise your child in a Christian manner. We designed Baby Dedication as a way for parents to publicly profess their intent to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. YOUR FAMILY PHOTO 2. How does the ceremony work? When parents arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony, there will be a photographer available to take a family portrait. After families have their photo taken, they check in at the registration table and proceed into the Theatre. There will be desserts and coffee available. Feel free to eat/drink as the rest of the guests gather. The ceremony will begin at promptly at it s scheduled time. During the ceremony, your Campus Pastor or Children s Pastor will share a few words of encouragement, then each family will be introduced. At the close of the ceremony your family and guests with gather around you and your child as your prayer partner prays over your family. 3. How many people can I invite? It is very hard for us to put a number limit on this special event because family size varies so widely and space varies by campus. We want you to feel free to invite grandparents, aunts, uncles and other special people, but please be aware that at some campuses you may be asked to limit your attendees to either 8 or 16 people. This information will be specified on the registration form. 4. I cannot attend the BabyD Orientation, what should I do? Do both parents need to attend the meeting? The Baby D orientation is very brief (30-45 minutes), but very important to finalize details for the Baby Dedication. It is mandatory that at least one parent be in attendance. If at least one parent isn t at the meeting we will need to reschedule you for the next BabyD. 5. How long does the dedication last? Parents Names Siblings Names The ceremony itself is rather short, minutes.

7 Step 3 CHOOSE A LIFE VERSE INVITED FRIENDS AND FAMILY Select a verse for your child s dedication that holds your hope, promise, and prayer for your child. Listed below are some possible choices, however, you may select another verse of your choice. Jeremiah 29:11 2 Timothy 2:15 Matthew 6:33 Deuteronomy 6:5-9 1 Chronicles 28:20 Matthew 5:16 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Numbers 6:24-26 Psalm 37:3-5 Isaiah 43:1-3 Micah 6:8 Proverbs 3:5-6 Philippians 4:6 Philippians 4:8 Philippians 4:13 1 Corinthians 15:58 If you need additional help in selecting a verse, feel free to contact us. You can find contact information for your campus BabyD Coordinator in the back of this booklet.

8 Step 7 INVITE FAMILY AND FRIENDS: LIFE VERSE SELECTED FOR: Child s Name Dedication Date Dedication Time

9 Step 4 CHOOSE YOUR PRAYER PARTNER A Prayer Partner should be someone you are close to that will assist you in spiritual guidance and help you with spiritual accountability for raising your child in Christ. Your Prayer Partner will be a support role in the spiritual journey of the child, assuring that they know of God s love and help to model a Christian lifestyle for them. Family, friends, and small group leaders are all people you can consider for this role. At the Dedication Ceremony, your Prayer Partner will pray with your family at the close of the ceremony. This is your day, so if your Prayer Partner is uncomfortable or unavailable, that is fine too. They will have a life long role and the Dedication ceremony is only the beginning. B A B Y D R E G I S T R A T I O N CHECKLIST Complete steps 1-5 in this booklet. 1. Picture of Child 2. Picture of Family 3. Life Verse 4. Prayer Partner 5. Dedication Letter Complete the Baby D Registration Form. Register at: Confirm your BabyD Dates. After we receive your completed registration, we will schedule you for the next available BabyD orientation and ceremony. Attend your scheduled BabyD orientation. The orientation is required for everyone participating in Baby D. If you cannot make it you will be rescheduled for the next available BabyD.

10 Step 6 REGISTER FOR BABY D OUR PRAYER PARTNER(S) Once you have completed the items in this booklet you are almost ready to register for BabyD. Look over the checklist on the following page to make sure you have everything you need. Name(s) Relationship to us Why we love them

11 Step 5 W R I T E A D E D I C A T I O N L E T T E R T O YOUR CHILD In preparation for Baby D, we ask parents to write a letter to their child. This letter gives you the opportunity to capture your thoughts and emotions as you approach your child s dedication. It can also serve as a future reminder of your commitment to raise your child to know Jesus. This can seem daunting, so we have provided several questions that can help as you write your letter. Simply sit down with your spouse and talk about the questions on the following page. Your responses will take you most of the way to completing your letter. Once your letter is complete, you can upload it to the online registration form. We ll read over the letter a select a brief portion that you will read as part of the dedication ceremony. OUR DEDICATION LETTER :

12 OUR DEDICATION LETTER : Write down the most beautiful, touching attributes and qualities of your child. Define the content of your love as a parent. Name the activities/responsibilities of parenting that give you most contentment/joy/pride. Name the activities/responsibilities of parenting that cause humility/wonder. Describe some memorable moments in the birth of your child moments that you will never forget. Explain the significance of the name you chose for your child. Is it a family name? What are your dreams for your child? What are your dreams for your family? What is your prayer for your child? What is your prayer for your family? How will you nurture and guide your child toward Christ? Through faithful attendance and participation in church? Through Bible Study and other Spiritual Disciplines? Regarding your child s faith development, what is the one thing you most want/ need from your church? Dedicate your child to God in your own words.

13 OUR DEDICATION LETTER : Dear OUR DEDICATION LETTER :