Have you ever wondered why our church does a Baby Dedication like we did at the 9:00 a.m. service on Sunday, January 22?
“Baby dedication is a time for you and our church family to come together and promise to do our best in raising your children to know Jesus and grow in their relationship with Him throughout their life,” Julie Jewell, our Northstar Children’s Minister, shared.
Julie led a group of parents through this process that began with listening to parenting talks, doing intentional homework, and attending a parent orientation meeting.
Suzie and Joey Schmitt dedicated their daughter, Lily. Suzie shared, “I really enjoyed thinking and discussing the homework with my husband, Joey, about what kind of woman we desired to see Lily become. We spent time talking about what we hoped for her character, even beyond an intimate love relationship with Jesus. I wouldn’t have probably taken the time to think specifically about characteristics of Christ we would want to see emphasized in our home. Now that we both know what we are working towards, we can filter every decision we make regarding Lily, through that lens. Together, we wrote a prayer for Lily and I look forward to reflecting back on it often.”
Suzie also expressed her appreciation for the purposeful way Northstar comes alongside parents. “We really enjoyed learning more about the children’s program at Northstar. They provided us with great material, including a children’s Bible and practical ways to expose our baby to the gospel daily. It was evident that they were passionate about helping us raise Lily to know and love Jesus. I can’t wait till she is a little older and gets to be part of such an awesome children’s ministry!”
Lauren and Sam Eastridge dedicated their son, Owen. Lauren shared, “We chose to dedicate our Owen because we feel that the most important thing we can do for him in life is to do our best to provide a loving, strong, Christian environment for him to grow up in. We want him to know that no matter what happens in life, the most important thing, and the only thing that lasts forever, is your relationship with God. We also want him to grow up to show the love of Jesus to everyone, no matter who they are. I think it brings Sam and I closer as a married couple as we know that we have a common goal in mind–to do our best to raise Owen to love the Lord.”
She added, “I like that Northstar makes a ‘big deal’ out of baby dedication, because it is a big deal. They gave us homework to prepare us in thinking about why we are doing what we are doing, and ways we can nurture our own relationships with the Lord as parents over the years. They also provided Bibles for each child, which is really generous. They really want us to read the Bible to our children often. Baby Dedication was a special day for our family!”
The baby dedication concluded with a Baby Dedication Celebration, a lunch at the Northstar Ministry Center, where families who participated in the Baby Dedication gathered with the grandparents, other family members, and friends to celebrate what God is doing in the lives of these families as they dedicate their child to Jesus.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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 on 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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” –Deuteronomy 6:4-9
