Gateway Family Dedications

It is our desire at Gateway Caledonia for the parents of each child being dedicated to the Lord to have a Biblical understanding of what a baby dedication signifies. With this as our goal, we would like you to help us by answering a few brief questions that will be used to assist in preparing you and your child for this event.

Your name *

Email address *

Spouse's Name *

Address *

Phone number *

Child's Name (First and Last) *

Birthdate *

Birthplace *

Please provide City and Province.

Hospital *

Please provide City and Province. If the child was a home birth please state "at home"

Church Currently Attending *

Please provide name of church, City and Province

Siblings

Signature of Father *

Please click that you confirm that all information is accurate.

Signature of Mother *

Please click that you confirm that all information is accurate.

Next Steps

Once we have received your application, someone from our Kid's Ministry Team will be in touch with you.

Please complete the following information to personalize your family dedication. You can choose to have family members, friends, one or both of you parents, or Pastor Steve or Pastor Kendra read the verse or prayer, and you may also choose an encourager if you wish. We also ask you choose a Bible verse for your child.

Blessings

Family Verse

Please choose a verse from the Bible you would like to use during the service.

Provide Pictures

Please email up to 5 pictures to shannon@gw.church

Who will be saying the verse and their relationship to the child.

Who will be praying for the child and their relationship to the child.

Who will be the encourager for the child and their relationship to the child.

Gateway Family Dedications

Thanks you for your interest in Family Dedication. At Gateway we celebrate this important step with a separate afternoon service. These special services take place twice a year with one happening in the spring and one in the fall. Along with worship and a devotional message, each family has the opportunity to customize their dedication time including prayer, choosing a verse, and having others take part as encouragers. Prior to the dedication service we ask parents to attend a Family Information Night with our Childrens Pastor, Kendra Comeau.

The Foundation

We believe that faith is meant to be a family thing. He entrusts us with the responsibility of bringing that child in the ways of the Lord and establishing early in his/her life a foundation built upon Jesus Christ. It is this responsibility, that causes us to think of baby dedications as “family dedications.” We feel that the whole family unit needs to be lifted up to the Lord so that each member will be able to keep his/her commitment. Your involvement in family dedication is a pledge to God and the congregation that you are serious about the task that is ahead of you. As your church, our aim is to join you in this dedication and equip you, as together we build spiritually healthy homes.

What does Child Dedication Mean

Dedications at Gateway, simply put, are parents committing to partner with God as they raise children. Hannah is a perfect example. In 1 Samuel 1:11, 26-28, Hannah was weeping before the Lord and made a vow before Him “If you will give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life...” God heard Hannah’s request and gave her a son named Samuel. Hannah kept her vow and set apart Samuel unto the Lord.

Child dedication is a public commitment that parents make before God, the church, and their family. The dedication service provides parents an opportunity to express publicly, their desire to lead and spiritually nurture their children, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, so their children will develop a desire to know God and establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is also a time for family and friends to show their support and intention to help parents with their commitment to their children. There is no “saving grace” attached to this ceremony. It is simply a statement of intent and desire.

What can I expect during the Child Dedication service

During the dedication service, parents express vows before God , their family, and the church, declaring their desire to raise their child in a God honouring way. Because parents are the key role models for their children, they have the primary role in the dedication service.

Family Dedication Commitments

Please answer the following questions.

Family dedications are open to parents who are able to answer “yes” to the following questions:

Do you acknowledge your child as a gift from God? *

Do you desire to live a Godly life before your child so that he or she will have an example to follow? *

Do you commit yourself to give your child opportunity to hear the gospel so that he or she might be able to have a personal relationship with Christ? *

Do you commit yourself to raise your child in the instruction of the Lord? *

Do you receive this child with gratitude, as God’s gift to you and your family? *

Do you commit to each other as parents, creating a stable environment in which your child can mature? *

Do you desire to be parents of personal faith, recognizing your children are more likely to follow God’s path by the model they first observed in you? *

Do you desire to lead a faith filled home, that honours God in all your relationships and in the choices you make? *

Do you desire to be parents with patience? *

Recognizing that with your inherent strengths and weaknesses, your desire to shape your child is a loving act that will require time, prayer, and God, in order to produce in your children what He and you hope for?

Father's Questions

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour? *

If yes, how long ago?

What does it mean to be "born again"? *

How long have you been attending Gateway Church *

What does having your child dedicated mean to you? *

What guidelines do you have for raising your children in the ways of the Lord? *

What does the Bible teach about parenting? *

Please provide a favourite scripture for reference

What can we do as a church to equip you in your role as spiritual parent? *

Mother's Questions