Dear Parent:

One of the core values of First Baptist Arlington is that God designed the family as the primary place for discipleship. The Faith Journey initiative exists to partner with you as you guide your child? s spiritual journey one step at a time. Age-appropriate kits have been created to help you leverage the best faith formation strategy for your child? s stage of development. In this Parent Dedication kit you will find practical ideas and suggested resources to help you begin the journey well.

Getting Started

To help you get started, this kit includes Praying for My Child ideas. Go ahead and start a routine in order to turn good intentions into good practice. We hope you find this kit helpful in the process of forming the faith of your child at home. Feel free to visit fbca.org/faithjourney to learn more or to determine if your child/children are ready for other Faith Journey markers.

Blessings,

The Young Families Ministry Team

Congratulations!

If you are reading this, your family was recently blessed with a new baby. As a church, we are excited to partner with you as you begin this incredible journey with your child.

What is Parent Dedication?

Parent Dedication is a special time during a weekend service in which you make a formal commitment to raise your child in a Christ-centered home. We see several examples in the Bible such as: I Samuel 1 :24 ? 2:1 0 when Hannah dedicated Samuel at the temple, and Luke 2 where Mary and Joseph dedicated Jesus.

During the weekend services you will be asked to make a public pledge before the congregation that you will raise your child to know, love and follow Jesus Christ. God designed the home as the primary place for faith to be nurtured. One way that we seek to partner with you is by providing resources throughout your child? s spiritual development. We call this Faith Journey. Parent Dedication is the first journey marker.

The Parent’s Commitment

Parent Dedication is your commitment to model, teach and reinforce the Christian faith. It should not be confused with your child’s personal choice to follow Christ. We believe the Bible clearly teaches that each person must decide for themselves to trust in Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10). The age a child is ready to make this personal decision will vary depending on the child. When your child is ready to make their personal decision, Faith Journey packets are available to you

The Church’s Commitment

Parent Dedication is also a time for the church to commit to walk alongside you as you point your child toward Christ. The church supports you in this journey through prayer, relationships and resources. As a sign of this commitment from the church, your child will be given a Bible presented to them at the Parent Dedication.

Parent Dedication Steps

Sign up for the next Parent Dedication by contacting Preschool Ministry.
Attend a Parent Dedication Class offered prior to the Dedication service.
Participate in an upcoming Parent Dedication during Sunday morning worship.

Parent Dedication Celebration Ideas

Ideas for making dedication a special time include…

Invite family & friends to join you on the weekend of Parent Dedication so they can be present with you.
Have a dinner or celebration time with family and friends before/after the weekend service.
Save the picture with the Pastor and the life verse you chose for your child at Dedication. Frame it, put it in a special place to later show your child the commitment you made to them.