View source for Dedication Service

Some Christian denominations have a special service called a dedication service instead of an [[Infant Baptism|infant baptism]]. This is where they thank [[God]] for the arrival of their new child. The service dedicates the baby's life back to God.

Some Christians use the dedication service to pray for a name for their child, this name may then have a special meaning,

== What happens at a dedication service? ==
Friends and family are brought to the front of the [[church]] and welcomes along with the [[baby]] by the church [[pastor]]. The pastor usually reads and explains a passage from the bible and then the baby's parents will make their promises to [[God]].

After the promises have been made the life of the baby is blessed by the church pastor and family through [[Prayer|prayers]] and sometimes [[song]].

== Promises made at a dedication service ==
As part of this service the parents and the church family make promises about how they will bring up the [[baby]].

The church family makes two promises:

# To help the parents bring up their child in the [[Christian]] [[religion]].
# To help the baby grow up knowing about [[God]] and [[Jesus]].

The parents make the following promises:

* To look after the [[baby]]
* To guide the [[baby]] in the ways of [[God]]
* Help the baby grow up well, learning the stories about [[Jesus]]