Services of Baptism and Dedication

Special Services for Children and their Families

Many parents or carers choose to have a special service to celebrate a new child in the family. (The services in some traditions used to be called "Christenings"). At Gungahlin Uniting Church we offer a choice of 3 special services of celebration for children and their families: A Service of Baptism, a Service of Dedication and a Service of Thanksgiving.

These services are available at any of our 9:30am Sunday worship celebrations, with the exception of the first Sunday of each month. For a number of reasons, families choose either a service of Baptism, a Dedication or a Thanksgiving. To begin to help you decide which service will be the most suitable for you some of the background to each service is set out below.

What are the services?

A Baptism Service essentially marks two things. Firstly, and most importantly, it is a celebration of God's unconditional love for us (a sign of his "grace"). Secondly, it marks the fact that the person is committed to Christ's life and mission in the world.

In the case of an adult being baptised, that commitment is given by the person themself. In the case of a young child, however, it is given on behalf of the child by the parent(s) or carer(s), in the hope and faith that a personal faith in Jesus Christ will be adopted by the child at a later point in their life. The service involves a commitment to be part of the life of the church, and to grow in the Christian faith. Baptism is an event that happens once only in a person's life, as it marks the beginning of a person's growth in response to God's love. It does not give a child (or an adult) any 'spiritual advantage' over anyone else or 'guarantee a place in heaven.'

As part of the service of Baptism, symbols of water (representing dying and rising to new life, and also God's overflowing love) and a candle (representing that Christ is the light of the world) are used.

A Service of Dedication is also a great celebration of God’s unconditional love and extravagant grace.

In this service, the parents or carers plus other family and friends, join with the congregation of the church to give thanks to God for the gift of a child. The family also makes some promises about the way they will raise their child, and the community of faith commit to support parents and child in their growth as a family and the development of their relationship with God. As with Baptism, our hope and prayer is that the child will discover their own relationship with God and become a follower of Jesus.

As part of the service of Dedication, a candle (representing the reality of Christ being the light of the world) is used. In both services, the gathered community of faith welcomes the child and a presentation of a Children's Bible is made to the family.

Who are the services available to?

The Uniting Church will baptise people who profess the Christian faith, and children who are presented for baptism, for whose instruction and nourishment in the faith the congregation takes responsibility.

Services of Dedication are open to any person or family who wishes to mark a special time in their life by giving thanks to God.

Both services are conducted in the congregation in which the person (or in the case of a young child, the parent(s)) either currently participates or promises in the future to participate.

Why would I choose one form of service instead of the other?

There are many different reasons why people choose one service instead of the other. A person's choice, and the service which is held, does not make one person (or child) better than another. One service does not give a person a ‘head-start' in their relationship with God.

• People who have not previously been baptised, and who now wish to acknowledge God's love and their own personal commitment to God and to the ministry of God in the world, may choose to participate in an "Adult Baptism."
  
• People who have been baptised, and who now wish to acknowledge God's love in their lives and make their own personal commitment to God as followers of Jesus, may choose to participate in a "Reaffirmation of Baptism."
  
• Parents or carers who wish to acknowledge God's love for their child, and who feel that they would like to declare their commitment to raise the child knowing, experiencing and participating in God's love for the world, may choose to participate in an "Infant Baptism".
  
• Parents or carers who wish to acknowledge God's love for their child, but who feel they would prefer their child to make any commitment or promises in response to that love, may choose to participate in a Dedication.
  
• Parents or carers who wish to acknowledge God's love for their child, but do not feel they are ready to make commitments to God and the church about their child being raised in the Christian faith, may choose to participate in a Service of Thanksgiving.

What about "God Parents"?

In the Uniting Church, the main responsibility in assisting the parent(s) raising their child belongs to the church congregation (or community of faith). The congregation is asked to make promises in any Service of Baptism or Dedication concerning the way in which the child will be enabled to experience God's love.

In a sense, the entire congregation is the child's "God-parents". That is one reason why, in preparation for a Baptism or Dedication, we encourage the family to get to know the congregation, as they will be asking the congregation to care for their child and support them as parents.

However, if the parents have special friends that are going to be particularly close to the family in helping the child learn of God's love for him or her, those friends are able to be included in the service.

Is there a preparation course or any other things to know about?

Prior to a Service of Baptism or Dedication, we hold an Exploration of Faith Course to help remind people of the basic elements of the Christian faith. This course runs for 4 1-hour sessions (normally once per week). Therefore, there is normally a period of about 2 months between beginning arrangements and the Baptism/Dedication service itself.

We also ask that families attend 4-6 worship services before Baptism/Dedication to begin to get to know the community of faith with whom you will be sharing and to become more familiar with the type of worship and mission Gungahlin Uniting Church offers to individuals and families.

In addition, for either a Service of Baptism or a Service of Dedication, our minister, Rev. Mark Faulkner, plus a member of our Pastoral Care Team, will meet with the person or the family to help you be familiar and comfortable with the structure and style of the service itself.

We hope that this information has helped you as you think through which service is best to mark your special occasion in life. For more information about either service, please phone Mark Faulkner on 6242 5001.