Parent Commitments
We are excited that you are interested in dedicating your child to the Lord. The purpose of Parent/Child dedication is for parents to present their child before God and the church, committing to seek after His grace and wisdom in carrying out their responsibilities.
We believe Psalm 127:3, which says “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” Parent/Child Dedication is a time for us to celebrate and thank God for the gift of your children. It’s also a time for you, as parents, to commit to model what following Jesus looks like and to raise your children to understand that they are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, to believe that the Bible is absolute Truth, and to know the importance of committing to a community of faith through the local church.
During the dedication service, parents promise before God, their family, and the church to raise their child in a God-honoring way. Because parents are the key role models for their children, we ask that they commit to the following before dedicating their child:
Parent(s) have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Parent(s) are regular attenders of VFC weekend services and are following Christ in their own life.
Parent(s) agree with our church’s beliefs and values, which can be found here.
Parent(s) commit to modeling personal purity and to lead by example in matters of faith and conduct. That means living a life of sexual purity according to God’s standards.
“I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are living according to the truth.” – 3 John1:4
Experience Times with Child Dedications
Norman: Sat April 19th at 6:00PM, Sun April 20th at 1:00PM
Newcastle: Sat April 19th at 6:00PM, Sun April 20th at 8:30AM
Chickasha: Fri April 18th at 6:30PM, Sun April 20th at 10:00AM
Shawnee: Sat April 19th at 6:00PM, Sun April 20th at 8:30AM
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We do ask that families call VFC home, because in dedicating your child to God, you are stating that you are willing to partner with God and the Church to raise your child in cooperation with God’s intentions. As your church family, we are here to partner with you as the body of Christ and support you as a family unit.
Yes! Child dedication signifies the commitment of parents, including single parents, to do their best to raise their child to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We encourage single parents to include any important figures in their child’s life to be a part of the dedication. As a church, VFC is committed to supporting single parents in providing a Christian foundation for their child’s upbringing.
VFC believes baptism is for those who have made a personal decision to trust Jesus alone for their salvation, once they have the maturity and ability to understand what that means.
Dedication is not a sacrament; nor does it impart grace or salvation to a child. Salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ as each person recognizes their sinfulness and receives forgiveness and eternal life through him and his work on the cross.
Rather than baptizing infants or children, we encourage a dedication ceremony, where parents formally call upon God’s blessing for their child and publicly commit to raise him or her in accordance with Scripture.
During the worship experience, parent(s) publicly commit to help their child grow in their faith and to raise them in a home centered on Jesus. Our team welcomes the child and parent(s), prays over each family, and presents a Bible to each child.