We are so glad that you are interested in participating with us in the Parent Dedication Celebration. You have been entrusted with the precious gift of new life, and we look forward to partnering with you as you embark on this parenting journey. We hope the Parent Dedication Celebration will be a memorable occasion for you and your family.

In order to participate in Parent Dedication, parents or guardians of the child must be participating members of Northeast.  We feel like this is an important first step for you to understand what we believe and for us to truly be able to partner with you in the spiritual development of your child.

Before we get to the BIG EVENT, we invite you to complete the following steps to prepare for the Parent Dedication Celebration.

We have created a resource, which includes three parenting messages that we feel will really help you start right now, at the beginning, to do the things that will truly matter the most to you and your child in the future. These early years are incredibly important. Listening to this series and talking about it together with your spouse will be an investment of time that you will never regret.

INTRO: Download Message
MESSAGE 1: Download Message You are the spiritual leader in your home and your child's greatest guide in understanding what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
MESSAGE 2: Download Message The most important relationship in your home is your marriage and its one that will lead to your child's emotional health and confidence in life.
MESSAGE 3: Download Message When your children walk out your door to face their futures as adults, what are the values you will have instilled in them? This message will encourage you to really think with the end in mind.

Once you have completed STEP 1, you will attend a 45-minute orientation on a Sunday afternoon. We will introduce you to our Route 252 children's ministry, our environment created especially for children up to 5th grade. We will talk about the homework assignment from the third talk in STEP 1 and give you the information you need to sign up for our Parent Dedication Celebration.

Unless you are a single parent, it is important that both parents attend this orientation. To register for STEP 2 (the orientation), please email Leslie@northeastcc.com or call her at 815-633-3536.

The GRAND FINALE! Actually, it's really just the beginning. Once you have completed STEPS 1 and 2, we would love for you and your family to participate with us in a time of DEDICATION and CELEBRATION.

Parent Dedication Celebration is about a commitment to put God first in your home and to trust in Him as your source of direction as you lead your family and parent your child. It is also a time for you and your spouse to share with your closest friends and family what is most important to you and to ask them for their prayer and support.

Our desire is that you will surround yourself with family and friends, who will pray for you, support you, give you good advice, listen to your struggles, and when life gets tough, and help you remember what matters most. We also hope that you will partner with us every Sunday by encouraging your child to fully participate with us as we create environments to lead him or her into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

It is also a time of CELEBRATION! You will enjoy cake and punch and take lots of pictures to mark this moment in time. We want you to create an unforgettable memory of the promise that you've made to lead your child in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ with the people who are there to pray for you and support you as you raise this child.

What you can expect at the celebration

• We will reserve a table for your family and close friends.
• We ask that the only other young children are the siblings of the child being dedicated. This will ensure that you can focus on this special event with no distractions.
• You will have an opportunity to share what you've decided from your homework assignment in STEP 1.
• We will lead you in a prayer of dedication.
• You will have time to eat cake and take pictures with your family.
• We will have a professional photographer to take your picture with your child.
• The event will last about an hour.

Requirements

• Parent Dedication is so much more than an event. You must complete STEP 1 and STEP 2 before your Parent Dedication Celebration.
• You must be a participating member of Northeast to participate in the Parent Dedication Celebration.
• While this event is geared towards families with newborns we do recognize that there are parents who have chosen Christ after their child is out of the infant stage. For this reason we do allow parents to dedicate their children 10 years and younger.
• This event is offered in the spring and fall.

Not Infant Baptism

• This event is not infant baptism. We believe that when people are old enough to understand what it means to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, they should have the opportunity to make that choice for themselves. This event is about your commitment as a parent to lead your child into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, so that as he gets older, you are able to guide him and to help him understand what that means.