Child Dedications take place during the Sunday service and welcome and celebrate the miraculous life of a child. The Child Dedication is a time when parents and community commit to guide and nurture the moral and spiritual development of a child. Contact Reverend Hepler for more information.

Unitarian Universalists believe that every child bring new life and hope into the world. The Ceremony of Dedication does not make the life of the child sacred; we believe that life is inherently sacred. When we dedicate a child we acknowledge the truth that each child’s life is sacred and hold that truth in the light of our faith.

The dedication ceremony can include various elements, such as:

• water, a universal symbol of blessing and life
• fire, a symbol of passion
• earth, a symbol of centeredness and connection to the interconnected web of existence
• air, a symbol of the breath of life and all that surrounds us
• The laying of the minister’s hand on the child’s head as a sign of blessing
• The gift of a symbol, a symbol of life’s beauty and the unfolding of life. If the flower is a rose, we remove the thorns, in the hope that the child’s life will be filled with as few thorns as possible and that when there are thorns the child will always be surrounded by a caring community.

“Each night a child is born is a holy night–A time for singing, a time for wondering, a time for worshipping.” Sophia Lyon Fahs