This week I had the blessing of talking with one of our sweet 3rd graders at church. Her mom had made an appointment for them to visit with me since she had accepted Christ at home. Like many of us, during our conversation, I made the comment that becoming a Christian was the most important decision she could make.
However, while we believe this, sometimes our actions often don’t match our words. Our children see us get so much more excited about our favorite sports team winning a National Championship, our child winning honors at school, or having a perfectly themed Birthday party.
For most Christians, the day they accept Christ publicly and are baptized are pretty much like any other day. They get up, go to church, are baptized, congratulated and hugged by the church family and hear phrases like the above first phrase over and over again. Yet, they leave with their baptism certificate in hand and go home to another ordinary day or at least not one filled with as much anticipation and excitement as a birthday party or being a part of an exciting sports event.
I want to encourage us as parents and Kids Ministers to find ways to celebrate spiritual milestones in the lives of Children.
Listed below are a few ideas to celebrate your child’s Baptism:
- Send out invitations to friends and family for this special event just like you would for any other party
- Take pictures during the day and put in a special album or scrapbook
- Go out to eat or fix a special meal your child enjoys
- Have a celebration cake
- If gifts are given – encourage gifts to help your child’s spiritual growth – a new Bible, a devotional book, etc. (Need help choosing a child’s Bible? Check out my previous blog article.)
- Have friends and family share their favorite scripture and/or words of encouragement by writing it on index cards to later place in a special box or scrapbook.
- Create a video of the day. Be sure to include the baptism and words of encouragement from Sunday School teachers, church members, family, and/or friends.
Here are some Ideas for celebrating spiritual birthdays each year (or 5 years):
- Collect pictures from the previous year(s) of your child involved in spiritual growth activities such as mission projects and/or trips, Bible Drills, prayer, etc. Place these in a small album or scrapbook. Spend some time on their spiritual birthday going back over the pictures and sharing the memories and/or what God taught them.
- Have a celebration day – complete with special meal and cake! Recall the time when they accepted Christ and were baptized. Share about what God has taught them or how they have grown spiritually in the last year
- Create a special “Spiritual Birthday page” – Maybe include a picture of your child, a brief description of age, interests, etc. Here are a few ideas to include:
- Favorite Bible Verse (or new verse learned) this year
- Mission projects/trips they have participated in the past year
- Teachers at church along with something they have learned in class
- Something God has taught them in the past year
- Schedule a special mission project with your child or spiritual growth challenge (to read a book of the Bible together or learn several new scripture verses together.)
Becoming a Christian IS the most important life decision our child can make. Let’s celebrate this awesome milestone with our children just like we do when they have a Birthday or get married later in life. I would love to hear how you celebrate spiritual milestones at your church or in your family.
Maria Brannen 