Our friends Matt and Michelle welcomed their third child into the world just 4 weeks ago.  Her name is Caroline and she’s a quiet, beautiful addition to our church family.  This week, Matt’s parents were in town from SC, so both sets of grandparents were able to join us as we dedicated both Caroline and their toddler, Abigail.  It was a sweet, sincere time of seeking God’s presence and blessing on their lives as well as dedicating the whole church family to their upbringing in the Lord.

Proverbs 22:6, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

There’s an old Aftrican proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.”  (Yes, Hillary Clinton capitalized on that saying a lot too.)  And as a community of Jesus followers who believe in the holistic upbringing of children, we in the house church world open our lives and our children’s lives up to one another.  Some house churches take that farther than others, but we definitely strive for humility and wisdom as we seek one another’s advice, observe how other parents raise their kids, and seek to understand God’s perspective on the whole thing.  This was our commitment as we dedicated Abigail and Caroline.  Not just to commit to pray for them occasionally and send them birthday cards, but to treat them as family.  Nieces in God’s family.

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