7HATRESPONSEDOWEGIVECHILDRENWHENTHEYASKTOBEBAPTIZED(OWDOWEGOABOUTPREPARINGTHEMTOACCEPT'ODSGRACEANDTOWALKFULLYIN(ISLIGHT7HATRESOURCESDOWEUSETOGETOURPRIMARIESANDJUNIORSREADYFORBAPTISM7HATDOTHEYNEEDTOKNOWBEFOREBAPTISM7HATISTHEBESTAGEFORBAPTISM7ESHOULDNOTHESITATETOOLONGFORTHECHILDSDECISIONWILLFADEAWAY)FWEDONTRESPONDTOTHEIREXCITINGDECISIONTOFOLLOW*ESUSANDBEBAPTIZEDWEMAYLOSETHEGOLDENOPPORTUNITYTODOSOLATER

-AKINGADECISIONTOFOLLOW*ESUSISASERIOUSSTEPTOWARDSPIRITUALGROWTH4HE#HURCH-ANUALPCONCURSTHAT

h"APTISMISASPIRITUALRELATIONSHIP)TCANBEENTEREDINTOONLYBYTHOSEWHOARECONVERTED/NLYINTHISWAYCANTHEPURITYANDSPIRITUALCALIBEROFTHECHURCHBEMAINTAINED)TISTHEDUTYOFEVERYMINISTERTOINSTRUCTTHOSEWHOACCEPTTHEPRINCIPLESOFTHETRUTHTHATTHEYMAYENTERTHECHURCHONASOUNDSPIRITUALBASIS7HILETHEREISNOSTATEDAGEFORBAPTISMITISRECOMMENDEDTHATVERYYOUNGCHILDRENWHOEXPRESSADESIRETOBEBAPTIZEDSHOULDBEENCOURAGEDANDENTEREDINTOANINSTRUCTIONPROGRAMTHATMAYLEADTOBAPTISMv

%LLEN'7HITEALSORECOGNIZESTHATCHILDRENDOMAKESERIOUSDECISIONSFORBAPTISM3HECOUNSELSTHECHURCHIN4ESTIMONIESVOLPTHAT

h#HILDRENOFEIGHTTENORTWELVEYEARSAREOLDENOUGHTOBEADDRESSEDONTHESUBJECTOFPERSONALRELIGION$ONOTTEACHYOURCHILDRENWITHREFERENCETOSOMEFUTUREPERIODWHENTHEYSHALLBEOLDENOUGHTOREPENTANDBELIEVETHETRUTH)FPROPERLYINSTRUCTEDVERYYOUNGCHILDRENMAYHAVECORRECTVIEWSOFTHEIRSTATEASSINNERSANDOFTHEWAYOFSALVATIONTHROUGH#HRISTv

JJ

7HENACHILDMAKESADECISIONTOBECOMEAFOLLOWEROF#HRISTTHE#HILDRENS-INISTRIES#OORDINATORSHOULDENCOURAGETHECHURCHLEADERSHIPTOARRANGEASERVICEOF!FlRMATIONOF&AITHFORTHATCHILD3UCHACEREMONYHELPSTOAFlRMTHECHILDSDECISIONANDTOLETHIMKNOWTHATTHECONGREGATIONREJOICESWITHHIMHERFORMAKINGSUCHACOMMITMENT

. 7 3 .74";#4#3%""#7%#4%33# %$37,60$/*8,'(/,1(6$1'5(&200(1'$7,216)25&+,/'5(1.73

{

. 7 3

JJXv4l3ELECTANDUSEACHILDSBAPTISMALSTUDYGUIDEORANYOTHERAPPROPRIATE"IBLE

STUDYMATERIALFORCHILDRENTHATISAPPROVEDBYTHE3EVENTHDAY!DVENTISTCHURCH4HEFOLLOWINGSTUDYGUIDESARERECOMMENDEDFORUSEWITHCHILDREN

- "IBLE4REASURESEDITEDBY!ILEEN3OX.AMPA)DAHO0ACIlC0RESS0UBLISHING !SSOCIATION

- #HRIST7ISE$ISCIPLESHIP'UIDEFOR*UNIORSBY4ROY&ITZGERALD(AGERSTOWN -$2EVIEWAND(ERALD0UBLISHING!SSOCIATION

- #HRIST7ISE$ISCIPLESHIP'UIDEFOR4EENSBY4ROY&ITZGERALD(AGERSTOWN-$ 2EVIEWAND(ERALD0UBLISHING!SSOCIATION

- )TS-Y#HOICEBY3TEVE#ASE(AGERSTOWN-$2EVIEWAND(ERALD 0UBLISHING!SSOCIATION

JJA!FTERTHECHILDHASCOMPLETEDTHE"IBLESTUDYANDISREADYTOBECOMEACHURCH

MEMBERPRESENTHISHERREQUESTFORBAPTISMTOTHECHURCHBOARD/NTHEDAYOFBAPTISMWHENTHECHILDWILLBEEXAMINEDPUBLICLYASKTHEPASTORTOUSETHEh3IMPLIlED"APTISMAL6OWSvBY3TEVE#ASE4HISISEASIERFORTHECHILDTOUNDERSTANDTHEVOWSASHEMAKESACOMMITMENT

.74";#4#3%""#7%#4%33#

$IUPDWLRQRI)DLWK!3AMPLE#EREMONY

3ONG ALLOWTHECHILDTOCHOOSEASONGTHATISMEANINGFULTOHIMHER ITDOESNOTHAVETOBESONGFROMTHEHYMNALBUTITMAYBEASONG FROM3ABBATH3CHOOL

)NTRODUCTION HAVETHECHILDSITINTHEFRONTROWBEFORETHECEREMONY THE0ASTORORA&AITH&RIENDWHOKNOWSTHECHILDBEST CANINTRODUCEHIMHERTOTHECONGREGATION GIVEABRIEFHISTORYOFWHENWHEREANDWHATPROMPTEDTHE DECISION FOCUSOFREMARKSISABOUTTHECHILD9OUCOULDSAY h)WOULDLIKETOINTRODUCEYOUTO"RYAN.ELSON-ANYOFYOUHAVE SEEN"RYANHEREATCHURCH,ASTMONTHATOUR#HILDRENS2ETREAT "RYANMADEADECISION(EDECIDEDTOMAKE*ESUSHISFRIEND AND WANTSTOBEONEOF(ISCHILDRENv

!FlRMATION TOBEREADORRECITEDBYTHECHILDTOTHECONGREGATION

&OREXAMPLE h"ECAUSE)KNOWTHAT'ODLOVESME)CHOOSETOLIVEMYLIFEASONEOF (ISCHILDREN"ECAUSE*ESUSDIEDFORME)WANTTOPLEASE(IMTHROUGH THEWAY)LIVE

&AITH&RIEND EXPLAINTHEIRROLE)NTRODUCED &OREXAMPLE (AVINGAFRIENDTOSUPPORTYOUCANMEANTHEDIFFERENCEBETWEEN SUCCESSORFAILURE4HE"IBLESAYSTHATh)FONEFALLSDOWNHISFRIEND

. 7 3

CANHELPHIMUP"UTPITYTHEMANWHOFALLSANDHASNOONETOHELP HIMUPv%CCL

"RYANHASCHOSENHIS3ABBATH3CHOOLTEACHER*ERRY0AGEASHISFAITH FRIEND!FAITHFRIENDISSOMEONEWHOWILLENCOURAGEHIMINALL ASPECTSOFHISLIFEBUTMOSTIMPORTANTLYONHISSPIRITUALWALKWITH *ESUS

&AITHFRIENDRECITESCOMMITMENTTOTHECHILD

&OREXAMPLE h!SYOURFAITHFRIEND)PROMISETOSUPPORTANDCAREFORYOU,IKE YOU)MAYMAKEMISTAKESBUT)KNOWTHAT'ODFORGIVESME)WANT YOUTOKNOWYOUCANCOMEANDTALKTOMEANYTIME)WANTTOBEYOUR FRIENDv

#ONGREGATION GETCONGREGATIONTOPARTICIPATEINTHECEREMONYBY

2ESPONSE RAISINGTHEIRHANDSORSTANDINGASSUPPORT

&OREXAMPLE

h"RYANTHEREAREMANYOTHERPEOPLEHEREWHO)KNOWWOULDALSOLIKE TOBEYOURFAITHFRIEND7OULDTHOSEOFYOUINTHECONGREGATION WHOWOULDLIKETOBEAhFRIENDvTO"RYANPLEASESTAND7OULD THOSEWHOAREWILLINGTOENCOURAGEANDSUPPORTHIMWITHLOVE THOSEWHOWANTTOMAKEACOMMITMENTTOBEPOSITIVEANDNOTCRITICIZE ORCONDEMNBUTBEAFRIENDPLEASESTANDNOWv

0RAYER THEPASTOROFFERSASHORTPRAYER

3HAKE(ANDS GIVETHE!FlRMATIONOF&AITHCARDTOTHECHILD

v%4.Jbbilv"v

.74";#4#3%""#7%#4%33#

6,03/,),('%$37,60$/92:6

"APTISMAL6OWS

)BELIEVEIN'ODTHE&ATHERIN(IS3ON*ESUS#HRISTANDINTHE(OLY3PIRIT

)ACCEPTTHEDEATHOF*ESUSTOPAYFORMYSINS

)ACCEPTTHENEWHEART*ESUSGIVESMEINPLACEOFMYSINFULHEART

)BELIEVETHAT*ESUSISINHEAVENASMYBESTFRIENDANDTHAT(EGIVESMETHE (OLY3PIRITSO)CANOBEY(IM

)BELIEVE'ODGAVEMETHE"IBLEASMYMOSTIMPORTANTGUIDEBOOK

"Y'ODLIVINGINME)WANTTOOBEYTHE4EN#OMMANDMENTSWHICHINCLUDE THEOBSERVANCEOFTHESEVENTHDAYOFTHEWEEKASTHE3ABBATH

)WANTTOHELPASMANYPEOPLEASPOSSIBLETOBEREADYFORTHESOONCOMINGOF *ESUS

)BELIEVE'ODGIVESSPECIALABILITIESTO(ISPEOPLEANDTHATTHE3PIRITOF 0ROPHECYISGIVENTO(ISCHOSENPEOPLE

)WANTTOHELP'ODSCHURCHWITHMYINmUENCEEFFORTANDMONEY

)WANTTOTAKEGOODCAREOFMYBODYBECAUSETHE(OLY3PIRITLIVESTHERENOW

7ITH'ODSPOWER)WANTTOOBEYTHEBASICPRINCIPLESOFTHE3EVENTHDAY !DVENTIST#HURCH

)WANTTOBEBAPTIZEDTOSHOWPEOPLE)AMA#HRISTIAN

)WANTTOBEAMEMBEROFTHE3EVENTHDAY!DVENTIST#HURCHAND)BELIEVE THISCHURCHHASASPECIALMESSAGETOGIVETOTHEWORLD

4AKENFROM)TS-Y#HOICEBY3TEVE#ASE(AGERSTOWN-$2EVIEWAND(ERALD0UBLISHING!SSOCIATION