Welcoming

There are three types of welcoming ceremonies, a Baptism, Christening or Naming. All ceremonies are lovely ways to celebrate the birth of a child and welcome a new member of the family. The Naming Ceremony is ideally suited to welcome and celebrate an adoptive child into the family or to embrace stepchildren into a new blended family.

During a baptism or naming ceremony, the child receives a name, and the parents vow their intent to be good parents and to provide a loving environment for their child.

There will be a few questions asked during the ceremony.

Ceremonies can take place anywhere, homes, backyards, community halls, hotels or even parks.

Baptism vs Christening

The words baptism and christening are often used by Christians interchangeably as both refer to the same type of ceremony.  There are, however, a few distinctions.

A christening is usually for infants or young children. The word “Christen” means to “name.” This ceremony gives the baby a name before Christ. For babies and young children, baptism may also take place within a christening ceremony.

Baptism is a Christian religious sacrament in which the follower officially embraces the faith. During this ceremony, parents, family, and friends promise to raise and support the child in a Christian environment.

 …

The child is blessed with the Holy Spirit, recognizing not only the love of family but also God’s love.  The symbolism of water being poured or touched on the head represents the cleansing and nourishing of life itself.

One belief is that God’s gift of love does not depend on the ability to understand it, so people may receive baptism as infants right up through adulthood.

An adult baptism may represent a calling to faith at a later age. In some cases, a baby is christened but not baptized. When the child is of age or an adult, he or she can make that decision for themselves.