Christenings

The christening ceremony of Living Water Unity is designed to recognize the Christ Self that indwells the to-be-christened child as the perfect Son of God.  We do not bestow upon the child anything more than she or he already has.  This ceremony is for the community and family of the child.  It is a ceremony that conveys the intentions of the family in the midst of the community.  It is not a ceremony that binds the child in any way to any particular spiritual tradition, for all children have their own path to the realization of the indwelling Spirit.  And that Spirit will unfold and reveal itself to the child in due course.  The christening, then, is a celebration of this process of unfolding that has already begun.

The participants of the christening are usually the immediate family, godparents, siblings of the parents, and grandparents.  If desired, we can offer the christening as part of our Sunday Worship Service if Living Water Unity Church is the community recognized by the parents as that to which the child is being introduced.  The christening can also take place at home or other desired location.

Often favorite readings are offered during the ceremony by one or more of the participants.  The minister may recommend two particular quotes:  Jeremiah 31:31-34 and the segment "On Children" from The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran.

A note about godparents:  it is not necessary to have godparents for the child.  However, the tradition of godparents is to give the child caring adults other than the parents to whom the child can feel closely related.  The godparents should assume their responsibility with consideration.  They are to participate, to the extent the parents desire, in helping the child through difficulty, in celebrating the child's accomplishments, and in guiding the child appropriately.  The godparent will be a friend, a mentor and a counselor to the child.  It is not a trifling responsibility, but it can also be a wonderful and fulfilling involvement in the child's life.  For further information, please see "Do We Still Need Godparents?"

The cost of the christening ceremony is $75 plus $15 for each 15 minutes of commuting time from the church's location or the minister's home (whichever is less).  If the ceremony is conducted within 15 minutes of the church's location or the minister's home, no commuting time costs are charged.  If the christening is conducted as part of the Sunday Worship Service, there is no ceremony fee charged.