Bishop S.O. Taylor (left) raises his hand over young mother Georgia Dunkley as he prays for her baby girl. Also in the photo are the godparents of Shaudonaé. Contributed photos

Young father Aundray Dunkley proudly holds his daughter Shaudonaé, while her mother Georgia looks on and smiles.

Young parents Aundray and Georgia Dunkley walked proudly to the altar at the Trinity New Testament Church of God at Sanguinetti in Clarendon, with their beautiful daughter Shaudonaé Gianna Dunkley recently, to face Reverend Dr Roy Owens and his officers to dedicate their child to the Lord.

It was a packed Sunday morning congregation that turned out to worship the Lord and to witness the two parents taking their little lass for Christian dedication, and to have the Spirit of God called upon the innocent life.

Decked in their black attire and with the baby girl dressed in a full white dress to signify purity, both parents were all smiles as they stood proudly before the many witnesses and listened to the wise words of encouragement uttered by the clergyman.

"The Bible says train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it," Reverend Owens reminded the parents.

He impressed upon the Dunkleys that it is an amazing thing where parents can take infants to church to be christened and dedicated to the Lord just like how Jesus Christ was taken to Jerusalem by his parents to be presented to God. In a similar way, Owens added that Anna (Bible character) bore a son and brought him to the Lord to be dedicated.

After calling on his officers and visiting pastor, Bishop S.O. Taylor, formerly of the Cobbla New Testament Church of God in Manchester, to pray for the baby girl, Reverend Owens raised the familiar christening song Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam.

During his prayer for little Shaudonae, Reverend Owens called on God to watch over her and provide for her parents so that they will be able to give her a good education when she reaches the age to attend school.

"I pray Lord that when this child should have come to the years of maturity that she may choose like Moses and others, to suffer affliction than to enjoy the pleasures for a season," prayed Reverend Owens.

When the pastor and his officers were through praying for the little lass, Owens pronounced her blessed and dedicated to the services of Almighty God in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost before the entire congregation shouted 'Amen' three times.

Reverend Owens, who poured olive oil on the head of the baby girl after he was through praying, reminded her father Aundray that he has a big responsibility to play as he fathers his child. Like the baby, the father and the child's mother also had olive oil poured on their heads.

Shaudonae, who was born at the Mandeville Public Hospital in Manchester on January 23, 2013, weighed 8 pounds at birth. She was the fourth baby christened at the Trinity New Testament Church of God since 2013. Only three babies were brought to the church in 2012 for christening.

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