GEORGE HENRY, STAR Writer

The clock on the wall inside the Sanguinetti New Testament Church of God in Clarendon on Sunday, February 1, was saying 12:30 p.m., when Alvin and Ochia Ferguson and the godparents of their boy child, Kishawn, were called before the altar by Reverend Donald Dawson to have their son dedicated to the Lord.

After the group was settled with the lad at the altar, Reverend Dawson called on the officers of the church to stand behind them, while the old baby-christening song, When Mothers Of Salem, was being sung by the congregation.

The parents and godparents were all smiles as the song was being sung, and it was evident the young father and mother were really proud on the important occasion.

"And the Lord said, 'I know Abraham, that he will command his children and his household after him; and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgement. Hanna bares a son and called his name Samuel and brought him into the house of the Lord at Shiloah to Eli, and he said, 'For this child I prayed and the Lord, has given me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore, I have lent him to the Lord for as long as he Liveth" read Rev Dawson from the Bible.

Dawson went on to tell the congregation that Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him; and he let none of His words fall to the ground.

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. The family is a divine institution ordained by God since the beginning of time. Children are a heritage of the Lord, committed by Him to the parents for care, protection and training for His glory," instructed Reverend Dawson.

He impressed upon the Fergusons and the godparents that it is their duty to recognise this obligation as a solemn responsibility to God and their child; and that they should also recognize the sacredness of the charge, while in all sincerity accept their responsibility for the nurture and admonition of little Kishawn in the ways of righteousness and godliness.

Dawson reminded the parents that it is their duty to provide a Christian home and a godly environment for Kishawn, as well as to see to it that he is taught, as soon as he is able to learn, the principles of the Holy faith and the nature of the Christian life.

The parents then pledged to do all that is necessary to ensure that the lad is brought up in the way of the Lord from an early age. Kishawn was then prayed for by the pastor and the members of his council. They called on the Lord to protect him from all illnesses and disease, provide for the parents so that they will be able to give him the best support, as well as to dispatch angels to protect him from all harm and danger.

Speaking to The STAR's Life and Times, Alvin and Ochia made it clear that they will encourage their son from an early age to attend Sunday school often, minister to him from early about Jesus Christ, read story books to him about the Lord, so that he can be fully sensitised to the Christian pathway and to good Christian living.

Kishawn was born at the Mandeville Regional Hospital in Manchester on November 21, 2014. He weighed eight pounds at birth. He was the second baby to be christened at the church since the start of 2015.

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