May 10, 2026
We give Glory to God
Call to Worship - Congregational Prayer
O Father of Lights, you are the giver of every good and perfect gift.
Thank you for your grace towards us, O Father.
In your sovereign goodness, you have seen fit to design motherhood and to
create our mothers.
Thank you for the gift of our mothers.
Lord Jesus, your Gospels tell us that you pursue your wandering people like a
mother hen who gathers her chicks beneath her wings.
Thank you for your grace towards us, O Christ.
How often have our mothers pursued us as you have pursued your people in
love?
Thank you for the gift of our mothers.
Holy Spirit, you are our Comforter. You remind us of all that Christ has said
and done.
Thank you for your grace towards us, O Spirit.
The comfort and the instruction which we received from our mothers points
us to that which is found in you alone.
Thank you for the gift of our mothers.
True and living God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: we are gathered here
to worship you for who you are and for what you have done.
Thank you for your grace towards us, O God.
As we offer this heartfelt prayer, we thank you for all that our mothers have
done to bring us into the world and to put us in the position to be here today.
Thank you for the gift of our mothers.
Thank you for your grace towards us, O Father.
In your sovereign goodness, you have seen fit to design motherhood and to
create our mothers.
Thank you for the gift of our mothers.
Lord Jesus, your Gospels tell us that you pursue your wandering people like a
mother hen who gathers her chicks beneath her wings.
Thank you for your grace towards us, O Christ.
How often have our mothers pursued us as you have pursued your people in
love?
Thank you for the gift of our mothers.
Holy Spirit, you are our Comforter. You remind us of all that Christ has said
and done.
Thank you for your grace towards us, O Spirit.
The comfort and the instruction which we received from our mothers points
us to that which is found in you alone.
Thank you for the gift of our mothers.
True and living God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: we are gathered here
to worship you for who you are and for what you have done.
Thank you for your grace towards us, O God.
As we offer this heartfelt prayer, we thank you for all that our mothers have
done to bring us into the world and to put us in the position to be here today.
Thank you for the gift of our mothers.
We Give Glory to God through our Family/Child Dedications
Three Foundations for This Celebration:
1. Children are a good gift from God. As our Statement of Faith reads,
“Children, from the moment of conception, bear the image of God and
are a blessing and heritage from Him.” (This comes directly from
Psalm 127:3).
2. Parents play a primary role in discipling their children towards
lifelong faith in Jesus Christ. Also according to our Statement of
Faith, “Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for
marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral
values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and
loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth.”
Ephesians 6:4: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but
bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
3. Discipling children isn’t a role for parents only – it’s a role for
the local church.
Psalm 78:1-4: “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your
ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I
will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and
known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their
children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of
the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”
Today’s Family/Child Dedication: The Ensley Family
Joshua and Krista Ensley are covenant members of Autumn Ridge
Community Church. Today, they are coming forward to dedicate
Augustine Phillip Ensley (3-years-old) and Josiah Joshua Ensley (2-
months-old).Augustine's name was chosen after hearing a heart-touching miracle
story from a friend. Josiah's name was chosen in part due to the
honorable King Josiah of Israel who reformed the nation back to biblical
worship of God.
Vows for Parents, Foster Parents, and Guardians:
Do you entrust your child to God and his providential plan and care,
recognizing that they ultimately belong to him?
Do you commit to raising your child with God as your ultimate authority,
as he has revealed himself in the Bible?
Do you commit to instruct your child by word and example of the truth
of the gospel as it is found in God’s Word, and to making the gospel
central in your family’s life?
Do you commit to pray for your child and to teach them to pray?
Do you commit to disciple, love, discipline, and care for your child in a
way that points them to Jesus Christ?Do you commit to providing for, to the best of your ability, this child’s
physical, emotional, and spiritual needs?
Do you commit to pursuing these vows not in isolation, but rather within
the biblical community of the local church?
Vows for the Church:
While anyone is welcome to make these promises, we ask for covenant
members of Autumn Ridge Community Church to stand during this time.
The Autumn Ridge Community Church Membership Covenant says, “We
will remain committed to lifestyles of personal disciple-making (cf.
Matthew 28:18-20). We will walk in wisdom towards those who are
outside the family of God (cf. Colossians 4:5), as well as towards those at
all stages of Christian maturity (cf. 1 Timothy 3:15). By a pure and loving
example, we will seek the salvation and maturation of our families, our
friends, and others with whom we have opportunity.”
Based on these covenant commitments,
Do you commit to partner with these parents as we all seek to instruct
these children by word and example of the truth of the gospel as it is
found in God’s Word?
Do you commit to pray for these children – that they will grow to love
Jesus and trust in him?
Do you commit to pray for these parents and encourage them as they
face the trials of parenting?
And do you commit to follow the Spirit’s leading as He gives you
opportunity to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of these
families as part of the body of Christ?
[If so, please respond with, “I DO”]
1. Children are a good gift from God. As our Statement of Faith reads,
“Children, from the moment of conception, bear the image of God and
are a blessing and heritage from Him.” (This comes directly from
Psalm 127:3).
2. Parents play a primary role in discipling their children towards
lifelong faith in Jesus Christ. Also according to our Statement of
Faith, “Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for
marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral
values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and
loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth.”
Ephesians 6:4: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but
bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
3. Discipling children isn’t a role for parents only – it’s a role for
the local church.
Psalm 78:1-4: “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your
ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I
will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and
known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their
children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of
the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”
Today’s Family/Child Dedication: The Ensley Family
Joshua and Krista Ensley are covenant members of Autumn Ridge
Community Church. Today, they are coming forward to dedicate
Augustine Phillip Ensley (3-years-old) and Josiah Joshua Ensley (2-
months-old).Augustine's name was chosen after hearing a heart-touching miracle
story from a friend. Josiah's name was chosen in part due to the
honorable King Josiah of Israel who reformed the nation back to biblical
worship of God.
Vows for Parents, Foster Parents, and Guardians:
Do you entrust your child to God and his providential plan and care,
recognizing that they ultimately belong to him?
Do you commit to raising your child with God as your ultimate authority,
as he has revealed himself in the Bible?
Do you commit to instruct your child by word and example of the truth
of the gospel as it is found in God’s Word, and to making the gospel
central in your family’s life?
Do you commit to pray for your child and to teach them to pray?
Do you commit to disciple, love, discipline, and care for your child in a
way that points them to Jesus Christ?Do you commit to providing for, to the best of your ability, this child’s
physical, emotional, and spiritual needs?
Do you commit to pursuing these vows not in isolation, but rather within
the biblical community of the local church?
Vows for the Church:
While anyone is welcome to make these promises, we ask for covenant
members of Autumn Ridge Community Church to stand during this time.
The Autumn Ridge Community Church Membership Covenant says, “We
will remain committed to lifestyles of personal disciple-making (cf.
Matthew 28:18-20). We will walk in wisdom towards those who are
outside the family of God (cf. Colossians 4:5), as well as towards those at
all stages of Christian maturity (cf. 1 Timothy 3:15). By a pure and loving
example, we will seek the salvation and maturation of our families, our
friends, and others with whom we have opportunity.”
Based on these covenant commitments,
Do you commit to partner with these parents as we all seek to instruct
these children by word and example of the truth of the gospel as it is
found in God’s Word?
Do you commit to pray for these children – that they will grow to love
Jesus and trust in him?
Do you commit to pray for these parents and encourage them as they
face the trials of parenting?
And do you commit to follow the Spirit’s leading as He gives you
opportunity to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of these
families as part of the body of Christ?
[If so, please respond with, “I DO”]