Baby Blessings in New Orleans

 Fig Street Ministry also does other religious services. We do Baby Blessings in the Metro area. Usually at homes or restaurants where the entire family gathers to welcome the new child into the community.

 Sample  Baby Blessing

Greeting

Officiant:

Today is a very special day for all of us. It is a day in which we celebrate the birth of this child Evangeline.  A day in which her parents introduce her to her extended family, friends, as well as the community that she will live and grow up in.

Today is truly a celebration of love, and of life! BABY iis a gift. Her smile, her laughter, and her presence enrich the lives of all who know her. This child is our future and represents the light of the world. Today we simply give thanks and celebrate all the many wonderful blessings BABY brings and do our best to remember, and be thankful for, the very special role that we all have in her life.

Charge To Parents

Officiant:

BABY has honored you by choosing you as her parents. Therefore, honor her and remember that BABY is her own being with her own thoughts and feelings. She is a child of the universe and has been given many gifts from the Divine so that she can light the way for the future. Therefore, it is important for you to support her and protect her, so that her gifts may blossom and she can make this world better than it was before.

Parental Promise

Officiant:

MOM and DAD will you promise to love, nurture, and support BABY and to create a healthy environment so that she may grow on her specific path? If so, please answer “We will.”

Parents: We will

Do you promise to teach her not who or what, but how to love, to trust, to respect, and to value her hopes and dreams so that she may truly participate in the remarkable journey that is life?

Parents: We will.

 

To expose her to a variety of experiences, showing her the beginnings of many a wondrous journey, instilling in her a sense of wonder and passion, and the knowledge that she alone has the power to complete herself?

Parents: We will.

To teach her right from wrong, to enable her to make her place in society as a kind and caring person?

Parents: We will.

Officiant:

To teach her to celebrate diversity, never ever being aware of prejudice. Knowing no boundaries, to be loving of all that surrounds her in her life, and celebrate the similarities and differences in our world?

Parents: We will.

To hold her close in your hearts always, yet still encourage her to stand on her own when the time comes so that she may discover her own true self?

Parents: We will.

Charge To Godparents

A wonderful tradition in our culture on these occasions is the responsibility accepted by Godparents. Godparents are those who promise they will be there in CHILD life should she need support, wisdom, comfort and guidance. They are someone she knows will always be standing quietly behind her, encouraging her to make good choices, and sharing with her the lessons they themselves have learned along the way.

Today Woman  and Man  have agreed to become involved in Baby  life .

They have been chosen by MOM and DAD because of their connection with them, and the family. The fact that they have been chosen by is an indicator of their position of trust, and respect within this family.

Godparents come forward

Officiant:

“While you are not Baby  parents, the place that you have both taken in her life is an

important one. MOM and DAD trust your motivations and your judgment and they take comfort in knowing that although there will be times when she cannot come to them, that she will be able to come to you for guidance and support. By accepting the role of Godparent you say to BABY and the world. I promise, I will be there for you as you grow into womanhood. With this in mind I now ask you...

Godparents Vows

Will you as best as you can, encourage, guide and support her in all her endeavors,

Help her recognize the beauty within herself and all things,

And help her realize her own hopes and dreams?

Godparents: “We will.”

Officiant:

“May you always know how special you are to this family that they would ask you to tend to the most precious thing that they have in this world."

The Blessing Of The Child

Officiant:

May the gift of CHILD presence bring joy and gladness to the hearts of all who love her.

May she be blessed and protected through all of the wonderful and

Difficult things that they years will bring.

May she find goodness and inspiration,

and be given the wisdom to discern the true from the transient,

May her life be rich and full in wealth that is measured by both the physical

and spiritual context of her existence

May BABY be prosperous in all ways.

May she love well and be well loved.

Through each passage and season,

May she always be surrounded

by the warmth of family and friends.

And may her days be forever filled with love and happiness.

Dear Little One, we welcome you with love,

And ask for these Blessings to flow from Above,

Officiant touches top of her head and say:

You are connected, protected, loved, and blessed.

Officiant her forehead and say:

All your senses are blessed, protected, and awakened.

Officiant touches her heart and say:

Your heart is blessed so that you may feel compassion for yourself and others.

Officiant touches her hands:

Your hands are blessed so that you may reach out to the world.

Your feet are blessed so that you may connect with the earth, be grounded, and stand your ground in this world. Know that your spirit is strong and it will guide you through this life.. Know that you are deeply loved and that your presence brings overwhelming joy.

Closing Words

Officiant:

( To Parents):  I congratulate DAD and MOM on the birth of their baby, and the Godparents on their willingness to share with them the care and concern for the welfare of Evangeline.  May her life be filled with the good things of life, and in particular with the love and laughter of those who make up her world.

(To Child): With abiding confidence and affection, we send you forth on your journey of life. May you be filled with thanks and wonder, humor and fun, hope and perseverance so that you may grow in wisdom and grace.

(To Guests): Thank you all for being with us today to bless and welcome Evangeline. Let the memory of this day fill us with love and family.

Fig Street Weddings, Chaplain Jerry Schwehm, Pharmacy Museum, French Quarter

Fig Street Weddings, Chaplain Jerry Schwehm, photo by 1216 Studio: Fig Street Weddings,

Fig Street Weddings, Chaplain Jerry Schwehm, at Pharmacy Museum French Quarter, New Orleans.  See www.figstreet.com/weddings for details. ( photo by 1216 Studio)

Association of Independent Churches

 Fig Street Ministry is a founding member of the Association of Independent Churches. The National Council of Churches studied independent churches in the USA with and effort to share the authority for churches to exist in our community. Many churches are founded by independent, non affiliated ministers to be interfaith and open in the community to all who care to visit or need assistance in cultural passages in life. The Association of Independent Churches organized to give support and guidance to those smaller non aligned interfaith churches in America. Any church seeking recognition can join and receive a certification, welcome, and by laws. To join see  www.figstreet.com/ministry and the group message board at  https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AofIC/info

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"from the National Council of Churches,

The Authority of the Church in the WorldINTRODUCTION Juliana M. Mecera[1] In the year 2000, the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA commenced a study group to focus on “The Authority of the Church in the World.” In line with the Faith and Order mission “to call the churches to the goal of visible unity…and to advance toward that unity that the world may believe,”[2] the study group’s goal was to develop an understanding of 1) what the churches commonly believe about the authority of the Church in the world, and 2) how the churches can more effectively witness to Christ in the world today.  The document that resulted after 8 years of work, “The Authority of the Church in the World,” is available on the NCC website.[3]   "

Sample Handfasting Ceremony

Handfasting Ceremony

 Reading from”The Prophet”

” Love one another, but make not a bond of that love. Let it rather be like a moving sea between the shores of your souls. And stand together, and yet not too near together. For even the pillars of the temple must stand apart; and the oak tree and the cypress will not grow in each other’s shadow. Remember that love gives nothing but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love. And think not that you can direct the course of love. For love, if it finds you worthy, will direct your course.”

Bride and Groom have chosen to express their love through very ancient traditions practiced by lovers of centuries past. Many such traditions originate out of ancient Celtic and Scandinavian cultures and were later adopted by peoples of other faiths. Handfasting is one of those.

Handfasting is literally “Tying the knot.” In this ceremony cords of four colors will be used, Yellow, Red, Blue and Green.

Yellow symbolizes friendship and communication which are crucial to any successful joining between a man and woman.

Red symbolizes the passion Bride and Groom feel for each other and warmth they will share through the future years.

Blue symbolizes fidelity, trust, compassion and the ability to adapt to the changes that will doubtless occur during their life together.

Green symbolizes the prosperity, growth and happiness we all wish for them.

Just as you often see the presence of those four colors in a rainbow joining heaven and earth so too may you see these qualities in the life of a marriage.

I ask you now join your left hands. The hands that are nearest to your hearts. The hands on which you wear your wedding rings.  

The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union; they will cross the years and lives of each soul's growth.

Do you still seek to enter this ceremony?

Yes, we seek to enter.

I bid you look into each others eyes.

Will you communicate openly and honestly with each other?

We will.

Will you share the laughter and the tears, the pleasure and the pain, the joy and heartache that comes from married life?

We will. [The Yellow cord is draped over the couples' hands]

And so the binding is made.

When anger and hurt occur in your marriage, will you take the passion of anger and use it to heal the hurt and temper the strength of this union ? We will.

Will you seek to make your home a haven, to share the warmth of your hearth and your hearts with each other, family and friends?

We will. [The Red cord is draped over the couples' hands]

And so the binding is made.

Will you honor and respect one another, and seek to never break that honor?

We will.

Will you trust in the changes that occur in your relationship and use those changes to build a stronger bond?

We will. [The Blue cord is draped over the couples' hands]

And so the binding is made.

Will you share your dreams one with another and dream together to create new realities and hopes?
We will.

Will you build a foundation for your marriage that is grounded in love, seeing to one another’s needs and happiness and work to grow your relationship in that love for as long as you shall remain on this Earth?

We will. [The Green cord is draped over the couples' hands]

And so the binding is made.

Bride & Groom, as your hands are bound together now,

so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust.

Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the earth should your love be a firm foundation from which to grow stronger through the seasons. Like a star should your love be a constant source of light. Like a flame should your union be warm and glowing with love in your hearts. Like the wind may you sail through life safe and calm. Like water should your relationship remain clean and soothing, that it may never thirst for love.

As your hands are removed a knot will be formed reminding you always of the words spoken here today. This represents the bond you have made.

(Once cords are tied together they are removed and placed on table.)

Groom, Bride these cords symbolize so much. It is your life, your love, and the eternal connection that the two of you have found with one another. The ties of this handfasting are not formed by these cords, or even by the knot connecting them. They are formed instead by your vows, by your pledge, your souls, and your two hearts, now bound together as one.

In times past it was believed that the human soul shared characteristics with all things divine. It is this belief which assigned virtues to the cardinal directions, each direction representing a Essential Element ; East for Wind, South for Fire, West for Water and North for Earth. It is in this tradition that a blessing is offered in support of this ceremony.

Great Spirit, I ask you to bless this couple, their love, and their marriage as long as they shall live in love together.

 Bless them with communication, intellectual growth, and wisdom. 

Bless them with harmony, vitality, creativity, and passion. 

Bless them with friendship, intuition, caring, understanding, and love.

Bless them with tenderness, happiness, compassion, and sensuality.

May they be forever as one in the passion and fire of their union. 

Leave now as husband and wife

 You may edit wording, change colors, whatever moves you. Add a special poem or prayer if you like.Couples can craft the cords instruction found on Google. Be sure officiant has whatever version you select.


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Another version couples like is shorter without cords.

Alternate Short Ceremony About Hands



I asked you to join hands as a symbol of the union that you are making here today.

I’d like you to think about the hands that you are holding.

These are the hands of your best friend

Holding your hands on your wedding day

Promising to love you and to work together as you build your future together.

These are the hands that will give you Strength when you need strength

Tenderness when you need tenderness

And love when you need love.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes

Tears of sorrow

But also tears of joy.

These are the hands that will hold all those whom you love.

These are the hands that years from now will still be searching for your hands,

Still seeking the love, encouragement and support that each of you seeks from the other.
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Hands of Best Friend Ceremony Sample



These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.

These are the hands that will work along side yours as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief temporarily comes your way.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will give you support and encouragement to chase down your dreams.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

These are the hands that will lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into eyes that are filled with overwhelming love for you.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.