On Sunday, Westside celebrated Parent Dedication. Unlike infant or child baptism, Parent Dedication is a special time we intentionally set aside to honor God and His blessings. Recognizing the privilege of parenting a child’s heart, Parent Dedication is a time when parents, along with family, friends, and Westside’s entire church family, commit to raising their children with the knowledge of Jesus and God’s incredible love for them.

Last weekend, Westside stood with 12 families as they made a public stand to dedicate their parenting efforts to God. One family who had planned to be there could not attend due to a seasonal illness. While disappointed, their resolve remains strong, and they intend to stand with Westside in May at our next Parent Dedication moment.

This is the Morgan and Cody Wilbers story.

CJ Wilbers is a special little guy with a happy disposition. At 10 months, he brings an easy smile to everyone around him. But when he was just 5 weeks old, doctors discovered CJ had a heart defect known as Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. Little CJ has an extra electrical pathway in his heart, causing his heart rate to skyrocket to 300 bpm. While physicians have a close eye on it and are treating it, its discovery was a distressing experience for the young family.

During this challenging life season, CJ’s parents—Morgan and Cody Wilbers—came to understand and appreciate the value of having a church family surrounding and supporting them in a brand new way.

“Going through that experience with him, we discovered we had so much support from Westside with our A2 group, the children’s ministry team, and really the entire Westside family. It was amazing.” Morgan recalled.

A few years earlier, the Wilbers went through Parent Dedication with their daughter Jordan, now age 4. Morgan says she was unprepared even then for the support Westside gave her family as they dedicated their efforts as parents to raising their daughter to know Jesus.

“I really didn’t expect feeling the Spirit of the Lord being with the whole church and the families on the stage at that moment,” Morgan recalled.

When the Wilbers saw another opportunity to go through the Parent Dedication class this fall for CJ, they didn’t even have to think about whether they would do it.

“One of the big takeaways for us in the class both times was when they talked about how many weekends you have left with your kids to impact their faith,” Morgan said. “It really put it in perspective. Jordan has shown us she understands a lot more than we give her credit for. We don’t always feel like we’re doing enough, but when we do, her memory—she just remembers. And it seems like she just craves the knowledge of the Lord.”

Morgan added that going through the class for a second time was a “good reset for us to specifically think about CJ’s path with the Lord and what our goals are for both kids as parents.”

While the Wilbers were disappointed not to be able to participate in Parent Dedication this weekend due to a seasonal illness, Morgan says they look forward to having that special moment of prayer over CJ in May.

“When that many people pray over your family, it is pretty special—you can feel it in the room,” she said.

At Westside, the Wilbers have found a community that helps them dive deeper into their faith journey and supports their entire family's spiritual growth. For more information on Parent Dedication, visit our Parent Dedication page.