A Jamaica Christening at Temple El Shaddai

Pastor holding little girl up to the light during Jamaica christening

The perfect antidote to last week’s depressing blog post is a precious baby, no? This week I have all the details of little Olivia’s Jamaica christening at Temple El Shaddai. So let’s soak up the cute as we endure yet another week of quarantine.

African mother holding little girl on her lap after Jamaica christening
Emet & Olivia

Olivia’s mother, Emet, grew up in Queens, and her father is pastor of Temple El Shaddai. That makes Olivia’s christening quite the family affair. Indeed, Olivia was surrounded by family members in the congregation. Furthermore, the ceremony was a multi-baby event as another little family member was also christened at the same time.

Temple El Shaddai is a Hebrew Pentecostal church, and the christening ceremony focuses on ‘tasting the bitter with the sweet.’ There is no water involved. Rather, the babies were given a taste of both a lemon and honey. The resulting photos, especially when the lemon was given, were priceless.  Afterwards, Emet led the congregation in singing a hymn.  (Her voice is fantastic, by the way!)  The ceremony ended with a group blessing underneath a sacred fabric.

Each cutie performed well under pressure, though the excitement was a bit too much for Olivia. She decided to take a nap in the middle of the christening.

After the christening, we took family portraits outside. Finally, I captured a few more portraits of Emet and Olivia together as Olivia changed into her second outfit of the day.  Enjoy the photos, and I’ll have more pre-pandemic memories for you next week!


Rumor has it that NYC will begin opening up in June. If you are thinking about scheduling a family event (or portrait), then drop me a line and let’s chat about your photography needs.

If you would like to see more images from my portfolio, like these precious Jamaica christening images, then please visit my website — KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com

African American woman holding two little babies on her lap before Jamaica christening Smiling mother holding little baby before Jamaica christeningWoman with braided hair nuzzling with little baby girl Man making funny face at little baby Black and white photo of woman singing during Jamaica christening Two African American women singing during Jamaica christening

Gold plate with lemon slice and small jar of honey
Lemon & honey

Pastor in white robe and hat holding little baby during Jamaica christeningLittle baby held by family members during Jamaica christening blessingBlack and white photo of pastor holding sleeping babyAfrican American baby yawning during Jamaica christeningPastor in white robes holding baby during Jamaica christening

Baby making funny face during Jamaica christening
Bad review for the lemon from Olivia

Pastor putting finger in baby's mouth during Jamaica christening Woman making funny face at baby during Jamaica christening African American little girl wearing white dress and white bow Parents holding baby during Jamaica christening blessing Pastor blessing family members during Jamaica christening Man holding baby under blanket during Jamaica christening ceremonyAfrican American in black t-shirt lifting fabric during Jamaica christening ceremony Grandmother wearing scarf over head looking at sleeping baby Grandmother holding baby surrounded by two older female family members Pastor in white robe and hat holding little girl's hand on sidewalk Two men laughing outside Temple El Shaddai

Pastor and wife laughing in front of brick wall of Temple El Shaddai
The pastor and his wife
African American father laughing with little baby on his lap
Olivia and her father, Hubert

Little girl looking up at father Mother holding baby girl on her lap after Jamaica christening African American mother laughing with little baby on her lap Mother holding baby girl wearing white dress and white bow on head Black and white photo of mother's hand holding baby handBaby girl playing with gold shoe as mother puts on shoe African American baby girl chewing on gold sequin sash Mother's hands holding baby girl wearing white dress and gold sash Hands holding African American baby girl wearing white dress and bowAfrican American mother holding baby girl over her shoulder

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