What is Confirmation?
Confirmation has been around in Lutheran Churches for a long time, but it is important for us to stop and think about what it is before we begin. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has said:
“Confirmation ministry is a pastoral and education ministry of the church which helps the baptized person through Word and Sacrament to identify more deeply with the Christian community and participate more fully in its mission.”
What does that mean? It means that Confirmation is more than a class, it is more than a three year program – it is a ministry through which God is active in your life. Confirmation will help you to feel more at home in the church and teach you ways to be active in the different ministries of the church. Regardless of how old we are, what God wants for us has not began and will not end with Confirmation. By the grace of God, we continue – each and every day of our lives – to walk our journey of life with God.
Confirmation will teach you how your faith can be active in your daily life. It teaches you about the promises that God has made to you and how you can depend on those promises during your lives. We will learn about how trusting in God isn’t just something we hear about, but something we can do ourselves. At the end of the Confirmation program you will have a deeper, more personal and honest idea about what you believe and who God is. You will learn how to live out that faith in the church and world.
Here is how we are going to do that. We are going to study scripture, Baptism, Communion , and the teachings of Martin Luther. We are going to learn through our actions as well as through worship and doing acts of service for others. You will have the chance to talk about what you are learning about your faith at home with your parents and at church with your pastors, teachers, and each other. It is our goal that at the end of all these classes you will stand before the church and make a statement of faith that is meaningful for you.
Confirmation is part of lifelong a journey of faith, filled with new questions and answers, new discoveries, new relationships, new responsibilities, and new possibilities. But know that confirmation is just one step along a much larger journey of your life. God is with you along the way, each step of the way. Confirmation is not the end, nor the beginning. Rather, Confirmation is a tool that helps you along your life-long adventure of living out your Christian faith.
CONFIRMATION SCHEDULE 2011-2012
THE HOLY SPIRIT YEAR
12:30 PM: Lunch
1:00-2:30 PM: Class and Small Group Time
August 28: Who is the Holy Spirit?
September 11: Apostle’s Creed, Article Three
September 25: How to Read the Bible
October 7-9: Lutheridge Retreat
October 23: Baptism
October 30: Confirmation Sunday – plan on attending the 11:00
worship to see what lies ahead in your future.
November 6 : Where Does Faith Come From
November 20: Planning for House Projects
December 4: Pentecost
December 18: Christmas Caroling with FX3
January 8: The Church
January 22: The Church Calendar
February 5: Martin Luther
February 19: Movie Day: Luther (starts immediately at 12:30)
March 4: Sharing Your Faith
March 18: Presentation of House Projects
April 15: ELCA & Southeastern Synod
April 29: Other Denominations
May 6: Last Day
