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Confirmation Classes
First United Methodist Church Youth Ministry “From the very beginning of the Christian story, the concept of faith as a journey has been part of our tradition. All of us who call Jesus Christ “Lord” are on this faith journey together, regardless of our ages. Some of us are further along than others, but we are all in the process of becoming who God would have us be. For United Methodists, this idea of faith as a journey is expressed in John Wesley’s image of “going on to perfection.” Wesley firmly believed that we are to grow toward the time when we will know constantly and consciously the power and presence of Christ in our lives; the time when Christ will be the center point of all we think, all we do, and all we say. On this journey, faith experiences will help share and mold children and youth into loyal and steadfast disciples. This series of experiences begins for many in infancy, at baptism. In continues as parents, family members, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, pastors, and other members of the congregation work to help children and youth learn and grow. At the appropriate time, usually in early adolescence, we experience a major milestone in our pilgrimage: confirming, or making firm, our personal commitment to our baptismal faith. This act of confirming, of making our first public profession of our baptismal faith, is what we call confirmation. Today we refer to formative ministries as spiritual formation, discipleship training, faith development, Christian education, youth ministry, or religious education. No matter what we call it, however, our goal is for youth to claim the name “Christian.” We want all teenagers to accept the salvation God offers them in Christ, to know how to live as Christians in our materialistic and individualistic culture, and to be able to respond to the pressures and realities of life as Christ’s disciples as they continue to go on to perfection. Confirmation is a significant step on this faith journey.” -Written by Dr. Herbert Lester, Jr., Pastor, Centenary United Methodist Church, Memphis, Tennessee # # # The Youth Ministry of First United Methodist Church in Spring Hill is offering an 8-week confirmation course, beginning Wednesday evening, February 8, 2012 for all teenagers in grades 6-12 who want to learn more about our Christian faith and our United Methodist heritage. Each subsequent class begins promptly at 6pm each Wednesday, lasts for one and a half hours. The will also meet in The Light House. Each student will be expected to bring his or her own Bible each week, attend worship services weekly during the series, perform some community service over the course of the class, and pass a test in order to “graduate”. Students will also attend a mini-retreat prior to being confirmed. Church members will participate in confirming the students will be confirmed on Palm Sunday evening, April 1, 2012 at 7pm in The Light House. Students must register on or before Wednesday, January 25, 2012 in order to take the class. There is a $10 fee associated with this class (other costs associated with the mini-retreat will be detailed in other promotional materials). Registrations can be taken over the phone (683-2600 x2015), by returning the registration form to the Youth Ministry office or by placing it in an offering plate. No one will be accepted into the class after Wednesday, January 25. We respectfully ask that parents not send a grandparent or family friend with their child to this Orientation. For a Registration Form, CLICK HERE >> Mentors wanted READ MORE >> |
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