| Confirmation |
 When an infant or young child is baptized, the parents and congregation pledge to guide that child by teaching and example until that child is ready to accept the love and forgiveness of God for themselves. “Confirmation” is the name we give to the transition from being a member of Christ’s church through baptism to being a member by profession of faith. This normally happens around the sixth grade, when children are old enough to understand the significance of membership in the church.Our confirmation class is open to all sixth graders whether or not they were baptized at an earlier time. For those who have been baptized, the class prepares them for Confirmation, in which they accept for themselves the promises and vows made on their behalf in their baptism. For children who have not yet been baptized, the class prepares them to be baptized into full membership by profession of faith. While the Confirmation class prepares children to make this important decision, we believe that the choice to be a disciple of Jesus Christ must always be freely made; therefore, we do not push children to make these decisions at the end of the class if they are not yet ready to do so. Sixth grade students meet for four months (February – May) to learn about the United Methodist Church, its history and beliefs, seasons of the church year, to participate in service projects, attend worship of other faith traditions, and to confirm for themselves their decision to follow Christ. Each year, we travel to Lake Junaluska, a United Methodist jurisdictional conference center near Asheville, North Carolina, for a weekend retreat designed especially for confirmation classes. Each confirmand is given a mentor who works with him or her throughout the confirmation experience. |
