Confirmation Handbook
Consider this your handbook for all things confirmation.
What it is
The purpose of Confirmation Ministry is to provide an intentional opportunity for our 7th and 8th graders to grow in faith and spirit. It is a time both for faith formation and spiritual exploration for the student and the whole family.
Three hopes for those who join the program
That they will grow in their love of God;
That they will become familiar with the essential teaching of the Christian faith; and,
That they will form authentic, affirming friendships with one another and with Christian mentors.
Confirmation comes from the ancient biblical practice of confirming faith in those who are baptized. In the book of Acts (9:14-23 and 19:1-9), we hear about church leaders laying hands on the newly baptized and praying for them to receive the Holy Spirit, which brings strength and wisdom for the living out of the Christian’s calling to love God and love others. In those days, baptism was primarily for adults and the confirmation process either preceded or immediately followed the baptism.
Today, many Christians are baptized as infants. As Lutherans, we believe that we do not choose God but that God chose us as his beloved children and welcomes us into his family through our baptism. Therefore, our confirmation of faith takes place when we come of age, in a sense, and can personally make promises for ourselves, and to God, through our own thoughts, deeds, and words. The Confirmation process culminates in a “promise-making” ritual we call, “The Affirmation of Baptism.” We hope you enjoy our journey together!
How it works
The vision of the Fox Point Lutheran Church Confirmation Program is the same as the vision of the church. We are passionate about inspiring and equipping “Real Faith, for Real Life.” There are four areas we believe are essential for the cultivation of an authentic, life-giving faith. Our Confirmation Program introduces these areas to our youth and starts them on a process of growing their faith, not just through 7th and 8th grade, but continuing through their whole lives.
Four Essentials
The four areas we believe to be an essential part of our faith are:
Worshiping
Serving
Growing
Connecting
Worshiping
Worship is an integral part of every Christian’s life. It is where we go to connect with our God. It is where we go to be rejuvenated in our faith and filled with hope for our week. In worship we meet our friends and we pray for those in need. We learn how to follow the teachings of Jesus in the way we live our lives. We celebrate God’s presence and God’s love, and we receive grace and strength as we share Holy Communion.
These are some of the reasons why we encourage regular worship attendance from our confirmation families throughout the year. Additionally, to encourage mindfulness in worship, we expect the students to complete six Worship Notes each year. These notes give the students an opportunity to reflect upon what they learn and experience in our worshiping life together.
The principle is simple. When you come to worship on a Sunday, pick up a Worship Note Form. We provide these forms at the welcome desk or you can print them off before church from our website--click the button below to take you to the forms page. Complete the form during the worship service, and turn it in at the welcome desk, at a confirmation workshop, or to the church office.
Serving
Serving is one of the hallmarks of the Christian faith and life. Jesus adopted the role of the servant as he went about teaching and healing. As part of confirmation we encourage our students to follow Christ’s example through serving experiences. Again and again we hear how inspiring and transformational those experiences are. As a church, we offer an array of meaningful service opportunities for your student and your family, both in the congregation and in the community. Through these Confirmation Service Opportunities (SOP’s) we practice and explore what it means to “serve the least of these.”
We require two (3) FPLC Service Opportunities (inside the church’s life) and three (3) Outreach Service Opportunities (out in the community) each year of the Confirmation program (so a total of six FPLC SOPS and six Outreach SOPS over the two years of the program.)
Service opportunities will be promoted throughout the year. They sometimes fill up quickly, so please sign up in a timely manner. We encourage you to find ways to creatively serve, so if you have an opportunity to volunteer that is not listed as one of our suggestions or recommendations, please contact Pastor Bruce to ensure that the opportunity will work in fulfilling your requirement. (It most likely will!)
After serving, please complete an SOP form in order to reflect on the experience as well as to share your experience with us. SOP forms can be found at the welcome desk or on our church website. Once the form is completed, you can turn it in at one of the Wednesday workshops or at the welcome desk on Sunday, or just drop it by the church office at another time.
Growing
By “growing” in faith we are referring in particular to deepening our understanding of this wonderful faith of ours, in both heart and mind. The centerpiece of this learning takes place on Wednesday night workshops from October through April each year.
Together we engage the stories, teachings, and practices of the Christian faith in a way that is intended to be inspiring, faithful and relevant. At each workshop we begin with a multimedia large group teaching time led by one of the pastors. Then we break into small groups made up of students and parent volunteers. In this small group time, we explore the topic of the day more deeply, with guided questions and time for conversation and sharing. We finish up the evening by gathering together again in a large group to wrap things up and share in a closing prayer.
Connecting
Our relationship with God and each other is at the heart of the Christian faith. And, forming meaningful relationships is at the heart of our confirmation program. We very intentionally cultivate a fun, interactive, authentic learning environment that nurtures these relationships. The friendships that form over the course of each year are heartwarming and life-giving, and continue well beyond the two years.
Expectations and Cost
Conduct
As authentic, inspired followers of the way of life Jesus showed us, we strive to make a supportive, relaxed, and fun environment for all students to learn and connect. Much of this atmosphere relies on our youth and their behavior. We expect all confirmands to treat each other with respect and kindness, and thoughtfully listen when their peers and small group leaders are sharing.
Attendance and Timeliness
Here at FPLC we believe faith and spirituality are powerful and beautiful things in the life of a human, and we want to be able to nurture that in these young people. As there are typically only about 15-16 workshops each year, our hope and prayer is that your student will be able to attend all the Wednesday workshops over the two year confirmation journey. Similarly, we pack a lot into each workshop, so we encourage everyone to try and be on time so we can get started and nothing is missed
We understand that our kids have many excellent commitments, and will occasionally need to miss a Confirmation event. If a student is unable to attend any required event, please be sure to let us know with as much advance notice as possible (it helps with our planning). Depending upon what is missed, there may be make-up work available.
Cell phone/Electronics Policy
We encourage you to have the students leave their phones at home when they come to the Wednesday workshops, so that they are not distracted from the important experience we are trying to share. If phones are brought, we may ask that they be turned off and placed in a basket until the workshop is over. If a phone becomes a problem, one of the leaders may collect it and will return it to a student at the end of the workshop.
Cost
Our confirmation program is a wonderful experience of community, servanthood, spirituality, and learning.
While nearly all of the cost for the program resources and staffing is taken care of by the congregation’s regular giving, we do ask each new Confirmation family for a one time registration fee of $50 to offset some of our costs over those two years. Payment due at the time of registration. Feel free to use the button below.
The Apostle Islands experience has a separate cost of about $350 per person to cover trip expenses -more information about this trip will come in spring.
Still have questions?
We have the answers.
Do you have questions about our confirmation program in general or specifics regarding dates, requirements, forms, . . . anything confirmation related, our staff is here to help you. You can drop Lori Barrieau a line through using the button below or call the church office to talk to her at 414-352-8990.