Confirmation: 2014-2015
Thank you & God Bless!From: the Confirmation Leadership Team.
Our Intention
Confirmation is intended to equip teenagers to make a lifetime decision about how they will live their lives. This decision is one that each of us has to make for ourselves, because while God is faithful to all generations, God has no grandchildren. We understand that many if not most of the young people attending confirmation classes are here because their parents have encouraged or even insisted that they be here. Please understand, however, that the entire purpose of this process is for the young people to make up their own minds.
Our task as teachers, supporters and parents is to equip and support our young people while they prayerfully make their own decisions. You can help by encouraging, by making space in your family lives for them to attend confirmation activities, by praying for the youth, and by being available for discussion and/or questions from your children. The priority that your family places on this year is a model for your own priorities regarding God. We encourage you to let your child see how important your own relationship to God is by the priority you give to this important time in their spiritual growth.
We will try to give you as much advance notice as possible of all special activities to allow you to adjust your schedules so that your child can attend. Please refer to the regular e-mail updates, website, weekly bulletin announcements, monthly newsletter, and occasional special announcements in and out of class for these changes and reminders.
Our Expectations
Attendance:
The attendance policy for this class reflects the policy for the entire Sunday School program. It is not possible to benefit from the instruction and small group exercises without consistent attendance. A total of five (5) excused absences will be accepted. In the event of special circumstances, please speak with one of the Confirmation team adults. No Class: Oct. 12, Dec. 28, Mar. 15, Apr. 5, Apr. 26.
Attendance is expected at every Sunday session of the class and each student will need to bring a Bible with them. We will be distributing brand-new Student Bibles very early in the process. Our class meets regularly from 9:30 to 10:45am in Freedom Youth Center with other activities in addition to this weekly class time. Please make note of the “beginning” time of class, allowing us opportunity to fit everything in that is unique to the Confirmation experience.
Worship Experiences
In addition to our 9:30am class time, each student will attend worship each Sunday morning at Wesley Freedom during either the 8:30am Traditional worship or 11:00am Contemporary worship. On pre-announced dates, we may also worship together at the 9:45 Traditional worship, and move Class this day to an alternate time. Students are responsible for registeringyour attendance so that this is recorded. Another expectation that will be tracked is that each student is responsible for filling out a Worship Evaluation Form for at leastfive (5) Traditional services andfive (5) Contemporary services. Worship is an integral part of the Confirmation experience and should not be considered optional.
Parental Involvement
We will always make our best effort to communicate with you our expectations for your very special Confirmand. While none of our expectations are requirements, they are created with the intent of providing opportunity for each student to grow in their faith and help prepare for a lifetime journey. If we feel that your student needs additional encouragement, a teacher will be in touch with you. If further encouragement is deemed necessary, a second call will be placed for a parent/student conference. A special conference with a pastor to explore Confirmation will be requested if any further encouragement is still identified. Of course, we always welcome request for communication anytime.
On occasion we will try to give our parents information and materials to allow you to discuss with your child the subjects and material we will cover in class. Please use this as an opportunity to communicate your own faith commitment with your child. As our curriculum schedule evolves, we can provide on request a list containing scripture references for each one of our weekly topics.
Parental support and occasional participation is critical to the success of our journey together – we NEED your help! In order to participate with our youth and children at Wesley Freedom, we require all adults to be trained in Safe Sanctuaries, and we encourage all parents to help in this way. Parental attendance at any of our activities is welcome and encouraged. We would also appreciate your attendance at one of our regular weekly class sessions during the year, and no sign-up for a particular Sunday is needed ahead of time. We encourage any interested parents to be part of our substitute team, in cases where a teacher is going to be absent during the year. In neither of these instances will you be asked to actually lead a lesson, but can feel welcome to sit in on one of our small groups and provide some of your own insight. You are also welcome to attend as many of our trips as is practical for you as well. We always need assistance with driving to these events as well as other volunteer support during the retreats to allow the teachers to get enough sleep to function effectively. Please let us know if you are interested by signing the Parental Volunteer Sign-up sheet, or by letting us know at any time.
The following “Parent Meetings” have been scheduled after Worship at Noon (subject to change) in Freedom Youth Center to help touch base with the teachers and pastors during this process:
Oct. 26 – To touch base before the busy Advent season.
Jan. 11 – To see how we are doing, and our halfway point together
Mar. 22 – To prepare for final months prior to Confirmation Sunday & for our Spring Retreat.
Stay tuned for updates and feel free to contact any of us during the year to stay connected and discuss how your child is doing. A wall chart will be posted in the Confirmation class room to illustrate the progress of each Confirmand in relation to OurExpectations. 50%of service evaluation forms due by January 11, while remainder our due with the Final Student Response Sheet by May 3.
Special Worship Services:
There are six (6) special worship services held at Wesley Freedom during the duration of the class. Each student is expected to attend at least five (5) of these services. The dates and times for these services are as follows:
Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve services (see church bulletin or newsletter for service times)
Feb.18 – Ash Wednesday services at Noon and 7pm.
Mar. 15 – Discovery Worship at 11am.
Apr. 2 – Maundy Thursday services at noon and 7pm.
Apr. 3 – Good Friday services at 7pm.
Apr. 5 – Easter services (see church bulletin or newsletter for service times)
Field Trips:
There will be four (4) class-wide field trips. These trips serve two purposes. First, they expose the class to other types of worship experiences. Second, they will give the class a sense of the heritage of the UnitedMethodistChurch by looking at our spiritual roots. You are expected to attend ALL of these trips, and we will need chaperones and drivers as well. The dates of those trips are as follows:
Sun. Nov. 23 – St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church. We will attend their 10:00ammass, so we need to be at our church by 9:30am this Sunday to walk over together.
Fri. Dec. 5 – Beth Israel Synagogue in Owings Mills. We’ll meet at 6:30pm to depart for the 7:30pm their special TGIF service. We will return to Wesley Freedom at about 10:00pm.
Sun. Jan. 18 – Special Field Trip to the inner city John Wesley UMC in Baltimore. We’ll meet at 10:00am to depart for their 11:00am worship, and return after lunch at around 2:30pm.
Sun. Apr. 12 – “The Magical Methodist History Tour” – We are scheduling this specialtrip including our own local church’s history at Wesley Chapel, a picnic together, and visit to historic Strawbridge Shrine in New Windsor (Noon departure 3:30pm return to WF).
Retreats:
There are two (2) scheduled retreats that will allow us to spend concentrated time together for extended reflection and fellowship. The fall retreat will focus on group building and formation. The spring retreat will focus on the meaning of discipleship. It is presumed that all Confirmands will attend both retreats in their entirety. Specific details and permission slips will be available for each retreat, and we will need chaperones and drivers.
Oct. 10-12 – “Getting It Going” – Fall Retreat to Mar-Lu-Ridge Camp nearJefferson), 6:00pm departure on Friday, 2:00pm return on Sunday.
Apr.24-26 – “What Does It Mean to be a Disciple of Jesus?” – Spring Retreat to Camp Manidokan. 6:00pm departure on Friday, 2:00pm return on Sunday.
In addition to the two Confirmation retreats, we are also offering two(2) additional Mid-High Youth Ministry retreats. These should not substitute for participation in the Confirmation retreats listed above, but instead serve as an additional opportunity to help you grow in your spiritual journey.
Nov. 7-9 – Momentum 2014 – Spiritual Renewal Retreat with hundreds of other youth at the beautiful Camp Joy El in Greencastle, PA.
Mar. 13-15 – “Discovery 2015” – This is our local congregation’s annual spiritual renewal retreat where the Sr. High youth of our church help to plan and lead a retreat for our Mid-High youth right here on our own campus at Wesley Freedom.
Mid-High Youth Ministry (Vertically Devoted) – See separate schedule of events:
Beginning Friday, September 12, The Mid-High Youth Ministry welcomes all Confirmands to their Gathering times (approx. bi-weekly) throughout the year according to their schedule, and to their special events. Some special opportunities will also be available periodically just for 8th graders (stay tuned for details). Missing class to participate in one of these events is considered an excused absence. This is a wonderful opportunity throughout the year to gather for spiritual growth and fellowship through FUN, serviceand special events. Because we feel this is so important for your overall experience, we are asking that you choose a minimum of five (5) Youth Ministry related experiences throughout the course of the year and to follow-up with an Evaluation sharing about each experience.
Service & Outreach Opportunities – See separate list for possibilities:
Every student will be responsible for completing ten (10) service hours in a service project(s) that will involve them in some aspect of ministry in our church community. We ask each student to complete a Service Evaluation Form for each project, under the supervision of a parent or a member of the confirmation team, and have it signed by the adult in leadership for the particular project. This will allow an opportunity to follow-up with a brief individual write-up sharing about each experience. There are a variety of volunteer service activities available for confirmands to choose from if they cannot discover or create one on their own. School community service hours are available for any non-worship related projects as well. Please begin thinking about various projects today!
Work Days:
Two Saturdays have been designated as “class-wide” Confirmation class workdays. Those dates are November 15 and April 11. Each confirmand (and a parent or guardian) must participate in at least one of these two “class-wide” days and complete an Evaluation Form. If neither of these days is possible, please arrange an alternative with an adult leader. We will be here working from 9:00am.to Noon and ask participants to be here for at least three hours during this period. Lunch will be provided at Noon for all participants. If possible, please let us know which day you plan to attend.
Confirmation Dinner:
On Friday, May 15, there will be a dinner and reception for all Confirmands and their parents. This will be a time to review the logistics of the Confirmation Service and to celebrate together. We are very excited to be able to have this in our CommunityLifeCenter. With an expected class size of approx..40 students, we should be able to accommodate immediate family at this dinner.
Confirmation Sunday:
Your Service of Confirmation will take place on Sunday, May 17. The class of Confirmands will be introduced and presented to the congregation at the 8:30, 9:45 and the 11 am services. Each Confirmand will be required to attend all services that morning. The Service of Confirmation will take place at 3:00p.m. Due to the large size of our confirmation classes, Sunday morning has become an untenable time for the service. This alternative will allow us to invite relatives and friends to support the Confirmands. In addition, the congregation will be invited and encouraged to attend.
Financial Cost of Confirmation:
Confirmation is a part of our program of spiritual nurture and development of our church. Unlike Sunday School, however, the costs of this program are significantly higher. Whereas Sunday School program costs average about $25 per year per student, Confirmation costs over $250 per year per student. Higher cost includes the weekend retreats, a confirmation Bible, confirmation dinner, several worship trips, and other curriculum and program costs. Because this cost is so high, we ask parents who are able to contribute toward the retreat and special trip costs at the time of enrollment for a particular retreat. Please do not let this be a barrier to your child’s participation in confirmation.
Other Opportunities:
If you have a suggestion and/or can help with any additional activities, please let us know. Keep an eye on the Confirmation Update on the Website and in the bulletin & newsletter and regular e-mails from myChurchfor additional info. The Confirmation team welcomes your input and value any assistance you can give that would enhance this experience for the Confirmands. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the church office.
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