September, 2007
Dear Confirmation Family,We hope this finds you doing well and having a wonderful summer! We’d love to hear all about your adventures! We will be praying for you as you make the transition from summer to school.
Since Lindsay became the Dirctor of Youth & Young Adult Ministries in March, and Pastor Doyle joined us in July, we felt it would be a perfect time to evaluate the Confirmation/youth education program. This would allow us to get fresh, new ideas from Grace, Doyle, the Confirmation team and others. Our goals for the youth at this stage in their lives is to see them:
*Interacting and building relationships with other Junior High youth.
*Regularly sharing their gifts and talents in worship.
*Balancing learning about Christianity and doing Christianity.
*Transforming into lifelong disciples of Christ through CONTINUAL involvement in the
life of the church.
In other words, we want to SEE them, ALL OF THEM, involved in the church after Confirmation!
To this end we have made the following enhancements to the Confirmation program:
1. We will be expanding the Confirmation program to include 8th and 9th graders. Any 8th grader who thinks they may eventually want to get confirmed will be required to be a part of LOGOS on Wednesday nights (5:30-8:00 p.m.) September-April. LOGOS is a Biblically based, four-part program that seeks to connect kids with God, caring adults, and one another. It has been around for over 50 years! We will also be using the LOGOS program for Junior High youth group. At LOGOS, youth will participate in:
*Recreation
*Family Time (where they will share a meal together)
*Worship Skills
*Bible Study
It is during the Bible Study portion of LOGOS that the 8th graders will use the "Faith Questions" LOGOS curriculum as Confirmation preparation. Being involved with LOGOS will allow youth to interact with other Junior High youth during recreation time, dinner, and worship skills time. They will also have worship skills time built into their evening, so they will regularly be learning about different gifts they have and sharing these gifts in worship services.
In 9th grade we will go to a retreat format for those who want to get confirmed. We will use the United Methodist Claim the Name curriculum at these retreats. Those hoping to get confirmed will have to attend three out of four retreats and then in the spring of their 9th (or 10th, 11th, or 12th) grade year they may choose to get confirmed on Confirmation Sunday. After being confirmed, we will ask those kids to help plan the retreats in the future (sharing their gifts).
2. Because we believe it is important for youth to practice sharing the special gifts God has given them, we will be asking youth to be involved as a worship leader in some way once per quarter. This could mean your youth is a greeter, liturgist, or usher, or helps with children’s time. There are numerous ways to be involved.
3. Because we believe it is important for youth to have healthy balance between learning about Christianity and living our lives as Christians in a way that is pleasing to God, we will encourage youth to attend monthly local service projects on the last Wednesday or Saturday of each month.
4. Because we believe the church IS the people and we need to be present IN church to interact with people, we will ask that youth be present in worship at least 2x/month and complete sermon notes while in church. Their sermon notes will only count if they have signed-in.
5. Because we want youth to understand that this is a serious decision and we want to see that they have in fact taken this time seriously, we will ask youth to complete a faith review and “faith dialogue” before they will be allowed to participate in Confirmation Sunday. This will take place with Lindsay, a pastor, and a member of the Confirmation team.
When we become members of this church, we are promising to be involved with our prayers, presence, gifts, and service. We believe that these changes will help confirmands practice these things through their years in Confirmation so that after they are confirmed, they will follow through on the commitments they have made. By making a commitment to be present in the life of the church, we are allowing our relationship with Christ and with other Christians to grow deeper.
We hope you will take the time to talk about these changes with your youth. Pray about the decision to get confirmed together. This is a big commitment and it is commitment you are choosing to make for a lifetime. We’ve enclosed a schedule of important dates for you to note. Please feel free to call Lindsay with any questions as you make this decision.
Peace ✌,
Lindsay Sulik & the Confirmation Team
734-2677, ext. 315
Steps to Getting Confirmed As an 8th grader...
1. Sign-up for and attend LOGOS on Wednesdays 5:30-8:00 p.m. (includes dinner) September-April.
2. Be present in church.
A. Share your gifts once per quarter.
B. Fill out sermon notes twice per month.
3. Participate in local service projects the last Wednesday or Saturday of each month.
As a 9th 10th, 11th or 12th grader...
4. Go on three out of four retreats.
5. Complete a faith review and faith dialog with Lindsay, a pastor and a member of the Confirmation team.
6. Get Confirmed on Confirmation Sunday in April.
If You Choose to Get Confirmed....
Here are some important things you should know:
*You must sign-up for LOGOS to be a part of all this! There are registration forms by the kitchen and in the main office. You can also contact Lindsay Sulik directly for help.
*We will not have Confirmation Sunday this year. No one will be eligible to get confirmed.
Dates to mark on your calendar:
*Sunday, September 9th 10:15 in the Asbury Lounge. At this parent meeting we will go over the changes to the youth program, including Confirmation, and hand out a schedule of events. We will also have a sign-up sheet for ways that you can get involved with this important ministry. We will be available for questions at this time. Please have your youth signed-up for LOGOS by this time!
*Wednesday, September 12th. LOGOS will begin for fall. A schedule of meeting times is included in the LOGOS registration packet. We will be meeting regularly three times in a month. The last Wednesday or Saturday of the month will be an opportunity for your youth to participate in a local service project.
*Friday and Saturday, October 12th-13th from 5 p.m to 5 p.m. This will be a fall retreat for all Junior High youth. This is a great chance for your youth to make relationships with other Junior High youth, one of our goals for Confirmation. We will be giving you more specific details soon.
*Wednesday, December 12th. LOGOS will end for fall.
*Wednesday, January 9th. LOGOS will resume for the spring.
*Wednesday, April 9th. LOGOS will end for the spring.
*Friday-Sunday, May 2nd-4th. This will be Junior High CONVO, another awesome opportunity for youth to build relationships with one another and with God.