Confirmation

Worship is an integral part of the church as a community of faith. For this reason, confirmands are expected to attend worship regularly either with their families or with each other, paying attention to the service's theme, the sermon, and the music. The Presbyterian tradition also reminds us that all people can have a part in worship, so confirmands will be asked to occasionally participate in worship leadership on Sunday mornings.

Our faith is not simply something we think about and believe—it’s something that God calls us to live out in the world. Confirmands will be encouraged to explore ways in which God calls them to live their faith through service trips and mission education events over the course of the confirmation year.

Just as an athlete trains throughout the week in order to perform at their highest level in a game, so we as Christians must constantly practice and question in order to achieve a deeper faith. Over the year, confirmands will be introduced to new spiritual practices which they will be encouraged to try over the year and journal in their Spiritual Practice Guide. Some examples are:

• Awareness Examen - Prayerful reflection on your life to become more aware of when we feel close to God and when we feel disconnected
• Centering Prayer - Shutting out other distractions in your life to simply be in the presence of God
• Lectio Divina - A slow, sacred reading of the Bible to hear that God can speak to us in our lives
• Walking Prayer - A way to recognize God's presence with us wherever we go

Each confirmand should have a copy of the Bible to bring to class each week. We recommend a good NRSV or CEB study Bible, in particular The Guidebook: The NRSV Student Bible (HarperOne, 2012) or The CEB Navigation Bible (Common English Bible, 2018). The NRSV is a time-honored translation and familiar to many, and the CEB is a new translation that offers modernized language while still doing justice to the original text. Ultimately a confirmand should choose whichever Bible they will feel more comfortable using for their everyday use.

The cost for the confirmation program is $300. This fee helps cover transportation, supplies, lodging, meals, snacks, and program costs for the retreat, all service trips and field trips, and weekly class. Scholarships are available – contact Jim Cochrane for info (the fee should not be a barrier to participation).

Confirmation is an six-month commitment to explore and grow individually and alongside others in your class. Because much of what we do happens in the community of the classes and small groups, confirmands are expected to attend every class and event. Make-up assignments are available when occasional conflicts arise.