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Dear Church Family,
If you follow closely the rhythm of our program year, then you might have come to notice that in January we usually have “Confirmation Sunday.” Students (traditionally 8th graders) go through a semester-long confirmation class, which includes a faith-project presentation and examination before the Session. But you may be thinking, what is confirmation anyway? Well, the short answer to that question is that it is simply a period of intentional reflection on what it is they believe that usually takes place at some point during the teenage years. A life of faith is one in which we wrestle with big questions: who we are, who God is, and how the two intersect and exist in, and with, each other. Intentional reflection is necessary through all stages of life as we deal with the foundational search for meaning… and this search for meaning is particularly powerful in adolescence.
Confirmation is a time of growth and possibility that brims with many important questions, including these: Where am I going? Where is God leading me? What is the world about? How do I know what to do with this moment and the time ahead of me? The confirmation process seeks to provide enough space, with helpful direction and support from teachers and mentors, grounded by scripture and guided by the reformed tradition, for these young people to be able to ask these questions of God, of ourselves, of each other and of the church.
For some, the confirmation process will lead them to officially join this church as an active member, confirming the faith in which they were raised. And this Sunday, January 11th, is Confirmation Sunday. During the 11:00 worship service, the church will celebrate our confirmands, witness them make promises to the church and to God, and make promises to them as well. Confirmation is the bookend to our baptism, when young people publicly reaffirm the baptismal covenant promises that were made on their behalf by their parents and the local church. Additionally, this Sunday during worship, we will celebrate the sacrament of baptism!
I invite you to join us this Sunday to celebrate the Confirmation Class of 2026, their continued hard work of faith, and our growing community, as we together seek to find direction by following Jesus.
With Joy,
Ben Brannan
P.S.
In the passageway, you will find some of our confirmands “Creative Faith Projects.” I hope you will notice how faith is real and alive in our young people, and I encourage you to ask our confirmands about their projects!
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