Confirmation class kicks off their journey with a fun retreat in Troy
This past weekend, eighteen members of our new Confirmation class headed to Butter and Egg Adventures for an overnight retreat to begin an important journey together. Between laser tag, ziplining, rock-wall climbing, swimming, plenty of laughter, and not quite enough sleep, we began learning, growing, questioning, and discovering what it means to follow Jesus.
We started our weekend by inviting our confirmands to ask questions about God, Jesus, the Bible, the Church, faith, doubt, or religion. I believe one of the greatest gifts the Church can give young people is a safe place to bring their real questions and discover that our faith is strong enough to wrestle with them. From there, we spent three sessions exploring the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is much more than a class or a ceremony at the end of the year. It is a season of intentional Christian formation. Many of these young people were baptized as infants or children, when their parents and congregation made promises on their behalf. During Confirmation, they explore the Christian faith for themselves and ultimately decide whether they are ready to profess that faith and claim those baptismal promises as their own. That makes Confirmation incredibly important to me.
These young people are at a pivotal age. They are beginning to ask deeper questions about who they are, what they believe, what matters, and what kind of people they want to become. While so many voices compete to shape their identity, the Church has the privilege of helping them discover who they are as beloved children of God and disciples of Jesus Christ. That is why I devote a significant amount of my time each year to Confirmation.
For nine months, I meet with these young people nearly every week, along with two overnight retreats. We study Scripture, theology, worship, the sacraments, our Wesleyan heritage, and Christian discipleship. We ask hard questions, build relationships, and, most importantly, keep pointing one another toward Jesus.
I am grateful to serve a congregation that supports me in using my time this way. A pastor’s schedule can quickly fill with preaching, pastoral care, meetings, administration, and countless other responsibilities. Investing deeply in the next generation of disciples is the ministry of the Church. When we invest in these eighteen young people, we are doing more than preparing for Confirmation Sunday. We are helping form disciples who, by God’s grace, will carry the faith into another generation.
I ask you to join me in one very important part of their Confirmation journey: pray for these eighteen young people. Pray that they will grow in their knowledge and love of God, ask honest questions, form meaningful friendships, experience the work of the Holy Spirit, and come to know more deeply the love of Jesus Christ and his invitation to follow him. What a privilege it is for our church to walk beside them.
God’s Peace,
Pastor David