Confirmation 2012-2013 Resurrection Lutheran Church...

Pastor Michael O’BergO: 650.369.5201 C: 559.359.7224H: [email protected] www.facebook.com/PastorMikeO

www.rlcpdx.org

Confirmation 2012-2013 Resurrection Lutheran Church

Education Ministry

Student/Parent HandBook

RLC Confirmation 2012 - 2013!

Welcome to the Resurrection Lutheran confirmation ministry program for 2012-2013. I am overjoyed that you have taken this important step to further your understanding of the faith into which you were baptized.

1) What is Confirmation?

A good place for us to start explaining what we will be doing this year, is to talk about what confirmation is in the first place. Almost every adult Lutheran has gone through a confirmation program and if you gather 10 Lutherans in a room, you will find that you have about 15 different ideas about what confirmation is. For many, confirmation is:

• Evidence of the existence of the Devil• The start of a really bad day• A mean trick played by parents upon their children (hey, we had to go through it and so will

you!)• Someplace the church can put you since we really don’t know what to do with you in the first

place!• Nothing but a bunch of memorization!

None of these, however, are really what confirmation is all about. Confirmation is:

• A time of discovery• A time to ask questions about your faith• A time to learn about the Lutheran faith, the Bible and what God has to say to you right

where you are in your lives• A time to be with friends• A time to be with God• A time to take a deep and serious look at the world (its value system and it messages) and ask

the question, “What does it mean for me today, right where I am, that I am a follower of Jesus?”

In our confirmation classes, we will always be looking at our faith, the church and the Holy Scriptures with eyes wide open searching for the meaning and purpose that God has for us as 21st century Christians and how that impacts, changes and makes our lives what they were intended to be.

The confirmation program at Resurrection is a ministry of our congregation and of the entire Church. It is a process whereby students learn about the (1) the common Christian faith into which they were Baptized and (2) our uniquely Lutheran heritage and theology. Confirmation 2010 - 2011! 2

During the administration of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, parents are entrusted by God with specific responsibilities or duties. Parents promise before God to:

• live with their child among God faithful people• Bring their children to worship & Holy Communion• teach their children the Lord’s Prayer, the creeds of the church and the ten commandments.• Give their child a Bible• nurture their children in faith and prayer.

The reason for this is that as children, it is hard to understand and comprehend the breadth and depth of the relationship that God creates with us at Baptism. So it is the responsibility of parents, sponsors and the Church to care for and teach young people so that they will be able to:

• learn to trust God• proclaim Jesus in word and deed• care for others and the world that God made and• work for justice and peace in the name of Jesus

Once students reach an age where they have a greater ability to understand the totality of the relationship that God has established with them, the mantle of responsibility is passed from parents to children to take responsibility for the care, nurture and feeding of their faith and the continued development of the relationship that they have with God (discipleship).

Confirmation is not just about learning information - confirmation is about experiencing Jesus as a gathering of believers (a community). As we journey through the confirmation process, youth in the program will grow in their faith, understanding of their relationship with God and their personal commitment to Jesus and their church home.

2) How Long does the Confirmation Program last and what will we be studying?

Resurrection currently has a three year program. All students who are in the 6th, 7th and 8th grade are “in” the program. The “confirmation year” lasts from October through June. Students who complete the 8th grade year will be confirmed on or about Reformation Sunday, which is the last Sunday of October, of their Freshman year of High School.

Confirmation 2010 - 2011! 3

Candidates who desire to be confirmed shall

• Complete the Course of Study (attend class, attend worship, participate in fellowship)• Complete a final assignment during the summer following 8th grade.• Meet with Pastor Mike• Write their personal statement of faith• Be approved by the Church Council

Included in this syllabus is a schedule of class sessions. For the most part we meet three out of the four Wednesdays during any given month. From time to time this schedule will be revised so that we can take advantage of learning opportunities off site.

On the Wednesday that we do not have confirmation classes - parents and students are still encouraged to attend worship and then spend some time (the time that would be otherwise devoted to confirmation) talking with their students about the themes that we are discussing in class. Parents are (and forever shall be) the first educators of the faith. No pastor or congregation can replace the parent in this role and there is nothing we can do that parents can not undo. We need your support in the home for there to be any hope of making a difference in and through the Confirmation Program.

There are two “themes” that we will cover. In year “A” the them is the Catechism - we base the year on Luther’s small catechism. During this time we talk about, wrestle with and learn about the basics of our faith - the creed, the ten commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and the sacraments (Holy Baptism and Holy Communion). We will talk about our unique Lutheran heritage, theology and understanding of God’s message to all of creation - we will talk about why we are Lutheran and not some other denomination. At the conclusion of year A - students will be able to talk with confidence about the different sections of Luther’s Small Catechism (Creed, 10 commandments, Lord’s Prayer, Life of Jesus, Baptism, Worship, Communion and Affirmation.)

Year “B” is composed of a study of the Bible. We will talk about the major themes and stories in the Old and New Testaments. We will discuss how God’s plan for us and all creation is revealed in Genesis and the promises that God made to Abraham and Sarah. We will trace that promise through the major stories and characters of the Old Testament right up to and including Jesus and the creation of the Church in Acts. We will talk about the infant church that is founded through the work of the Apostles and what we can learn today, in our lives, through letters written by Paul, Peter and their followers. At the conclusion of Year B students will be able to speak with confidence about the Bible and identify major themes, stories and characters of the Scriptures. Students will be able to talk about why the Scriptures are important to us today and why we continue to study them.


3) When will we be meeting and what will we do during our meetings?

Confirmation this year will meet on Wednesday evenings from 7:15 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Class sessions will be held in the Luther Lodge. Please keep the schedule in the back of this packet handy so that you know when we are meeting. Enter the dates/locations into your calendars now so that your schedules may be prioritized appropriately. You can also always check the Resurrection Confirmation website for updated schedule and information about the program as well as other information that will be available for download.

During each session we will have time for worship (singing, scripture and prayer), sharing the highs and lows of our week, learning, playing games, watching videos, discussion in break out groups, and sharing snacks. We will spend time discussing and struggling with the question: “What does it mean for me today, right now, where I am in my life that I am a follower of Jesus and a part of His body - the Church?”

Not every class session will be a carbon copy of the last one. We will be mixing it up over the course of this year. We will spend time talking with one another, watching videos, playing games, helping others, getting to know the Bible (which will include reading the Bible and, yes, memorizing passages of scripture) and learning how our faith relates to the every day world. We will talk seriously and openly about the “lies” that the world tells and the truths that God reveals. We will learn about how we find our personal value in God’s uncompromising love for each one of us and we will have fun together and grow closer to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

We will explore our discipleship also through regular and intense conversations with parents and other adults associated with our communities of faith. Students will learn to speak about important issues in their life and faith as well as how to listen respectfully to the thoughts and feelings of others. They will learn to look critically at the world around them, determining what the messages of our society and culture are and if they should be “buying into them.” We will honestly and openly discuss the reality of sin and evil in our world and community and discover what God desires from us as people who live in the world but are not of the world.

We will start promptly at 7:15 p.m. and our promise to you is that we will conclude at 8:30 p.m. We ask that you make sure to honor our starting time and we will honor our ending time, knowing that you time is important and there are other responsibilities that must be attended to.


With that in mind, let us also realize that part of involvement in the Lord’s church requires an examination of our priorities. What is ultimately and eternally important to you and to your child? While we are aware that there will be times when choices must be made, we strongly encourage you to be sure that your commitment to the program and to your faith not always be the choice that is laid aside in favor of other choices that could be made.

The confirmation program is only what each student and family make of it. The importance of a strong faith life in our world today is self evident. We cannot create people who take their faith seriously. All that we can do is show people the door to the abundant life that Jesus promises. We need your support and your commitment to the program if we hope to make a positive difference in the life of your son or daughter.

4) Expectations/RequirementsYes, we have expectations upon those who desire to be a part of the confirmation program just as we know that you have expectations of me as your pastor. Confirmation is no different than the host of other activities that make demands on our time and devotion. The difference between confirmation (and other church related activities) and all of those other “demands” upon our time is the question of significance. Our relationship with God is the most significant relationship that we can possibly have, and it gives meaning to all the other relationships in our lives and defines them. Since God is the most significant relationship that we have, it is important that this relationship receive the “first fruits” of our time and attention.

What we expect from those Students who desire to be a part of the confirmation program

• Regular attendance at all meetings of the Confirmation Program. Advance notice must be given for all absences and students will be required to make up all work missed. Students are expected to assist in setting up, participating in discussions/learning and clean up.

• Regular attendance in Worship. We know that is it unreasonable to assume that everyone will be in worship every single Sunday (or Wednesday) during the year - however we also know that worship is the central activity of the church and is at the very heart of who we are as followers. Every effort needs to be made to place worship as the top priority for your weekly commitments.

• Participate in the service projects, retreats and other activities vital to the program. These are not optional and are integral part of the program.

• Completion of Sermon Outlines.


• Completing the course work and the homework (yes your read that correctly) as assigned. There will be some reading to do and some memorization but not an excessively oppressive amount.

• Participation in a year end interview with Pastor Mike in preparation for Confirmation Sunday (Reformation Sunday following completion of the program).

What we expect from the parents

• Faithfully bring your student to worship

• Faithfully bring your student to all confirmation sessions and assist them in their personal scheduling so that worship time and class session time are protected.

• Continue to teach them the creeds, the 10 commandments and the Lord’s Prayer

• Help them live a godly life.

• At least one parent will meet with the pastor during the year to talk.

• Coordinating one event during the year and providing snacks for the class sessions

The key expectation that the Church has for parents of confirmation students is to remember that you are the primary teacher of the faith to your child. Over the course of time the expectation has become that the pastor (the church) teaches people “church stuff” like the school teaches “school stuff.” However, this was never the way that the faith was intended to be passed from generation to generation. Parents are, and must be, the primary teachers of the faith to their children. The pastor’s role is to do some specialized teaching on subjects that he/she has been specially trained in and (this is important) to assist the parents to fulfill the promises that they made when they had their child baptized. The first disciple of Jesus your child will ever know is you.

In other words, our primary job in the course of confirmation and in the course of our being the pastor in the congregation, is to help you teach your kids about the faith into which they are maturing. Further, parents will be involved and participate in the the confirmation program in some form or another. That means that all parents need to plan on spending some time helping out in the program: organizing and outing, helping with instruction, putting on a party for the kids, being a chaperone for the retreat, etc.

The most important thing that you can do is to make sure that you child is in worship and attends the classes of the program. We know that there will be some conflicts and we do not expect that there will be 100% attendance all of the time. We do expect that you will take this commitment as seriously as we do and that you will commit to the program as much as we commit ourselves to your child.


What can you expect from your pastors?

It is only fair that is we articulate what we expect of you then we should be able to tell you what you can expect of me.

• My time• My passion for the faith• My commitment to you and your family• My support of your student as they continue on their journey of faith• My challenge• My prayers• My commitment to telling you the truth in love• My respect of your thoughts and feelings• My commitment to confidentiality• My non-acceptance of mediocrity

In our class sessions Pastor Mike and others will discuss the issues of the day in the context of what we know about God and God’s undeserved and unlimited love for each one of us. We will talk about Jesus and what Jesus means to us as 21st century people. We will talk about God’s plan and purpose for each one of us and how we can discover and live out that plan.

All of our discussions will be conducted with the understanding that we are all sojourners on our faith journeys and no one in the group has exclusive possession of the truth all the time. We will talk and struggle together learning from the students just as they will be learning from us. There will be no ridicule of questions asked. We will have a safe community where thoughts, doubts and fears can be expressed openly and answers and directions can be sought together.

The group will not be exclusive. The only prerequisite for attending the program is the desire that one has to be a part of this adventure. Youth will be encouraged to invite their friends and parents are invited to attend any session at any time without advanced notice. Pastor Mike welcomes parents to be a part of our discussions and feel that parental involvement is essential to the success of the confirmation experience. Parents will have responsibilities to fulfill as part of their child’s confirmation experience.

We promise to hold all of us (including ourselves) to the expectations that we have outlined. We do not apologize for the memorization that we will be requiring because we have found that in times of crises (and there will be times of crises for everyone sometime in their life) it is the things that we commit to memory that will come back to us (Luke 15). In some cases, those things that come to us in our deepest trials - those things that our confirmation pastor made us memorize, can actually save our lives!


These are BIG promises and we do not hesitate in making them because we are fully committed and fully invested in the confirmation program and the relationship that we are entering into. I know the importance this program can have in the lives of the youth that participate and I am very excited to see what this session will bring in the lives of the youth and in the lives of those who are entrusted with leading these youth.

To be honest, a tremendous amount of work goes into the confirmation program. Why do we do it? The answer is simple - God has asked us to do this. Confirmation is part of the baptismal promise that we all made to your child as we baptized them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In short we all promise to impart the faith to the next generation. As the pastor of this community, I feel that it is my solemn duty to assist you in this very important task. However, I cannot do it for you - but I will do everything in my power to assist you in the fulfilling of the promises that you made at the moment your child was baptized.

This is an important and critical time in the life of your child. What we provide in our confirmation program is at least as important as sports, academics and other extra-curricular activities. To be honest, and I do not say this lightly, our relationship with God and the things that we do to enrich that relationship and ensure that it is vital and healthy are more important than anything else that we do. Why - because in confirmation we will seek the answers to questions that have eternal significance. These are questions that your son or daughter will seek the answer to somewhere - and all the other “somewheres” out there that are ready and willing to answer your child’s questions can be downright dangerous.

We believe that all of the real answers to life’s questions are best discovered in the safe, committed, faith-centered, loving, caring environment of the Church. We hope that you agree.

Your child is welcome to be a part of our confirmation program as are you. Make this a covenant time together. Make the time of confirmation a holy and sacred part of your week together. Come with them to sessions. Listen to them talk about their faith and don’t be afraid to talk with them about your faith and how it impacts your life and the decisions that you make. I assure you that the challenges and obstacles of life will not magically disappear once you and your child embark on the journey of confirmation -What will happen is that as your child struggles with the realities of adolescence they will discover a loving, caring, forgiving, reconciling, redeeming God who values them beyond measure. They will discover that the same God that created them out of nothing knows them and has a plan for their life. They will discover a way of approaching life that affords them the greatest possibility for happiness and fulfillment.

There is no doubt that confirmation is intense, tough, thought-provoking and (sometimes) a little intimidating. It is intended to be because life is all those things and much more. Confirmation requires a commitment stay through until the end and can only be successful in the life of youth to the extent that we, as the adults, are committed to them and to their maturing in their faith.


On the following pages you will find our schedule for the year. Please plan today to attend and adjust your schedules.

I thank you for your time and your commitment to this joint endeavor. I covet your prayers for the program for the youth and for all those who have been called to lead our congregations. Know that I am praying for you and for your student asking God to richly bless you with every good and gracious gift.

Blessings to you and welcome to the Confirmation Program!!


5. The SchedulePlease keep this schedule where you can refer to it regularly!!

Confirmation Class Schedule

Date Location Topic

October 17 Luther Lodge Overview

October 24 N O C L A S S

October 31 N O C L A S S (you can come and Trick or Treat with pastor mike if you would like to.....)

November 7 Luther Lodge Intro to Small Catechism

November 14 Luther Lodge Luther Film/Discussion

November 21 N O C L A S S Thanksgiving Eve Service/

Dessert

November 28 Luther Lodge Luther Film/Discussion

December 5 Luther Lodge Luther & The Catechism 1

December 7 F E S T I V A L O F L I G H T S



December 26 N O C L A S S Winter Break

January 2 N O C L A S S Winter Break

January 9 Luther Lodge Apostles Creed 1


January 19 Fellowship Hall Breakfast and Banter


January 30 N O C L A S S

Date Location Topic

February 6 Luther Lodge 10 Commandments (1-3)


February 13 N O C L A S S Ash Wednesday

February 16 Fellowship Hall Breakfast and Banter



March 6 Luther Lodge Lord’s Prayer 1


March 16 Fellowship Hall Breakfast and Banter


March 27 N O C L A S S

April 3 N O C L A S S

April 10 Luther Lodge Jesus 1

April 20 Fellowship Hall Breakfast and Banter

April 17 Luther Lodge Jesus 2

April 24 Luther Lodge Baptism

May 8 Luther Lodge Communion

May 15 Luther Lodge Worship

May 18 Fellowship Hall Breakfast and Banter

May 22 Luther Lodge Confession

May 29 N O C L A S S

June 5 Luther Lodge Confirming our Faith

June 12 Luther Lodge Claiming our Faith

June 15 Fellowship Hall Breakfast and Banter

June 15 END OF THE YEAR PARTY Location TBD


6. Additional Notes

Opportunities for Parent Involvement in the program. There are several opportunities for parental involvement - in fact - in order that this year’s confirmation class be a success, we need some parents to help coordinate some of the activities.

Currently - the following events need to have a parent coordinator

Festival of Lights Outing - December 7

Christmas Party -

SnowCap Service Project

Closing Party - June 15


6th grade:Ainsley DoltonHunter FieldsCassie GiltonMary HelgersonMaddy L’EsperanceAnna LockhartCameron MagerAlyssa Molony 7th grade:Christopher ChapelleIsaac ChapelleClaire DobeshEmma DobeshAbbey NickersonRyan StandleyDanielle Weinberger 8th grade:Courtney MealueCameron RogersIsabell StandleyAmber Witka


Confirmation 2012-2013 Resurrection Lutheran Church...

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