Confirmation

To review what was discussed at our Confirmation Information Meeting on August 25, please check out the following PDF. If you have any questions, please reach out to Kate!

Confirmation Information Meeting PDF

This lesson focused on the first steps of taking a journey together as we begin this new phase of the confirmation process. With some of the class in year two and others just beginning, what do we expect, hope, and feel about confirmation and what it means. We learned more about Samuel and Moses and their feelings at the start of their journeys and how they mirror our own.

Take a look at the slides and content for this lesson: Lessons 1-2: Traveling Together PDF
 
Family: Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions
1. What does Confirmation mean?
2. Confirmand: Why are you on this Confirmation journey and what do you hope to get out of this year
3. Parents/older siblings: If you have been confirmed, share about your journey to Confirmation.
4. How do you feel as we start this new year of Confirmation classes?
5. Depending on the Bible story you focused on, how did Samuel and/or Moses feel about their journey?
Extra, just for fun: Play a few rounds of SOUP, SALAD, or SANDWICH...your confirmand knows what this means!

Students: Missed Class Tasks  
1. Read 1 Samuel 3:1-19 and write down 3 things that Samuel felt on his journey.
2. Read Exodus 3:1-14 and Exodus 4:1-5 and 10-16 and write down 3 things that Moses felt on his journey.
3. Think about Samuel and Moses's feelings as they relate to you and starting this journey of Confirmation.
4. Complete the Getting to Know You form and turn it in to Kate by November 1.

During these lessons, we discussed the qualities of how Christians look, act, sound, and post based on how Jesus taught us to live. We explored Jesus's new commandment, to love others, and how this guides all that we do. We also reviewed numerous Scripture passages that explained how we belong to God and how we are His children in a committed relationship.

Take a look at the slides and content for this lesson: Lessons 3-4: Loving and Belonging Together PDF
 
Family: Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions
1. What does a Christian look, sound, act, and post like? Why?
2. What does it mean to belong to God?
3. What does it mean to be a child of God?

Students: Missed Class Tasks  
1. Pick one of the following passages to read and answer the three follow up questions about...

• Romans 8: 14-17
• Isaiah 43: 1-4
• Isaiah 43: 10-13
• Jeremiah 29: 11-14
• John 15: 1-8
• 1 John 5: 1-5

2. Email Kate your responses to these three questions based on the one passage you selected...

• What does this Scripture tell us about belonging to God?
• What does this Scripture tell us about God's feelings towards us as children of God?
• What does this Scripture tell us about committing to a relationship with God?

3. Complete the Where Are You Now survey and turn it in to Kate by November 1. 

During these lessons, we explored the significance of Jesus' Jewish faith and how it relates to early Christianity, discussed how the beliefs and practices of early Christians influence our faith today, and identified key figures and events of the Reformation that shaped modern Christianity.

Take a look at the slides and content for this lesson: Lessons 5-7: Jesus's Faith, Early Faith, Reformation PDF
 
Family: Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions
1. What do you think the people from Jesus's time would think about how we worship today? (the place and the way)
2. Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9. How does this prayer connect to the history of Israel?
3. What was the Protestant Reformation? (key figures, moments, or purpose)

Students: Missed Class Tasks  
1. Read the following passages in the order they are listed and email Kate with a brief summary of how these all fit together. (Slide 9 in the linked PDF can help you with this task.)

• Nehemiah 9:1-13
• Nehemiah 9:14-15
• Micah 6:1-8
• Nehemiah 9:26-38
• Isaiah 9:1-7

2. Who was Martin Luther and what part did he play in the Reformation? Email Kate a quick synopsis.

The goals of this session were to explore John Wesley’s personal history and how it influenced him to start the Methodist movement and discover more about the history of the Methodist church in the United States.

Take a look at the slides and content for this lesson: Lessons 8-9: Wesley and the Methodists, The Growth of Methodism PDF
 
Family: Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions
1. What do you know about The Christmas Conference, The Aldersgate Experience, the Holy Club, Circuit Riders, and Kingswood School? (Use the PDF provided for support)
2. What were some of the highs and lows in the history of Methodism? (Use the PDF provided for support)
3. Why is it important to learn about John Wesley and the history of Methodism?

Students: Missed Class Tasks  
1. Read through the PDF of the lessons and share the following in an email to Kate by November 17.

• 3 interesting facts about the history of Methodism
• 2 questions you still have or now have about the growth of Methodism
• 1 sentence summary about what you learned

Lessons 10 and 11 focused on the history of Kingswood, reviewing the key facts from the past few sessions, and exploring the shape and function of the structure of the United Methodist Church and how Kingswood fits into the puzzle.

Take a look at the slides and content for this lesson: Lessons 10-11: The History of Kingswood and Connection
 
Family: Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions
1. Share memories about the church that each of you grew up in.
2. Discuss when you started attending Kingswood Church and what you remember about your first impressions and what your favorite parts about Kingswood are and why.
3. Review the PDF together. What was something new that you learned about Kingswood Church? What is something that you still want to know about Kingswood Church?

Students: Missed Class Tasks  
1. Watch an overview about the Book of Nehemiah and email Kate how the story of Nehemiah and putting a puzzle together without seeing the box go together.
2. Include in the email how Nehemiah, the puzzle, and the structure of the church go together.
3. Review the lesson PDF and talk through the Family Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions with someone at home.

Lesson 12 focused on the components of worship and had confirmands determining which elements of worship were the most important and why. We discussed creative ways to approach worship and realized that the most important aspect of worship is Jesus. No matter where you worship, when you worship, or how you worship, Jesus is the number one necessity for worship.

Lesson 13 focused on the music in worship and why God rejoices when we worship Him in song. We explored the meaning of some more recognizable hymns and even rewrote and listened to our own versions of Charles Wesley's "O for a Thousand Voices to Sing" hymn.
 
**Many youth asked about the AI music generator that we used. This is a free program when you log in. When you select "create" you can write your own lyrics and hear them in any style you choose! Check it out at https://app.suno.ai/.

Take a look at the slides and content for this lesson: Lessons 12-13: Simple Worship, Music and Lyrics
 
Family: Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions
1. Which components of worship did you rank highest/most important? Why?
2. Which components of worship did you rank the lowest/least important? Why?
3. If you were in charge of worship, what would you change, keep, and/or edit? Why?
4. What is your favorite song in church?
5. What suggestions do you have to elevate our current music in worship? Share these ideas with Kate to bring to our worship team!

Students: Missed Class Tasks  
1. Review the lesson PDF and talk through the Family Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions with someone at home.

Lessons 14 and 15 focused on reviewing the three types of grace (prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying) as well as the two United Methodist sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion). We spent some time in the Sanctuary going through the basics of the sacraments.

Take a look at the slides and content for this lesson: Lessons 14-15: Grace and Sacraments
 
Family: Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions
1. What are the three types of grace and what do you know about each of the three?
2. Why do you think Jesus, who was sinless, chose to be baptized? What does this teach us about obedience and the importance of following God's plan?
3. Baptism is a symbol of a new beginning. How does your faith feel like a fresh start, and what does baptism mean to you personally?
4. What does the phrase "do this in remembrance of me" mean to you? How can we make Communion more meaningful in our own lives beyond just a tradition?
5. Jesus says the cup is the "new covenant in my blood." What do you think the "new covenant" means, and how does it change the way we view our relationship with God?

Students: Missed Class Tasks  
1. Review the lesson PDF and talk through the Family Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions with someone at home.

Lessons 16 and 17 focused on understanding how the Social Principles reflect the collective beliefs of the United Methodist Church and to relate the process of forming these principles to our lives. This class explored the importance of working together for common values.

Take a look at the slides and content for this lesson: Lessons 16-17: A Loving Church and So Now What
 
Family: Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions
1. Review this list of 10 core values: kindness, justice, fairness, respect for others, helping those in need, caring for the environment, honesty, teamwork, forgiveness, courage to do what's right.

• Which core value do you think is "most important"? Why?
• Which value do you think most closely aligns with you/connects with you the most? Why?
• Which value is the hardest for you? Why?

2. Review the 6 Social Principles in the UMC (slide 8): the natural world, economic community, nurturing community, political community, social community, and the world community.

• Which of these Social Principles do you think is the most important? Why?

Students: Missed Class Tasks  
1. Explore the Global Ministries of the UMC and email Kate one missionary or organization that supports global missions through the United Methodist Church.
2. Review the lesson PDF and talk through the Family Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions with someone at home.

Lessons 18 and 19 explore how faith, trust and belief as well as how the Wesleyan Quadrilateral can help guide us in our daily journeys.

Take a look at the slides and content for this lesson: Lessons 18-19: Trust and the Wesleyan Quadrilateral
 
Family: Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions
1. Share what you learned about Moses and Joshua. How does this relate to our conversation about faith, trust, and belief?
2. What is the "Social Creed" and why was it written?
3. What is the Wesleyan Quadrilateral? How does this tool help support us on our daily faith journey (in real life situations)?

Students: Missed Class Tasks  
1. Explore the game The Evolution of Trust and play some rounds. Think about how this game fits into our faith?
2. Review the lesson PDF and talk through the Family Follow-Up Dinnertime Discussion Questions with someone at home.