Confirmation 2007

by Jeff Bills

If you were at HOPE last Sunday for the 10:30 a.m. service, you participated in the baptism of twin brothers Ethan and Matthew Dominiano. As part of the liturgy, the parents are asked if they will raise their children in the love and knowledge of Christ “until they, by the power of God, shall accept for themselves the faith…” Infant baptism is a powerful sacrament that involves the family, the community of faith, and the Holy Spirit all committing themselves to lead a child to Jesus Christ.

When a young person reaches seventh grade, they are invited to participate in a 15-session process called confirmation. Each class is designed to highlight an important aspect of the Christian faith such as God the Father; Jesus Christ; the Holy Spirit; the Bible; committing your life to Jesus; just to name a few. The purpose of confirmation is to present the core truths of the Christian faith and to answer questions about the faith that individual students have. At the end of the confirmation process, each student has the opportunity to “accept for her/himself the faith into which she/he was baptized.”

The 15-session course was developed by Randy Petersen, Rick Court, and me and was taught by Rick and Dave Falcone this year. This year’s class was made up of thirteen bright, motivated, and energetic students. A new element was added to the confirmation process this year: a weekend retreat. The Friday evening through Sunday afternoon retreat to Ocean City, Maryland, served two important purposes. It gave the students and the teachers an extended period of time to talk about what it means to be a Christian in an unrushed setting. The other thing the retreat did was provide an opportunity for the students to get to know each other better.

Today we have the opportunity to join our confirmands and their families in this deeply significant service of confirming their commitment to Jesus Christ and His church. Please lift our newest HOPE members in prayer.

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