A Confirmation Program

By Joshua Noah
Director of Children, Youth, & Family Ministries
Trinity Presbyterian Church
East Brunswick, NJ

2014-2015
Program Requirements
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all
your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and
love your neighbor as yourself.
- Jesus, Luke 10:27

Requirements:
100 Hours of Church Service, Mission Work, &
Worship
Break-Down:
Mission Project:
50 Hours
Worship Attendance:
20 Hours
Intrachurch Service:
30 Hours

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Summary of Requirements:
Complete Conformation Mentor Modules
o To be completed BEFORE Mission Project begins.
20 Hours of Worship Attendance
o With JOURNALING for each attendance (journals dated)
50 Hours of Mission Work
o Complete and submit Mission Project Proposal to Confirmation
Coordinator
o With JOURNALING for each day you work on your project (journals dated)
30 Hours of Intrachurch Service/Participation
o With JOURNALING for each day of service (journals dated)
Attend Youth Lock-In/Retreat (10/03-05/2014)
o Complete Faith Interview with Confirmation Coordinator
o Complete Faith Interview with at least one Parent/Guardian
Conduct Remaining Faith Interviews (Other Parent & Mentor)
Meet Theological Competency Requirement
o Either 70% attendance at Jr. High Sunday School (2013-2014) OR
o Pass (60%) the Presbyterian Study Catechism Confirmation Edition
Meet Biblical Literacy Requirement
o Either 70% attendance at Jr. High Sunday School (2014-2015) OR
o Pass (60%) Biblical Literacy Exam
Compose Statement of Personal Faith
o Submit several drafts to Confirmation Coordinator
o Rewrite and resubmit drafts to Confirmation Coordinator
Attend Session Meeting one month before Confirmation
o Session meets on the 2nd Monday of the month and NOT during the
Summer.
Attend the Presbytery of Monmouth Pizza & Polity Event
Serve as Liturgist during Confirmation Service
Present Mission Project on Confirmation Sunday

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What happens after Confirmation?

These questions are the first things that the confirmand and parent(s)
should discuss together. It is important that both know the reasons why
they are starting confirmation. Therefore, before the prospective
confirmand can be enrolled in the program, both the student and the
parent(s) need to answer the following question separately (in writing) and
schedule a time to share them with the Confirmation Coordinator.
Question:
Lets imagine that you have/your child has finished his/her confirmation
program. In 6 months, 5 years, 10 years from now, how will you know that
this confirmation experience made a difference?
Parents: What will you notice is different about your child?
Youth: What will others notice is different about you?
Be sure to give concrete/tangible descriptions of behavior/actions. Do not
give descriptions of internal emotions/feelings.
Finally
How will you (parent & student) make sure those behaviors happen? What
concrete steps/actions can you take during and after Confirmation to make
sure those results occur?

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Reasons to do Confirmation

You want to confess Christ as your Lord & Savior and commit to serving
Christs Church by affirming the vows taken at your baptism.
You want to take the next step in the Journey of Faith.
You want to begin taking on more adult roles within the life of the
congregation.
You want to learn how to make your Christian faith a way of life and not
just something you do on Sundays.
You feel you have more doubt than faith and want to explore it further.
You feel you have gifts that you want to share through the Church.
You feel called to serve God and the Church but dont quite know how.
You have questions about faith that seem to have no answer.
Something seems to be urging you to do this, yet you cant describe
what it is.
Reasons NOT to do Confirmation

Its just time to do Confirmation.

The time to do Confirmation is when you feel called and ready to

pursue Confirmation.
Someone is pushing you (or even bribing you) to do Confirmation, even
though you have no personal urge/interest.

Such an action wrong and is disrespectful to the church and the

Confirmation process.
Someone is guilting you into doing Confirmation because, It will make
your (insert relatives name) so happy!

Your confirmation is NOT about them. It is about you and your

relationship to Christ and Christs Church.
You have NO intention on being a regular part of the Church after
Confirmation ends.

i.e. The day after the Confirmation service, we never see you in the
church again except maybe on Christmas and Easter.
You think that Confirmation will guarantee that youll get into Heaven.

In our tradition, Confirmation is NOT a sacrament, nor will

sacraments get you into heaven!
You think that Confirmation makes you a Christian.

Christianity is a way of life that is lived within a worshipping

community that confesses and follows Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior.

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Understanding Confirmation in Reformed Theology & Polity:

Confirmation is NOT a sacrament within the Presbyterian Church/Reformed
Tradition. In fact, in the Reformed Tradition, the sacraments are NOT a means of grace
meaning that participating in the sacraments will NOT get you into Heaven. Only
Jesus Christs life, death, and resurrection provides the necessary means of grace to
overcome our sinfulness. And the grace of Christ was already given to us over 2,000
years ago and is continually given to us even now.
Instead, in our tradition the sacraments are a sign and seal of the covenant of
grace. In other words, the sacrament is the outward human expression of what has
already happened internally by God through the grace of Christ, by the power of the
Holy Spirit. As such, our tradition only recognizes two sacraments, both of which were
instituted by Jesus in the scriptures: Baptism and the Lords Supper.
In our tradition these sacraments are communal in nature and are only
administered when the community of faith who is also the Body of Christ is gathered
together. As such, we do not practice private baptism and/or communion. This belief is
also why we have a communion table and not an altar. A table is where people gather
together to share a meal. An altar is where things are sacrificed, and Christ only had to
be sacrificed once.
Confirmation is strongly connected to the sacrament of baptism. Baptism signals
the persons admission into the family of faith which is the Church. Because we believe
that Gods grace has already been given to the child, and that the timing of baptism
does not change Gods act of grace, we baptize infants, trusting that their parents (and
Godparents) will teach the Christian faith to them so that when they come of age they
will claim Christ as their Lord and Savior and seek to serve Christs Church. Thus
confirmands affirm the vows made at their baptism by their parents, and thus publically
affirm that they too are followers of Christ and part of the body of Christ the Church.
Therefore, Confirmation is NOT something that the Confirmand does. This
makes the word Confirmand is a bit of a misnomer. The Confirmand is not confirming
their faith, but publically affirming the legitimacy of his/her baptism as a sign and seal of
Gods covenant of grace that has already been given to them because s/he feels the
call of the Holy Spirit towards faith in Christ. Instead, what the confirmand actually does
is Baptismal Affirmation.
Perhaps the term should actually be changed to affirmand. The word affirm,
from its etymology (word origin), means to present something as assured. (afmeaning towards and firm meaning solid) The confirmand through careful study,
work, and reflection in the confirmation process discerns his/her calling to the
Christian faith and, having affirmed that call, presents to the Session of Elders an
assurance of faith in Jesus Christ and a commitment to serve Christs Church.

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Meanwhile, confirmation, by the very etymology of the word, is a communal act

confirmand and Elders together. At its root, the word means to solidify something
together/fully. (con- meaning jointly, fully and firm meaning solid) The word can
also mean to anoint much like the way people throughout the bible were anointed
because they were chosen by God. In many Christian traditions, confirmands are
anointed as a part of the Confirmation service.
In the Presbyterian Church, confirmation is actually done by the Elders of the
congregation who prayerfully confirm that the presented Confirmands affirmation is
legitimate, solid. This theological understanding is why the Confirmands are required by
the Book of Order to go before the Session of Elders to share their Statement of Faith
their presentation of the assuredness of their faith at the end of the program.
Presbyterians believe that the Holy Spirit will guide the conscience of the Elders and
lead them to properly discern the Confirmands baptismal affirmation. As such, the
Session of Elders vote to accept the Confirmand by means of Confession of Faith, and
the Will of the Holy Spirit is confirmed by the decision of the majority.

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A Biblical Foundation for a New Model of Confirmation:

The biblical foundation for a different approach to Confirmation is
found within the Book of Acts. Acts shows us a series of conversion
experiences of people who, after hearing the Gospel, confirm that they
believe and are then baptized. Methodist Bishop and biblical scholar Will
Willimon notes in his commentary that Acts was written not to convert
unbelievers but to confirm converted believers (104). In the Book of Acts
there are multiple stories of conversions which specifically lead to stories
about vocation. As Willimon argues in his commentary, someone is
being called for some Godly work. Conversion is not for the smug individual
possession of the convert, but rather for the ongoing thrust of the gospel
(Willimon 103). In other words, one confirms his/her faith in Christ, not just
for the sake of him/herself, but to further promote the Gospel throughout
the world.
Therefore, in Acts we see example after example of a recent convert
confirming his/her faith through the pursuit of a calling, a vocation, a
mission from God. The confirmed convert is a producer of the faith, and not
just a consumer.
Therefore, this program supports the model reflected in the accounts
of Acts. Most confirmation programs are based on traditional methods of
classroom instruction. These traditional methods are based upon the
assembly line model that developed out of the influence of the Industrial
Revolution. In these more traditional models, students are expected to
move lock-step through a prescribed curriculum, at a prescribed time, so
that deposits of information can be made at certain points along the way.
Once all of the deposits are made, then the person is whole and can
graduate.
In the case of Confirmation, this often means the student leaves the
church after Confirmation, never to return, because s/he is led to believe
that his/her faith is complete. Confirmation based upon this model views
faith not as a dynamic journey that changes and continues over time, but
simply as a set amount of information to be deposited. Thus confirmation
becomes something done to the adolescent individually instead of
something done by the adolescent within community. The adolescent,
instead of becoming a contributing producer of fruits of the Spirit,
becomes nothing more than a passive consumer of knowledge about the

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faith. This model is also something which adolescents are quite familiar
with because it is exactly what our culture expects of them: to consume.
Therefore, the adolescent, who is in the middle of constructing his/her
identity, according to developmental psychologist Erik Erikson, never
actually constructs their faith, but simply consumes it. Making faith only one
of many things tried on or tested in the pursuit of identity. Moreover, the
church just becomes part of the cultural white noise. It becomes
indistinguishable from the rest of culture. The church ceases to be holy, in
the sense of being something separate from the rest of the world. Instead,
it is accommodating to the worlds standards and its Gospel becomes
watered-down to the status quo.
Therefore, in order for confirmation to be more biblically based, more
like the accounts found within Acts, the pedagogy has to be transfigured in
a way that inverts the standard cultural paradigm just like the Gospel
does. Confirmation must be done by the adolescents within the context of
their entire faith community. They must have the opportunity to be
producers of faith instead of consumers of it. They must be able to engage
with every aspect of their faith community, so that they can learn to spread
the Gospel by actually doing it alongside experienced, faithful adult
Christians. There must also be the understanding that confirmation is really
about beginning a new phase in ones faith journey and not about reaching
some faith finish line. Confirmation must be about understanding the
process of faith formation, not trying to get the faith. The process of
Confirmation must be embodied incarnate not just a mental exercise.
This is reflected over and over in Acts, especially in its description of
Pauls life as, a series of journeys, pilgrimages, excursions out into
some unexplored territory where all that is known is the faithfulness of God
(103). Therefore, confirmation truly becomes a life-long process and not
just a moment in time. When a church approaches confirmation in this way,
the church and Christian faith are no longer part of the rest of the culture; it
becomes something holy, something separate from the rest of the world.
The Christian faith leaves its church building and becomes a way of life
where we are expected to behave differently from others, to live together
with other Christians, to follow in the footsteps of Christ, and to produce
works of faith in joyous response to Gods grace instead of simply
consuming all that that Gods creation has to offer.

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Worship Attendance: (HEART/MIND/STRENGTH/SOUL)

Because the Christian life is both private and public, worship lies at the center of
the Christian faith. Therefore, confirmands are required to attend and participate in at
least 20 hours of worship services over the course of their confirmation period. Certain
worship services are required to fulfill these hours. All efforts should be made to
participate in the required worship services. In the event of an unforeseeable
emergency that prevents the confirmand from attending, a list of alternative/make-up
dates is given below. Immediately following each required worship service, the
confirmand is required to journal about the worship experience.*

Required Worship Attendance: (Dates for 2014-2015 Year)

At least FOUR regular Communion services (first Sunday of every month)
Christmas Eve (December 24, 2014; either service - 7pm or 10pm)
Baptism of the Lord/Baptism Reaffirmation (January 11, 2015)
Ash Wednesday (February 18, 2015 @ 7:30pm)
Palm Sunday (March 29, 2015)
Maundy Thursday (April 2, 2015 @ 7:00 pm)
Good Friday (April 3, 2015 @ 12 noon)
Easter Sunday (April 5, 2015; either service 9am or 11am)
Pentecost (May 24, 2015)
Make-Up Dates/Times:
Christ the King Sunday (November 23, 2014)
Any of the Sundays in Advent (11/30; 12/07; 12/14; 12/21)
Transfiguration of the Lord (February 15, 2015)
Any of the Sundays in Lent (02/22; 03/01; 03/08; 03/15; 03/22)
Trinity Sunday (May 31, 2015 also Youth Sunday this year!)
Any Sunday with a Baptism (Will e-mail as baptisms are scheduled.)
Serving as liturgist on any Sunday (2 hours)
Attending the worship service of another Christian denomination**
** Attending a worship service of another Christian denomination, speaking to the minister about
the service, and journaling about the similarities/differences will count as 2 hours

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WHY ATTEND WORSHIP?

Worship lies at the center of the Christian life. As the PCUSAs Directory of
Worship states, it is in worship that Christians "acknowledge God present in the world
and in their lives"... and "respond to God's claim and redemptive action in Jesus
Christ"...and therefore "are equipped for God's service in the world" (W-1.1001). Without
the gathering of the Christian community in worship, we cannot properly serve the call
which Christ has placed upon us. We worship God and grow in our discipleship through
the public preaching and teaching of scripture and the proper administration of the
sacraments, both of which are done in community.
The right administration of the sacraments baptism and the Lord s Supper brings
us into communion with both Christ and one another, and in doing so we reaffirm our
faith unto God and our connection to each other (Westminster Confession of Faith
6.161). For it is through the sacraments that the people of God are made distinct from
everyone else, are strengthened in their faith, know the enduring promise of God, and of
the union of all people into the one body of Christ (Scots Confession 3.21). To say that
the sacraments hold no significant meaning beyond that of symbolism is to reject this
mystical communion of God to God's people and God's people to one another (Scots
Confession 3.21). This is why we celebrate the sacraments in public worship and not in
private.
Even though it is acceptable, and even encouraged, for women and men to study the
Scriptures in private, our tradition also teaches that public worship must be held so that
the Word of God may be properly proclaimed and taught and that the sacraments may
be properly administered. Such gatherings also allow for the organization and financial
support of the Church's mission (2nd Helvetic Confession 5.211). As such, public
gatherings of worship are to be neither ignored nor rejected (2nd Helvetic Confession
5.212). Such gatherings of worship are to place on emphasis on the teaching of the
Word for the purpose of educating the people so that they may grow stronger in their
faith (2nd Helvetic Confession 5.220). While in worship, the members of the church
praise God, pray for the concerns of the world, enjoy one another's fellowship, and are
strengthened in their mission, both corporately and individually, to serve God throughout
the world (Confession of 1967 9.36).
In attending worship, the individual is subject to the guidance of the community
through the communitys offers of advice and teaching which will enable each individual
to grow her/his ministry for God's Kingdom (Confession of 1967 9.38). As those gifts for
ministry grow, s/he is obligated to share those gifts with the rest of the gathered
community as part of the "communion of the saints" (Heidelberg Catechism 4.055). This
gift of ministry in the gathered community is the response to the gift of grace by faith,
given by the power of the Holy Spirit, which binds us to all believers into the one body of
Christ, which is called the Church (Brief Statement of Faith 10.4).

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Worship & Sacraments Reflection/Journaling Questions:

Following each day you attend worship, you will take time to reflect on the
importance of worship and the sacraments in the Christian faith and their
importance in the Christian journey. Reflect on how you may feel differently about
communion as you continue to participate in the act. Talk to your parents about
your baptism and ask them why they felt it was important for you to be baptized.
Also, reflect on how the liturgy of Christian worship helps to model how one lives
a life of Christian faith.
Questions you could ask yourself: (Use these to guide your journaling.)
What do you feel is the meaning of the sacrament of the Lords Supper?
When you take part in the Lords Supper, do you feel as though you are feeding
your spirit?
How important is the community of faith in the taking of communion? Do you feel
it could be done on an individual basis?
What is the symbolic significance to you of the elements of the Lords Supper?
(bread, wine/juice, table, etc.)
How important do you feel baptism is for your faith?
How has knowing that you have been baptized into a family of faith affected your
faith journey? Would it have been different if you hadnt?
What part of worship do you find the most spiritually significant? The least
significant? Explain.
How important, do you feel, is regular attendance at worship in the development
of your Christian faith? Why?
What are other ways that you can engage yourself in glorifying God outside of
the church on Sunday mornings?
Why should/do we pray?
Why is music a part of the worship practices of the church? What is its
significance?
What kind of music is best for glorifying God?
How serious do you take the words of the sermon? Do you think about and apply
them outside of church?
(For special services, i.e. Ash Wednesday, Christmas, etc) Why is this day
important in the life of the Church? In the life of Christians? Should we always
celebrate/recognize this holiday/season?
What symbols/colors/etc. did you notice were associated with this
holiday/season? What is their significance?

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Mission Project: (HEART/STRENGTH/SOUL/NEIGHBOR)

The confirmand will complete 50 hours towards mission project of his/her own
choosing and design. The project will be developed by the confirmand and will revolve
around a particular issue/topic that interests the confirmand (bullying, homelessness,
poverty, education, the environment, etc.) and allows him/her to reflect both personally
and theologically on how the call to serve is a key element of living the Christian faith.
The confirmand will keep a journal of personal reflections about his/her work
on the mission project. This journal will be used to allow the confirmand to then reflect
on his/her mission work theologically with the help of the confirmation guides and
mentors.
Part of preparing this mission project may require the confirmand to engage the
assistance of a church council (commission/committee/etc.) in the form of physical,
spiritual, and/or financial help. If so, such work with the council will count towards both
the confirmands Mission Project hours and Intrachurch Service Hours.
The completed work on the mission project will be presented to the congregation
during coffee hour on a tri-fold project board or PowerPoint presentation following the
Confirmation Sunday service in Upper Kern Hall.

***Before your Mission Project can begin, you

MUST complete your Mentor Modules AND
complete and submit the Mission Project
Proposal Form to the Confirmation Coordinator
for approval.***

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WHY MISSION WORK?

Its not that Gods Church has a mission; its that Gods Mission has a church.
Karl Barth
The church does NOT exist apart from mission. Without mission, the Church is
nothing more than a group of people who gather together for their own self-gratification.
Therefore, to be a part of the church is to be a part of the Missio Dei the Mission of
God in the World. The Presbyterian Church (USA), along with the rest of the Church
Universal, confesses this belief through the Nicene Marks which says the Church is
one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. But what does that mean for confirmed members in
our denomination?
In its calling, the confirmed members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) give
witness to the Nicene Marks of the Church as being "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic."
In order to best understand the way in which the PCUSA gives witness to these Nicene
Marks of the Church catholic, it would be best to examine them in reverse order - from
apostolic to catholic to holy to one.
The confirmed members of the PCUSA give witness to the apostolic nature of the
Church universal through its mission throughout the world. The very word "apostolic"
come from the word "apostle" which means "one that is sent." By being sent out into the
world to witness to the love of God through Jesus Christ, the confirmed members of the
PCUSA, adhere to this mark. This mark of apostolicity can be seen in the Mission of the
Congregation section of the Book of Order which states that,
"The congregation reaches out to people, communities, and the world to share
the good news of Jesus Christ, to gather for worship, to offer care and nurture to
Gods children, to speak for social justice and righteousness, to bear witness to
the truth and to the reign of God that is coming into the world" (G-1.0101).
Through this apostolic "sent-ness" confirmed members of the PCUSA affirm and
participate in the mission of the Church universal; a mission which was initiated by
Christ at the Great Commission, and begun at Pentecost.
In acknowledging its universal apostolic mission, confirmed members of the
PCUSA also affirm the catholicity of the Church universal. In understanding the term
"catholic," we must acknowledge that the term actually means for the Church universal
to find its unity, its center, its foundation in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. While there
may be many expressions of this faith, there is only ONE Lord, Jesus Christ. It is this
one Lord that the Church universal serves in its mission to the world. Confirmed
members of the PCUSA claim and affirm Christ as Lord, especially as Lord of its
mission and ministry to the world, when we state that,
"Christ alone rules, calls, teaches, and uses the Church as he wills, exercising
his authority by the ministry of women and men for the establishment and
extension of Gods new creation. Christs ministry is the foundation and standard
for all ministry, the pattern of the one who came not to be served but to serve
(Matt. 20:28)" (G-2.0101).
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In affirming Christ as our Lord, we also affirm that we will follow and obey the one who
calls and instructs us in the ways in which we, in unity with the rest of the Church
universal, serve Christ by our mission throughout the world.
In affirming ourselves as ones who are sent into the world under the calling of our
one Lord, Jesus Christ, the confirmed members of the PCUSA also acknowledges its
holiness with the rest of the Church universal. This mark of holiness is one in which we
are set aside to be sanctified for the vocation to which our Lord has called us. Part of
this holiness is the participation in a life of disciplined discipleship through which we
worship, study, and pray. This disciplined discipleship includes observance of the Lord's
Day for, "It is the beginning of the believers week and gives shape to the life of
discipleship (W-5.5001). This holiness through disciplined observance includes worship
of our one Lord (catholic) and "engagement in ministries of witness, service, and
compassion" (apostolic) (W-5.5001).
Finally, in witnessing to the world the Love of God, through our submission to the
Lordship of Jesus Christ, and separating ourselves to live holy lives that fit Christ's call
to service, the confirmed members of the PCUSA also affirms its oneness with the
Church universal. As members of Christ's body, we show our oneness through the way
we love one another, not in the way we organize our churches. The PCUSA has worked
to affirm this oneness through its "opportunities for conversation, cooperation, and
action with other ecclesiastical groups" (G-5.0101). By working together with its sisters
and brothers in Christ, the confirmed members of the PCUSA witnesses to the world the
love that Christians have for one another, and their call to all Christians to spread this
love of God to people throughout the world.

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Mission Project Proposal

God has no hands in this world but yours.

-St. Theresa of Avila

One of the foci of the confirmation class will be a mission project in which you
engage in mission work while reflecting upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You will be REQUIRED to keep a journal of every day that you work on
your mission project.
Be sure to date each of your journal entries.
By keeping a journal, you will be able to keep track of your work, reflect back on
work you have done previously, and work with your confirmation guide and
parents in finding biblical and theological resources that support the work you
are doing. You should bring your journal to confirmation progress meetings and
to your mentoring meeting so that your guides and mentors can help you with
your biblical and theological reflections. Your journal can be done in several
ways, you can:
Give a written account of the days events
Write about what you felt or how you saw Christ/God/Holy Spirit

within the work you were doing

Interview people with whom you are working
Take pictures of your work and include them in the journal along with
captions
Draw pictures that capture moments within your work with captions
describing it
Write poetry, prose, etc. that helps reflect the spiritual aspects of your
work
Include scriptures that relate to the work you are doing
Include quotes by ministers, theologians, other mission workers that
help you reflect on your experience
Keep a blog, vlog, tumblr feed, or other forms of electronic/social
media
Any combination of the above.

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Mission Reflection/Journaling Questions:

Ultimately, the journal is to show your mission work in progress and, at the end
of your project, allow you to look back over your experience and think about what
you have learned about your relationship with Christ, your role within the church,
and your role as the hands and feet of Christ in the world. Questions you could
ask yourself are:
What have I learned about myself from this experience?
What are the things that I have learned about myself that glorifies God?
What are the things I have learned about myself that only glorify me?
o What have those I have served gained from my work?
How has their life been made better through my mission?
How have I transmitted the Gospel of Christ to them?
o How does my work reflect the work of Christ within the Gospels?
How does my work relate to the 2 Greatest Commandments?
How does my work relate to Christs Sermon on the Mount?
How does my work relate to the actions of Christ within the Gospels?
Would Christ have done the work that I have chosen to do?
What makes my work mission instead of just community service?
o How does my work answer the call of Christ in the Great Commission?
o What have I come to understand about living in Christian community?
o What have I come to understand about what it means to live a Christian
life?
What are the challenges? Struggles? Advantages? Disadvantages?
How does living a Christian life relate to the culture around me?
o Would I do this type of service again even if it was not a confirmation
requirement? Why?
o What does it mean to live a life committed to faith in Jesus Christ?
After reflecting upon these questions, you should use them to help write your
final Statement of Faith that you will present before both the Elders of Session
and the Congregation on Confirmation Sunday.

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Mission Project Proposal Confirmand:_________________________________________

THIS FORM CAN NOT BE COMPLETED UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE FINISHED YOUR
MENTORING MODULES!
Describe your mission project. What work will you do? Where will you work? With whom
will you work? (Attach more pages if necessary.)
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If available, please give the contact information for the person in charge of the site you
will be serving. If this is a completely new project that you are creating, be sure to give
the contact information for any adult that will be guiding and/or supervising you.
Supervising Adult:____________________________________________________
Organization:_________________________________________________________
Phone: _______________________________________________________________
e-mail: ______________________________________________________________

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Describe what you think, as of now, are the connections between your mission work and
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What makes the work you are about to do mission and not
just community service?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
I hereby commit to serving this mission project as a part of my confirmation program for
Christs church. I will accurately and faithfully keep track of my reflection journal and
hours that I have dedicated to accomplishing this project.
________________________________________________________________
Confirmand
Date

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Intrachurch Service: (HEART/STRENGTH/MIND/NEIGHBOR)

Being a part of the church is more than just showing up for an hour on Sundays.
It is also serving/participating within the church. There are many ways that lay people
serve/participate within the church. Some lay people are active in the weekly worship
services while others serve on the various commissions/committees/teams/task forces
that serve the day to day operations of the church. Others regularly attend Adult
Christian Ed classes.
The confirmand will be expected to contribute 30 hours of work within the church
through service on the various church councils (i.e. commissions, committees, and
teams), other organizations/groups within the church (choir, Sunday School, bell choir,
small groups, etc.), or participation in Adult Christian Ed classes. Confirmands will be
expected to attend the regularly scheduled meetings of these groups and to participate
in their sponsored events. Confirmands are encouraged to choose a
commission/committee/small group/class that reflects his/her interests. The confirmand
may also choose groups that will be able to help him/her with completing his/her
Mission Project. Regular journaling about his/her experience serving/participating with
the group is required.

FAQ: What is the difference between mission and intrachurch

service?
Mission is work that serves/works with people OUTside of the
church/congregation.
Intrachurch service is work that serves/works with people INside of
the church/congregation.
Special Note:
If the confirmand attends Adult Christian Ed classes, serves on a
commission, or attends a small group with his/her parent(s), the confirmand
will receive an extra hour per parent, each time a parent attends with the
confirmand.

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Intrachurch Service Suggestions:

Following any commission/committee/team meeting and/or event, you should
journal about your experience. Guiding questions for your journaling are
provided. Due to the confidential nature of the information discussed on some
commissions, not all of the groups listed below are open for confirmands to serve.
Worship:
Usher (Deacons)/Head Usher
Coffee Hour/Kitchen Staff
Bell Choir
Liturgist/Pulpit Assistant
Christian Education:
Sunday School Teacher
Childrens Church Leader
VBS Leader/Counselor
Attend Adult Christian Ed Class

Commissions/Committees/Teams:
Children, Youth, & Family Commission
Adult Christian Education Commission
Membership & Discipleship Commission
Mission Commission
Property & Finance Commission
Worship & Spiritual Life Commission
Women at the Well (females only)
Trinity Disaster Relief Team
Bazaar Focus Team
Trinity Earth Shepherds

Intrachurch Service Reflection/Journaling Questions:

Following your time of service, you should take a moment to reflect on how your
service has helped you to understand what it means to live a life of faith within
Christs Church and the role that service/participation within the church plays
within that faith. Questions you should ask yourself are:
What is the importance of my church service to the success of Christs Church?
What have I learned about my relationship with the church?
What have I learned about my relationships with other members of the church?
What have I learned about peoples relationships to each other within the
church?
What have I learned about the church as a community of faith?
What are the challenges in living/working in such a community?
What are the advantages in living/working in such a community?
Where/how do I see myself serving within the church in the future?
What is the importance of service within the church to my faith in Christ?
How does my service within the church reflect the faith of Christ?

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Other Requirements:
Faith Interviews: (HEART/MIND/SOUL)
One of the first matters that the confirmands will tackle is understanding where
they are at this moment in their faith journey. They will begin confirmation by conducting
an interview with the Confirmation Coordinator concerning their faith journey thus far.
This interview will allow both the confirmand and the Confirmation Coordinator to
understand the confirmands faith journey up until now and understand why he/she has
decided to begin confirmation at this point. This initial assignment, combined with the
work throughout the program, will lead the confirmands into their final assignment a
one page statement of faith which they will read before the Session of Elders and the
congregation on Confirmation Sunday. These interviews will occur during the Youth
Retreat/Lock-In on October 3-5, 2014.
The other interviews will conducted by the confirmand with his/her parent(s)
(each parent separately) and with his/her mentor. The purpose of these interviews is to
help the confirmand develop an understanding of the scope of a persons faith over a
lifetime. At the same time, it will help the confirmand understand his/her parents beliefs
and help promote greater conversations about faith between parent and child which
should be occurring throughout the confirmation program. The confirmand will then
reflect on the interviews in his/her journal.
***One of the parents/guardians should be present on the first evening of the
Youth Retreat/Lock-In (October 3, 2014), so that one of the parent/guardian interviews
can be done as part of the work for the Retreat/Lock-In.***

Theological Competency Requirement: (MIND/SOUL)

All confirmands will be required to demonstrate theological competency. This can be
completed by either 1) attending the Jr. High Sunday School Theology Series (offered
again in the 2015-2016 year) with 70% attendance or 2) learning on their own time the
Study Catechism Confirmation Version with their parents and passing an exam with
60%. This work is meant to help develop a better understanding of theology and the
beliefs of the Presbyterian tradition to help the confirmand assess if this is the tradition
best suited for him/her.

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Biblical Literacy Requirement: (MIND/SOUL)

All confirmands are expected to demonstrate basic biblical literacy. This requirement
can be met by either 1) attending the Jr. High Sunday School Bible Series (currently
offered this 2014-2015 year) with 70% attendance or 2) passing a bible literacy exam
with a 60% score. This work is meant to help develop a basic biblical foundation upon
which to continue to grow and mature their faith.

Statement of Personal Faith: (HEART/MIND/STRENGTH/SOUL)

The statement of personal faith will be a culmination of all the work that the
confirmand has done within the program. The confirmand will take his/her initial
interview along with his/her journal entries about mission, worship, intrachurch service,
faith interviews, etc. and distill them down into a full, single, page that tells what lies at
the core of the confirmands faith. In accordance with the PCUSs Book of Order, this
statement of personal faith must be presented to the Session of Elders in order for the
confirmand to be considered for membership within the church. The statement will also
be shared with the congregation as a part of the Service of Confirmation.
***Please note that your final Statement of Faith will undergo several drafts
before it is presented to the Session. Those drafts should be submitted to the
Confirmation Coordinator so feedback and further questions will be posed in order to
help the Confirmand dig deeper into his/her understanding of his/her faith.

Confirmation Sunday: (HEART/MIND/STRENGTH/SOUL)

Only a couple of Sundays per year will be set aside for confirmation. In order to
be confirmed, the confirmand is first required to be present for the Session meeting the
month before his/her confirmation in order to share his/her Statement of Personal Faith
and answer any questions posed by the Session. According to the Book of Order, the
Elders of the Session must vote to receive the confirmand into the membership of the
church. Therefore, if the confirmand is not present, then membership cannot be granted
and will be postponed until the next months Session meeting. All confirmation
requirements must be completed AND reviewed by the Confirmation Coordinator before
the Session meeting. If the requirements have NOT been completed, then confirmation
will happen on another Sunday set aside for confirmation. The confirmand must be
present and participate in his/her Confirmation Service.

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Mentor/Mentee Modules: (HEART/MIND/SOUL/NEIGHBOR)

The confirmand will complete a series of Mentor/Mentee Modules with a carefully
assigned or chosen mentor. If the Confirmand has Godparents, s/he is typically the best
choice to serve as the mentor as that is the role that the Godparent vows to take at the
childs baptism. However, if a Godparent is not available, then any member of the
congregation may serve as the mentor, as all members of the congregation vowed to
raise the child in the faith at his/her baptism, and are therefore also Godparents.
The modules are to be completed in order and are designed to help the
confirmand reflect on him/herself, his/her faith journey, and his/her progress in the
confirmation program. It is the responsibility of the confirmand to collaborate with his/her
mentor to set times to conduct these meetings.

Confirmation Class Meetings:

In order to provide the confirmands with time to work within the church, there will
NOT be a regular confirmation class meeting. Instead, the group will first gather
together to explore what it means to enter into the confirmation process during the
Youth Retreat/Lock-In on October 3-5, 2014. ALL students interested in going
through the confirmation process are required to attend the retreat.
Following the lock-in, the Youth and Parent(s) will make a formal commitment to
the Confirmation process. The group will then meet on the first Sunday of every month,
following communion worship for an hour to review their work up to that point, check
their progress, and to provide guidance as to how they should move forward. On those
days, the confirmand is expected to bring his/her journal, and service hours log.
The only REQUIRED class meeting is the Pizza & Polity event hosted by Monmouth
Presbytery sometime in February. The date for this event will be given as soon as it is
set by the presbytery.

The Work of Confirmation:

Nearly all of the work for Confirmation will happen outside of a classroom. One
of the major responsibilities of being an adult in the church is managing your daily life
while simultaneously maintaining a daily commitment to serving Christ. Therefore, the
confirmand is required to take on such an adult-like task under the guidance of his/her
parents and Confirmation guides in order to help the confirmand grow into a fully
contributing member of Christs church. It is strongly recommended that the confirmand
keep a daily planner in which to keep ALL of his/her responsibilities organized (school
homework, extra-curricular events, family events, confirmation responsibilities, etc.).

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Confirmation Program Time Sheet

Confirmand:_____________________ Parent(s): ____________________
Work Done/Site
Name

Date

Hours Worked

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Mission,
Worship, or
Intrachurch?