Confirmation
Confirmation is an exciting time at Emmanuel! All eighth graders are
invited to participate in this faith journey. Confirmands are provided
with a safe environment in which to ask questions about their faith and
discover how God works in their lives. Youth spend time with a mentor,
parents and the church staff to explore the Christian faith. Classes are
held every Sunday morning beginning in January. Additional requirements
and activities are scheduled monthly. Confirmation concludes on Pentecost
Sunday when the confirmands take the following vows and join the church.
When persons unite as professing members with a local United Methodist
church, they profess their faith in God, the Father Almighty, maker of
heaven and earth; in Jesus Christ his only Son, and in the Holy Spirit.
Thus, they make known their desire to live their daily lives as disciples
of Jesus Christ. They covenant together with God and with the members of
the local church to keep the vows which are a part of the order of
confirmation and reception into the Church:
- To renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers
of the world, and repent of their sin;
- To accept the freedom and power God gives them to resist evil,
injustice, and oppression;
- To confess Jesus Christ as Savior, put their whole trust in his grace,
and promise to serve him as their Lord;
- To remain faithful members of Christ's holy church and serve as
Christ's representatives in the world;
- To be loyal to The United Methodist Church and do all in their power to
strengthen its ministries;
- To faithfully participate in its ministries by their prayers, their
presence, their gifts, and their service;
- To receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
(From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2004.
Copyright © 2004 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by
permission.)
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