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Confirmation Class “We Believe”
Week 1
Confirmand and Parent Orientation
Week 2
ACTS Prayer • Confirmands learn about prayer • Confirmands learn how to pray – adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication • The Lord’s Prayer is analyzed
Week 3
“Let’s Get Started” and Church Tour • Help Confirmands understand what Confirmation is and what is expected • Tour the church and notice the variety and number of Christian symbols
Week 4
The Book of Books • Orient Confirmands to the Bible (use of Bible tabs) • Give Confirmands tools to find references in the Bible • Help Confirmands recognize the authority of the Bible in matters of faith • Encourage Confirmands to read the Bible for themselves • Help Confirmands understand how the Scriptures came to us
Week 5
Covenant Service • Understand the importance of covenant in our faith • Impress the importance of Confirmation to Confirmands, parents, and teachers • Making sacred promises to God and each other
Week 6
We are the Church • Help Confirmands understand the different meanings of church • Challenge Confirmands to see how they and the church can influence the world for Jesus Christ
Week 7
God the Father • Help Confirmands understand the concept of the Trinity • Help Confirmands understand that God’s laws are for our protection and not just to frustrate us • Share that God desires to have a relationship with each of us
Week 8
God the Son • Understand that Jesus Christ was both fully human and fully divine • Identify the major events in Jesus’ life • Understand that Jesus’ death on the cross wasn’t final; He is alive today and wants to be intimately involved in our lives
Week 9
God the Holy Spirit • Help Confirmands understand the person and work of the Holy Spirit • Help Confirmands manifest God’s grace in their own lives
Week 10
Movie – Bruce Almighty • Movie presentation of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit • Class discussion of the movie themes
Week 11
Women of the New Testament • Learn what the Bible says about women during the ministry of Jesus and women during the growth of the early church • Discuss Paul’s writings on the role of women in the church • Learn about women in the United Methodist Church
Week 12
God’s Church Grows • Help Confirmands trace their faith heritage back nearly 4000 years • Enforce that Confirmands are part of a large church family • Help Confirmands learn to appreciate Methodist pioneers
Week 13
Our Episcopal Heritage • Help the Confirmands understand that our Methodist heritage first began as Protestants in the Church of England (Anglican) • Learn that John and Charles Wesley were ordained CoE priests • Explore our shared beliefs and traditions
Week 14
Our Catholic Heritage • Explore the heritage of the Roman Catholic Church as the only western church for 1500 years • Appreciate that 50% of all Christians in the world are Catholic • Learn our common elements and differences; study the Reformation
Week 15
Our Jewish Heritage • Teach that Christ was Jewish and Judaism was the faith of early Christians • Explore how Judaism influenced our faith • Learn the sacred symbols and traditions
Week 16 & 17 Our Methodist Heritage • Understand Wesley’s methodical pursuit of scriptural holiness and Christian perfection • Discover our heritage as the basis for seeking faithful discipleship Week 18
We Worship God • Help Confirmands understand the meaning, value, and components of worship so that it can be a more meaningful experience
Week 19
UMC Hymnal and Contemporary Music • Learn to appreciate the variety of worship music • Help Confirmands understand the hymnal as a resource as well as a song book • Learn to appreciate sacred music history • Listen to and understand the power and beauty of specific contemporary songs
Week 20
Christmas Break (no class)
Week 21
United Methodist Beliefs • Understand the beliefs as found in the Book of Discipline • Learn the Wesley Quadrilateral – Scripture, Tradition, Experience, and Reason
Week 22
The Church Celebrates – Baptism • Explain the sacrament (one of two) and how United Methodists celebrate baptism • Understand that baptism is a symbol of something God does for us. God acts first. It is God’s promise of ongoing grace, offering continual forgiveness, and transformation throughout our lives. • Appreciate that baptism marks us as members of the Christian faith
Week 23
The Church Celebrates – Communion • Explain the sacrament (the other of two) and how United Methodists celebrate it • Understand that communion is a means of grace, that it is a sign of God’s love for us, and a remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice for us
Week 24
General Rules of the Methodist Church • Learn about the Wesley small group experience and rules of faith and practice of those desiring salvation (as found in the The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church)
Week 25
Social Principles • Provide Confirmands an understanding and appreciation for the United Methodist Church’s longstanding historic involvement in social concerns and issues • Learn the prayerful and thoughtful responses of United Methodists on human issues in the contemporary world • Introduce the current UMC statement of Social Principles
Week 26
We Live the Christian Life • Understand that learning about faith and living out faith in Christ are connected, but not the same • Learn how to make decisions about God’s will in our lives • Learn spiritual disciplines that can help Confirmands live as Christians
Week 27
God’s Plan for Our World • Help Confirmands develop a working understanding of what it means to be a Christian • Challenge Confirmands to think about God’s work in their lives • Help Confirmands receive and experience the work of Christ in their own hearts
Week 28
Are You a Christian? • Understand what it means to repent of sins and accept Jesus Christ as Savior • Understand what it means to personally profess faith in Christ • Understand the personal decision to become a Christian and joining the church
Week 29
G-R-A-C-E and Salvation • Understand the concept of grace - God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense • Understand that grace is a gift; it can’t be earned • Take the “Making It To Heaven” test to emphasize the wonderful and wondrous gift of grace • Explore repentance, being born again, and who can be saved
Week 30
Movies - Sermon on the Mount • Study Jesus’ sermon as found in Matthew 5-7 that contains the central tenets of Christian discipleship
Week 31
Week 32
Bible Game and Memory Work Matching Game • Fun activities that emphasize Biblical scholarship and assigned memory work
Life Eternal & Reign of God Learn what the Bible says about eternal life, why God offers it, what was said in both the Old and New Testaments, what are the keys, and what to expect • Learn the “what, when, and where” of the Kingdom of God and what we as United Methodists should do
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Week 34
Movie - Gospel of John • Watch the movie which is a word-for-word account from the Good News Bible • Complete a work sheet on the movie version of verses 6:25 through 10:42
Week 35
Begin Work on Class Statement of Faith • Each Confirmand will share beliefs on the Trinity, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, eternal life, prayer, the Bible, and God’s will for our lives
Week 36
Class Statement of Faith – Continued • Using the individual responses from the previous week, each class will narrow the creed responses and craft a class statement of beliefs to be recommended to the full group
Week 37
Complete Class Statement of Faith • Using the responses from the three classes, the Confirmands will meet as a single group and craft a single statement of beliefs to share at Confirmation
Week 38
Commitment Sunday • Preparation for Confirmation Sunday
Week 39
Faithful Disciples • Help Confirmands understand the responsibilities of being a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ • Encourage Confirmands to investigate the maintenance and missions of the church • Encourage Confirmands to find their role as active members of the church • Rehearsal “run-through” of Confirmation Sunday
Week 40
Confirmation Sunday • Special Confirmation service at the 11:00 traditional service • Renunciation of Sin and Profession of Faith • Confirmation and Renewal of Baptismal Covenant • Membership in the United Methodist Church