A Message from Andrea Paschal
Dear Friends,
Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture these children by word and deed, with love and prayer? Will you encourage them to know and follow Christ and to be faithful members of his church?
These questions are asked during the service of Baptism. Everyone is included in the promises made, and here at Forest Lake, we also ask the other children to make a promise to help the newly baptized child know and follow Christ. This is a whole church experience. The Confession of 1967 states it this way, “In baptism the church celebrates the renewal of the covenant with which God has bound his people to himself. By baptism, individuals are publicly received into the church to share in its life and ministry, and the church becomes responsible for their training and support in Christian discipleship.” (9.51)
Since this fall, your prayers and encouragement have been sustaining our eight Confirmands as they, along with their parents and mentors, have been exploring and wondering about what it means to be a faithful member of Christ’s church. They have been engaged in study of scripture, hearing from members of this church about different ministries and how they live out their faith, watched videos from members of PC(USA) churches around the country about their lives of faith, and related all this back to the covenant we have with God. “Because God has been loyal/faithful to us, we are called to be loyal/faithful to God. Confirmation, as a reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant, calls us to make specific promises to God, ourselves and the church.” (From Big God, Big Questions, PC(USA) Confirmation curriculum).
Confirmation is a process by which our youth explore what it means to have a life of faith apart from their parents. It is a transition, a commencement to living out their own beliefs as they embark on faithful membership of Christ’s church. It is not a crash course in Christianity, but an opportunity to welcome youth into intentional conversation about faith. This group continues to explore the Big Questions and make their own profession of faith. So, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, continue to pray for this group. Engage them in mission and the life of the church and encourage them to strengthen their understanding of what it means to be part of the Family of God.
Will you be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying his Word and showing his love? Will you devote yourself to the church’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers?
See you on Sunday!
Andrea Paschal
Director of Faith Formation
