Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me! Amen.

Transcription

1 Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me! Amen. Welcome to Year B Living Lutheran

2 Welcome to YEAR B of Confirmation Club. This is a two year process of spiritual Basic Training. Together, We learn about the Christian faith and how to live that faith every day. We pray that after two years, students will better understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and chose his discipleship for themselves at their confirmation I. TABLE OF CONTENTS II. INTRODUCTION page 2 III. SCHEDULE FOR THE YEAR [attached] IV. CLASS MATERIALS page 3 V. SUNDAY MORNINGS pages 4-5 a. SERMON NOTES page 4 b. SUNDAY TOPICS pages 4 c. MEMORY WORK page 5 d. ACOLYTE ASSIGNMENTS page 5 VI. WEDNESDAY NIGHTS pages 6 a. ATTENDANCE b. CLASS BEHAVIOR VII. SPECIAL EVENTS pages 6-8 a. ICE CREAM! b. WALK-A-THON c. CHRISTMAS SHING-DING d. BOY FUND RAISER e. LOCK-IN f. FIELD TRIP g. GOOD FRIDAY FAMILY SERVICE VIII. THE FINAL PROJECT page 8 IX. APPENDIX: SOUNDTRACK pages 9-10 X. APPENDIX: PRAYING TOGETHER page 11 XI. APPENDIX: SERMON NOTES page 12 XII. XIII. APPENDIX: MEMORY WORK COVENANT 2

3 FOR PARENTS We can work together as co-teachers of the Faith in Jesus Christ, who will never fail us. We ask you to join us as co-teachers who will o PRAY for all youth, parents, and class leaders regularly o ASK about what they are learning in class. o ARRIVE ON TIME for classes and worship. o PARTICIPATE in worship and Bible classes regularly o TRUST God to keep His Baptismal promises to you and your family. Also, remember that you are invited to any of the main teaching sessions at any time and you are more than welcome to volunteer to help guide our students or to help out for any of the special events that we have planned. The main textbooks for Confirmation are the Bible and Luther s Small Catechism, along with a series of questions and answers that were written to apply the Catechism to our daily lives. The methods used to teach the Catechism are rooted in some recent thinking on how the brain learns and retains knowledge. If your child has a Bible that they received in our Sunday School program (hopefully, with some of the crucial passages highlighted), then please bring this to class. Bibles and Catechisms are available free of charge, but we welcome donations so that we can keep making these available for everyone. Simply leave a check in the offering plate marked Confirmation. Finally, we keep all of our class work in a three ring binder. This is to keep copies of Sermon Notes, Special Missions, and Memory Work. This is the best way to keep track of the student s progress through the year to back up THE BOOK. The Book is the record keeping device used by the Confirmation manager(s) to track attendance and these assignments. We are aware that most Middle Schoolers are just learning the virtues of personal organization. That is why in this manual there is a copy of each assignment that will be sent home this year. Additional copies may also available on our church s website ( ed_cclub.htm) or by e- mailing the church office (office@bethany-lcms.org). We advise that the Catechism, and binder all remain the Confirmation Club Closet (located across from the pastor s office) so that they are available for every class. The memory assignments are included in the Appendix of this manual. The Bible can be brought home, but please remember to bring it with you so it can be highlighted during class! 3

4 An essential experience in Confirmation Club is participation on Sunday morning. Faith formation is what these two years are all about and Lutherans believe, teach and confess that our faith is formed by hearing the Word and receiving the Sacrament. The primary place for that is when we gather together as God s family on the Lord s Day. We understand when other commitments encroach on worship time. The ability to balance activities that are good for our bodies, our minds and our spirits is a valuable life skill. Being able to participate in sports and academics without neglecting the lifegiving Word is what the Third Commandment is all about: We should fear and love God that we do not despise the preaching of His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it. Please make every effort to be with the family of faith at Bethany on Sunday morning and bring scheduling conflicts to the attention of the pastor and the guides. This year, we are requiring 15 Sermon Notes (roughly 5 a quarter). Each Sunday, we ask our students to be engaged in the worship service by filling out a SERMON NOTES sheet. The student may find the Sermon Notes located on one of the tables to the rear of the sanctuary (a sample is included in this manual). They will be marked and handed back to be put in the student s binder. Please complete all the questions on the Sermon Notes form and turn the form into the box, which will be on the same table you took the Sermon Notes from. Parents are welcome to help their children if you see them struggling to complete the form. If you are traveling on a particular Sunday, you can download a form from our church website ( If you are visiting a house of worship that is not Christian, just adjust the questions, accordingly, and be prepared for the pastor to ask you all about your experiences! NOTE: if you are consistent in your church attendance, you should have no trouble getting to 15 by Easter. If you fall behind, remember that there are extra worship opportunities around Christmas and Easter, including services on Wednesday night (when you normally have to attend Confirmation Club Learning Events). The Sunday School class for the Confirmation Club is a time to reflect, discuss and digest what we learn as a group. Attendance here is crucial to get the most out of the Confirmation Club program, so please plan on attending both a worship service and a Sunday School class on Sunday morning. Parents are welcome to join one of our studies for adults while Confirmation students attend their session. Each line of the schedule for the year (attached) begins with Sunday. 4

5 MEMORY WORK The last line in our schedule is the part of the Bible or Catechism that we want to stick in your brain. The teaching methods we use in the Wednesday Learning Event (below) are designed to do this, but there is still some extra work to ensure that is stays in the long term memory. Tragically, this is sometimes a source of stress for our students, so Pastor will be sharing some fun ways to stick things you want to remember in your brain. Who knows? Perhaps some of these methods can be useful on your next school exam? You may either recite (speak it out loud) or write (on a piece of paper) to receive credit. NOTE: FOR THE APOSTLE S CREED, IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO PUT THE MEANINGS INTO YOUR OWN WORDS (AS LONG AS THE KEY WORDS ARE THERE) Pastor will share these key words during our Learning Events. This year, there are seven assignments that can be completed in three ways. 1) Recite at home each memory sheet will have a checked by line where the parents can sign. NOTE: THE WEEK BEFORE THE ASSIGNMENT IS DUE IS NORMALLY A HOME BASE WEEK WHEN THERE IS NO CONFIRMATION LEARNING EVENT This is a great time to do your memory assignment at home! 2) Recite (or write) at Sunday Topics (Mrs. Leeman will sign your sheet) or 3) Recite (or write) on Wednesday with Pastor (who will then sign your sheet). ACOLYTE ASSIGNMENTS Assisting the worship in the Lord s house is also part of training to be a disciple of Jesus. By serving as an acolyte, the student will gain experience and confidence helping to lead the worship of God s people. Training occurs between two Sundays during the Sunday School hour. Volunteers on the Boards of Lay Ministry and Youth will help to instruct and give each student time to practice. If you are new to being an acolyte, then please show up at least 30 minutes before your first worship service so that adequate time may be given for instruction and to practice the lighting and extinguishing of the candles. Two answers to two FAQ about being an Acolyte, before you ask them 1) YES you still should do your Sermon Notes sheet, even if you are an acolyte for that worship service. 2) NO no one has ever set the Church on fire. On Reformation Sunday (October 26 at 10AM), new Acolytes will be commissioned and will receive a special cross to wear for when you perform your duties. Current acolytes who have not yet been commissioned, or have not received the cross, may also participate on this Sunday. Once an acolyte has been commissioned, he/she will be put on the regular schedule of servants who assist in Bethany s worship. A copy of this schedule is kept on the bulletin board and on our website. Please inform your Lay Minister for the Sunday you are assigned if you swap acolyte dates with one of your fellow students. 5

6 ATTENDANCE In order for this class to have a lasting impact, we ask everyone to be mindful of attendance. PLEASE NOTE THAT ONLY FOUR LEARNING EVENT ABSENCES ARE ALLOWED BEFORE THE PARENT IS CONTACTED AND THE STUDENT ARRANGES A MAKE-UP SESSION. The same is true if students should miss significant time away from the Sunday School class and Sunday worship. A record of attendance will be kept at both the Wednesday and Sunday classes. The Sermon Notes are the student s proof-of-attendance for Sunday worship. Again, we understand when there are other commitments that come up. Being able to balance multiple responsibilities while still attending to one s spiritual needs is all part of what Confirmation Club teaches. BEHAVIOR The basic guideline for Confirmation Club behavior is respect. Club teachers and Guides will speak to students individually if they: 1) disrespect themselves; 2) disrespect others; 3) disrespect God. If disrespectful behavior continues, then the parent/ caregiver will be contacted to determine the appropriate consequences, such as: 1) apologies; 2) make-up assignments at home; 3) Conference with pastor and/or a lay minister or Confirmation parent. If any behavior is disciplined, it is with the hope that both adults and youth are strengthened as they live out God s gift of forgiveness and unconditional love. On the far right side of the schedule (attached) you will see the special events we have planned for Confirmation Club. There will be a special Christmas get-together (normally pizza, carols and donating toys for a good cause are the agenda). Also, please save the dates for our field trip and lock-in. In addition to the these social events, there is also a servant event planned for the fall, and an opportunity to present the Easter message to the children from our church and surrounding community. Extra parent volunteers are always welcome at these special events. ICE CREAM SOCIAL This get-together is scheduled at the beginning of the year after the first regular class, so students can get to know one another. We fill the hour with mixer games and ice cream sundaes. WALK-A-THON We meet on a Wednesday night from 6-8PM to get a little exercise and do some good for our community. Students will be asked to get sponsors for their walk. We are blessed to be able to walk around the track at West Potomac High School (where students may see some of their friends in the marching band practice). 6

7 CHRISTMAS SHIN-DING (yes, I know nobody says shin-ding anymore I m old fashioned!) we normally do a little baking, a little gift exchange and collect a new toy to donate to Cole s Closet. Time and date will be announced. BOARD OF YOUTH (BOY) FUND RAISER Help make some supper bowl subs on Sunday, February 1. The funds that are raised will be of help to anyone wishing to go the LCMS National Youth Gathering in the summer of LOCK-IN Normally held the Saturday after President s Day, the evening is for devotions, games and free play. We have a big group, this year, so please plan on volunteering an hour or two during the night. This event is run from 8PM Saturday and concludes with worship at the 8:30 AM service on Sunday. FIELD TRIP Each year, we try to go someplace in our area where we can find some intersection between our faith and other parts of our history, culture and the arts. Pencil in Saturday, March 14 (time TBA) for a trip to the Library of Congress and a tour that specifically takes us through the influences of our faith on our nation s history. GOOD FRIDAY FAMILY SERVICE This year, we have a special opportunity to help with the family life ministry of Bethany by leading a special service on Good Friday. For this service, our students will be in costume and will act out different scenes from Holy Week for our younger children of the church and preschool. We will be practicing during our regular class time and then leading the 7

8 service on Good Friday (April 6) at 5PM. NOTE: Children are off school during HOLY WEEK, so please plan your family vacations, accordingly. This service is a key part of Confirmation Club, this year. The Good Friday Family Service at Calvary Lutheran Church East Meadow, New York, 2004 Second year students will be asked to complete a final project, at the end of the year. For this project, You will be asked to choose a verse (either from the list I give you, or a different one that is meaningful to you) and then do a project based on that verse. When you do this project, I encourage you to be as playful and creative before the Lord as you can be. You may wish to center on the visual arts and make a banner or poster; you may wish to write or sing a song. We will help guide you through the process, and then your project will help preach and proclaim God s Word on Confirmation Sunday. NOTE: It is best that Second year students have ALL of their MEMORY WORK and SERMON NOTES completed by the first week in April, so that ample time can be dedicated to the completion of the project. 8

9 APPENDIX: SOUNDTRACK 2014 Each year I teach Confirmation Club, I put together a soundtrack of songs that help to teach the lessons. Each year, I get strange looks from both students and parents that seem to ask WHY?. The reason is because I see my (our) Christian faith intersecting with life each moment, not something that is just for an hour or so on Sunday and some Wednesdays. Music happens to be a big part of my life, and, as I hope you can tell from the eclectic mix above, I like all kinds of music from all eras. Whether it is a classic, old hymn, or something off the recent Pop charts, when I listen to music, I look for intersections with what I believe. I encourage both parents and kids to listen to each other s music, and discuss what you hear. Lord knows the Pop charts are filled with songs that are celebrating crass materialism, drinking and sex, but then there are songs everywhere that are explicitly or implicitly uplifting or challenging our faith that are good to listen to. I ve selected a few that we ll be using in our Learning Events to practice listening with the ears of faith. What is the message? What is the artist selling? How is the message being expressed in the music and in the lyrics? These are the questions we ll be asking. 9

10 I ve used a number of these songs, before, but some are new. Worship songs like Because We Believe and Grace Like Rain you may hear in our sanctuary. Christian songs like All of Creation and the mellow musical version of Psalm 139 probably do not need much explanation. There is a song from the recent Noah soundtrack (terrible movie, but decent music) that expresses the creation of the world in the tones and cadences of the instruments you hear. This Little Light of Mine and Wade In The Water are versions of classic African spirituals whose lyrics still stir young and old in the church, today. Revelation Song by Kari Jobe will help us get into a discussion on how our worship today is both ancient and contemporary. Jesus Freak by DC Talk is all about making a radical confession in the midst of a world that does not understand us. In addition to these explicitly Christian songs, there are more subtle messages that we ll be exploring through the year. One of Us by Joan Osborne has not topped the charts in some time, but it still is relevant for us. It is a challenge for us to see the God of our faith through the eyes of unbelievers and to hear their doubts and belief, and that is what the lyrics of this song help us do. You may know the group OneRepublic because of their chart topping songs Counting Stars and Love Runs Out, but on that same album, Native, is a song that is all about faith. Cool Kids by Echosmith may not get much play on the radio, even though it has spent some time on the itunes charts over this last summer. It is a biting and sarcastic look at the concept of cool and I think it helps us think about how people of faith may be completely counter the culture that surrounds us, at times. So, take a listen and do not be afraid to tell me what you think. Perhaps I missed a song or two that should be added to the soundtrack? Maybe you have listened to some of these songs, at home and had a discussion with your children about them? Let me know! Parents are welcome to listen in to class if you want in on the conversation we have, but, more importantly, I invite you to look for opportunities to talk about faith wherever you are and whatever you are doing. It could be in the media we consume, or over a good meal, or visiting some place in our area that teaches us about our nation s history. The same God who created us, created the world around us, with all the things for us to encounter and explore. There are many things that are harmful to our faith and how do we know that if we are not filtering out what we listen to and what we watch with sanctified eyes and ears? Those same eyes and ears of faith can also be tuned into echoes of our creator that we see and hear all over His creation! Happy listening! 10

11 APPENDIX: PRAYING TOGETHER Praying Together: Suggestions for Parents by Nora Tahtinen & Monty Lysne Tuesday, May 16, 2006 For many parents, praying with their kids can be an intimidating experience. So, to help ease them into it, we present a list of prayer types that they can try. Prayers are listed in order of intimidation factor. Prayers at the top of the list are easy for most families to pray comfortably. As you move down the list, the suggestions get a bit more challenging. 1. Informal Parent-Led Prayer: A parent prays the pre-written prayer included in the Head to the Heart Living Journal chapter and adds the concerns and joys mentioned during the Highs & Lows sharing time. 2. Lord s Prayer: The family joins in praying the Lord s Prayer together. Have a copy of the prayer available to families if you suspect someone does not know it. 3. Popcorn Prayer: Hold hands in a circle. Invite each person to say a part of a prayer whenever they are ready. It is helpful to designate someone to begin and end. Silence is okay in this kind of prayer. 4. Thankful Circle Prayer: Stand in a circle, hook arms or join hands and ask each person to say what he or she is thankful for in a few words or a short sentence. Then have the leader (who might be a kid) end by asking God to hear the prayers of thankfulness. 5. Lightening Prayer: Hook arms or hold hands in a circle. Designate a leader to begin the prayer. The leader will squeeze the hand next to him or her when he or she has finished. Then each person will add to the prayer or squeeze the hand next to him or her if he or she does not wish to pray until the opportunity has gone around the circle. The leader may then end the prayer. 6. Draw a Prayer: Have papers and pencils ready. Invite family members to write a prayer need on a piece of paper either with or without their name. Put them in a hat and let each person draw out one situation to pray about by themselves. 7. Confessional Prayer: Family members (including the parents) write down something they have done that is making them feel guilty. The prayer leader takes the papers and requests forgiveness for the sins not reading them individually. The papers are then burned or shredded as a symbol of the sins being taken away. 8. Litany: The family creates a litany together or finds an appropriate one to use in their prayer time. One person reads the leader part and others join in the response. For example: Leader: We ask God s help for everyone in our group who is having a test this week. Response: Hear our prayer, Oh Lord 9. I Need God s Help Prayer: Arrange family members in pairs a set of three would also work. Have each person interview a partner to discover how that person would fill in the sentence: (Name) needs your help, God, for (problem) and/or is thankful for (blessing). Include each sentence in a group prayer. 10. Partner Prayer: Ask family members to form teams of two. Have partners tell each other what prayer needs they have and ask them to pray for each other. If family numbers are uneven, use three in one group. Questions to Ponder for Parents: Praying Together Ask your moms and dads to ponder these questions in preparation of using a Home Huddle. 1. What kinds of prayers do you think your kids would enjoy? Which prayers would God enjoy? 2. What difficulties have you experienced while praying with your kids? 3. What joys have you experienced while praying with your kids? 4. What were the good things about praying in the style your family used? What were the difficulties? 5. Is the length of a prayer important? Why or why not? 11

12 SERMON NOTES Name: Date of Sermon: Sunday and Season 1) *How did the sermon show God s love and grace? (Can also answer: what do you think was the main point?) 2) What did you learn that you may not have known before? 3) One thing I SANG that reminded me of God s love was 4) One thing I was reminded to PRAY for this week was 5) Was there anything in the service or the songs that caught your attention? 12

13 CONFIRMATION LEARNING COVENANT WE BELIEVE Confirmation is an important part of a young person s faith journey. It is essential to teach faith by example. God will work in our lives if we sacrifice time for worship and prayer. WE PROMISE To work together to complete the 10 requirements for this year. To pray for one another and share our learning experiences. To pray for the Confirmation leaders and our church and all families. WE ARE God s children and part of a royal family and priesthood. (1 Peter 2:9) WE HAVE REVIEWED THE CONFIRMATION CLUB MANUAL AND AGREE TO THE POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS AS EXPLAINED. MAY GOD BLESS US AS WE GROW IN HIS WORD, FOR THE SAKE OF HIS KINGDOM. Student parent/guardian/godparent pastor 13