Youth Confirmation at St. Stephen’s

Giving our hearts to God

Youth preparation for the Rite of Confirmation

Together we wondered what it means to give our hearts to God and the implications for the choices we make.

JENIFER GAMBER, My Faith, My Life: A Teen’s Guide to the Episcopal Church own faith—to wonder together about giving your hearts to God. We hope this opens many new avenues of shared experience, conversation, and connection within each family.

Confirmation is the rite of passage from childhood to Christian adulthood, by which of their own choosing and volition and in the presence of the bishop and church, one lays claim to the sacred vows made on their behalf at Baptism (The Book of Common Prayer, pages 302-305). The youth reaffirms their identity in Christ and accepts the implications of following Christ’s way of sacrificial love, compassion, and forgiveness. The Confirmation program provides youth with a rich experience of Christian community among both peers and adults, offering times and spaces for honest and brave engagement with the content and marrow of our faith, and teaches practices for our faith.

Youth confirmands, typically ninth graders, make three key commitments to prepare for Confirmation between September and May: • Mentorship: develop a relationship with one’s assigned adult mentor to wonder and reflect on the experiences of

Confirmation preparation, life, and faith; • Youth group: attend bi-weekly Sunday evening youth group meetings and special events; • Confirmation sessions and retreat: prepare for and participate in six monthly sessions and the concluding overnight retreat in late spring.

We know that when it comes to faith, parents want their children to develop a healthy and resilient relationship with God in Christ—to give their heart to God. Parents do what they can during their children’s formative years to transmit their values, wisdom, and what they hold to be of ultimate By the Rev. John Jenkins importance about living life well in faith with God. We know from developmental professionals that parents are their children’s primary model and teacher when it comes to spirituality and faith. Children observe how faith is practiced, held, and spoken about at home. It is essential, therefore, that the church support parents’ ongoing faith development and offer tools that support their children’s faith formation seven days a week. So that the parents of confirmands may better walk alongside their teen(s) as they grow and mature in their faith during Confirmation preparation, we have chosen to coordinate the content of both the adult inquirers course and the youth Confirmation course. We will use one of Jenifer Gamber’s companion books for each group. Our aim and invitation is that parents will participate in the adult inquirers course, in either fall or spring, while the youth participate in their course that continues through both seasons. We believe this offers a rare opportunity for parents not only to share in an important experience with their teenager but also to genuinely deepen their More information and a registration form are available at ststephensRVA.org/youth-confirmation. Ethan White (ewhite@ststephensRVA.org) and I (jjenkins@ststephensRVA. org) welcome inquiries about enrolling in or supporting the youth Confirmation program.