At last: youth and adults confirmed by our bishop

On Sunday, May 23–the Day of Pentecost–the Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff made an episcopal visit to St. Stephen’s Church for the first time since spring 2019. With limits on the number of people permitted in the church still in effect that day, we held two separate Confirmation services in the afternoon, in addition to our regular schedule of Sunday services at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. Bishop Goff presided and preached at five of these six services!

Confirmands were able to invite two family members and a sponsor to attend their Confirmation service. Here, Kiki Wallace and her sponsor, Elizabeth Wallace, are shown with Bishop Goff.

Coco Provance, on the left, worked closely with the clergy and Allison Seay to coordinate the Confirmation services.

Photos by Sarah Bartenstein

Youth and adults in the 1 p.m. service (left) and the 3 p.m. service (right) assemble on the steps before Confirmation with Bishop Goff, the Rev. Will Stanley, and Allison Seay.

The groups included those who prepared during the 2019-20 program year as well as those who just completed their preparation in 2020-21. Youth in the 2019 group attended seminars on topics such as Holy Baptism, prayer, and Holy Communion, and took part in service and small group activities. They also met individually with Allison Seay, who coordinated their formation program. Each youth confirmand had a Confirmation mentor with whom they checked in periodically throughout the year. And then they waited ... since the planned time for their Confirmation, in the spring of 2020, had to be postponed.

The group who began their preparation in the fall of 2020 during ‘lockdown’ had a very different experience, with their seminars taking place by video. Each video was followed by a Zoom session where they were able to ask questions of the speaker. Staff and volunteers worked faithfully to make the experience as meaningful and supportive as possible within the constraints of the pandemic.

Adults prepared for Confirmation in one of the regular inquirers classes offered by the clergy–initially in person, later by Zoom.