{"id":21355,"date":"2019-07-08T16:23:40","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T20:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=21355"},"modified":"2019-07-31T17:19:27","modified_gmt":"2019-07-31T21:19:27","slug":"confirmation-class-makes-commitment-6-30-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=21355","title":{"rendered":"Confirmation Class Makes Commitment (6\/30\/19)"},"content":{"rendered":"

June 30, 2019 was a special worship service.\u00a0 Of course, you never know where God might break through- so EVERY Sunday is a special worship service.\u00a0 But on this day, we held only one service (10:15 instead of 9:30 & 11:00), it was the choir’s final Sunday of the year, and one of our life-long members tearfully announced that he was leaving PUMC to serve in ministry in a paid position at another church.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

And- besides all of that- the youth of our confirmation class officially joined the church.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Baptism & Confirmation<\/span><\/h3>\n

In the United Methodist Church, we believe that baptism is a means of grace; not a foundation of salvation.\u00a0 We baptize babies as an outward and visible sign that they are children of God.\u00a0 Baptism is a time for the parents to publicly commit to raising their children in the faith, and \"\"it’s a time for the church to publicly commit to nurturing and praying for that child as he\/she grows in the church.<\/p>\n

Confirmation is when the child reaches the “age of accountability.”\u00a0 There’s no cookie cutter time frame for this, but generally, youth take this step somewhere around age 12 when they enter the confirmation class.\u00a0 This class, led by the pastor, reviews the basics of the faith and challenges the youth consider their commitment.\u00a0 At confirmation, the youth confirm (or “take on”) the vows that their parents made in their place at baptism.<\/p>\n

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Children of God<\/span><\/h3>\n

God knows us all and wants to have a relationship with Him.\u00a0 We all have the opportunity to turn to God as His child and affirm our faith and commitment to Him.\u00a0 As we grow (both physically and spiritually) throughout our lives, God stands by us like a Shepherd and guides us into His joy.\u00a0 “Salvation” or “Sanctification” is a lifetime journey; a journey with many valleys and mountain tops.<\/p>\n

Confirmation is a milestone, but it’s not the start (or end) of the journey.\u00a0 As we welcome these confirmands “officially” to the church, we join with them in our own faith journeys.<\/p>\n\n\t\t