Sunset Covenant Church

WHAT’S CONFIRMATION?
A year-long program designed to help students become wholly committed followers of Jesus Christ and establish them in an on-going relationship with Him that will last a lifetime.

WHO IS CONFIRMATION FOR?
Middle school/Junior high or early high school students (6th- 9th grade) and their parents/guardians. Each student participant is expected to have at least one parent/guardian willing to participate in the program with them.

WHAT’S THE TIME COMMITMENT?
Confirmation at Sunset Covenant Church is a one-year program that takes place during the school year (September through June). Following the public school calendar regarding holidays, Confirmation students and their participating parents/guardians meet together with the pastor as a group for weekly class sessions (usually for 60 to 90 minutes on a weekday evening or late afternoon; specific day & time to be decided by participants at the beginning of the year). Each student and his/her participating parent/guardian are also expected to meet one-on-one each week to do learning activities together (these usually take no more than half an hour). There also are a few field trips, a possible over-night retreat, and occasional “parents only” meetings during the year. Confirmation ends with a special “Confirmation Sunday” when students are recognized and affirmed.

WHAT DOES IT COST?
Cost is minimal. As a gift, the church provides each student with a quality Confirmation study Bible(NIV translation) and a blank “Confirmation journal” for use during the program. Though not required, parents may wish to purchase their own copy of the Confirmation study Bible and/or journal (available through Pastor Paul at reduced prices). Although the class is asked to read C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, this book can be borrowed from a local public library if a family does not wish to purchase its own copy. Aside from these "texts," the only other costs for Confirmation are meals & transportation needed for a few field trips (and one possible class over-night retreat) and occasionally providing snacks for class sessions.

Friendship with God
Learning is designed to know God rather than just “about” Him.

Application instead of “Information”
Emphasis is on practical life skills & experience rather than “content only.”

Relationship-Building with a Parent/Guardian
A parent/guardian agrees to go through the program with the student.

Elective Involvement
Confirmation is not “required,” but offered to any students and their parents/guardians who choose to participate.

Intentional Affirmation & Encouragement
This program is not about shame or guilt. Rather, it’s about getting connected with God’s joy and hope. In Confirmation, you’re not told what you “should” do, but given opportunity to discover what you can do.
No “Shoulding” Allowed!

JESUS!
He is our "curriculum." Our primary focus in Confirmation is to get to know God and experience Him. We not only spend time talking “about” God, we also spend time talking with Him!

WAYS TO LOVE GOD AND GROW YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH HIM
We do this by learning the “Disciplines.” These are practices used by Christians throughout history to get to know God and establish an on-going friendship with Him. The classic "disciplines" include actions like prayer, meditation, solitude, giving, fasting, worship, study, service, and celebration. Through various directed activities, Confirmation students and their participating parents/guardians are helped to experience and begin practicing the disciplines in their everyday lives.

HOW TO MAKE THE CHRISTIAN FAITH YOUR OWN
In Confirmation we don’t “spoon feed” you information. We have you learn how to ask (and wrestle with) your own questions and then help you learn skills to find answers.

WHAT THE BIBLE IS AND HOW TO USE IT
This includes a brief book by book survey (through reading, class activities, and home assignments) and an introduction to Bible study tools (like concordances, Bible dictionaries, etc). Bible learning assignments also often include activities to experience various devotional techniques for personal Bible study and prayer.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST
We do this through a scheduled read-through of the Gospel of Luke. Short weekly readings are done at home and involve discussions between the student and his/her participating parent/guardian. Questions encountered during at-home readings are discussed at subsequent class gatherings.

MAIN TEACHINGS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
Using the historic “Apostle's Creed” as a structure, we learn the main beliefs of Christianity. Learning activities include discussions (in class and at home), Bible devotional readings, home projects, some Scripture memorization, analyzing how Christianity is portrayed in today’s media (TV, movies, music, etc.), and the reading of C.S. Lewis's book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIAN HISTORY
This includes a very brief overview of the main events of Christian history (using hand-outs, class activities, and discussions) with an emphasis on the early church, the Reformation, and personalities from Christian history. We also make use of videos/DVDs (with in-class discussions) and some written devotional assignments. If schedules allow, we also will have one or two field-trips to some other (non-Covenant) churches and, possibly, participation in a “Sabbath” service at a local Jewish synagogue.

CHRISTIAN WORSHIP TRADITIONS
This includes getting to know and celebrate Christian practices like Baptism and Communion (the “Lord’s Supper”) as well as learning (and experiencing) the “seasons” of the church year like "Advent," “Epiphany,” "Lent," "Holy Week," and “Pentecost.”

important information for PARENTS/GUARDIANS!

MAKING AN IMPACT ON YOUR KID
Studies have shown that the example (good or bad) of a parent/guardian is the biggest human influence on a child’s faith. Your personal attitude and intentional involvement in your student's spiritual development can accomplish more for Confirmation than anything the pastor or church can do. One of the most effective ways you can do this is to make your own spiritual growth a priority in your life. Use this time in your student's life to work on your own relationship with God and don't be afraid to share your spiritual "highs and lows" with your kid. Open and honest communication about your faith in the home will benefit both you and your student. And, if you ever need ideas, support, or assistance, Pastor Paul will be happy to help.

WORKING WITH YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE
Confirmation is designed to teach life skills, not “pass a test.” Every effort is made for assignments and program schedules to be do-able in the midst of life. If an assignment ever seems too overwhelming in terms of time commitment, or if it seems to be disconnected from the reality of your life, talk with the pastor and he will re-design it so it fits where you live.

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION
Confirmation is not "school." In other words, our purpose is not to make "scholars" or to teach reading or other school-like content. As stated at the beginning of this hand-out, our purpose for Confirmation is to help students establish a relationship with Jesus Christ. Since the primary purpose of Confirmation is relational, the focus of assignments and teaching techniques are also relational and emphasize experience over "lecture." Experiential education takes the old "learn and do" principle (you learn something and then do it) and reverses it to "do and learn” (you do something and learn by doing it). This is based on the presupposition that the best learning (learning that lasts and significantly effects behavior) is that which is self-discovered and personally experienced. Although some traditional learning techniques (such as reading, written assignments, and occasional memorization) are used in Confirmation, there is a strong emphasis on creating age-appropriate "learning encounters" where students and participating parents/guardians enter into the education process. In our Confirmation program, there is use of field trips, role playing, music, games, and other activities that stimulate thinking and help participants experience what is being taught.

AN ADVENTURE IS WAITING!
Although the main goal of Confirmation focuses on your child’s faith development, this program can be a great opportunity for you to grow deeper in your friendship with God. Plus, you will be amazed at how much God will teach you about Himself through your own child! Are you ready for the adventure? Then do Confirmation as something special for you as well as for your kid!

THE FOLLOWING IS REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS AND PARTICIPATING PARENTS/GUARDIANS ENROLLED IN CONFIRMATION AT SUNSET COVENANT DURING THE 2007-2008 PROGRAM YEAR:

APPLICATION: A student, together with at least one parent/guardian, must complete a “Confirmation Application” form to be in the program.

PARENTAL/GUARDIAN PARTICIPATION: Each student must have at least one parent/guardian who will commit to going through the program with their child. This means the participating parent/guardian is required, along with their student, to attend all outings and class sessions and do all class assignments. Two or three times during the year there will be “Parents-Only” meetings with Pastor Paul that parents/guardians are also expected to participate in. NOTE: It is acknowledged that “life” does not always “cooperate” with “programs;” sickness, family trips, school events, emergencies etc. can often cause schedule conflicts. Great effort will be taken in planning assignments and class meetings to accommodate family schedules. We want what is learned in Confirmation to become part of life, so we will work hard to help make the assignments practical and “do-able” with the usual pressures of life.

ATTENDANCE AT ALL CLASS MEETINGS AND OUTINGS: Since so much of what we do in Confirmation is based on class experiences, attendance by students and their participating parents/guardians is crucial. Because of their experiential nature, outings and class sessions cannot be "made up" when they are missed. If, regardless of the reasons, a student and his/her participating parent/guardian misses many of these events, they may be asked to drop out of the Confirmation program.

ATTENDANCE AT SUNSET COVENANT WORSHIP SERVICES: Many of the discussions and assignments of Confirmation are based on themes and events experienced in the congregation’s weekly corporate worship gatherings. For this reason, Confirmation students and their participating parents/guardians are expected to attend the congregation’s weekly worship services (Sundays, 10:00am-noon).

USE OF THE CONFIRMATION BIBLE: As a gift from the church, students are given a quality Confirmation study Bible (NIV translation) to use during their involvement in Confirmation. For all Confirmation assignments, students are expected to use this study Bible unless instructed otherwise by Confirmation leaders. Participating parents/guardians are asked to provide their own Bible or purchase a copy (at a reduced price) of the same Confirmation study Bible provided to their student. Students and their participating parents/guardians are asked to always bring their Bibles to Confirmation class gatherings and outings.

KEEPING OF A CONFIRMATION JOURNAL: Students and their participating parents/guardians are asked on a weekly basis to keep a personal journal of thoughts and prayers ("letters to God"). As a gift from the church, students are provided a blank “Confirmation journal” for this purpose. Participating parents/guardians are asked to provide their own blank journal or purchase a copy of the same journal provided their student. Journaling assignments take place throughout the Confirmation experience, so students and their participating parents/guardians are asked to always bring their journals to Confirmation class gatherings and outings.

MEMORIZATION: Over the course of the Confirmation year, students and their participating parents/guardians will be asked to memorize the following: the “Apostles Creed,” the “Lord's Prayer,” the “Beatitudes” of Jesus (Matthew 5:3-12), a brief hand-out on the literature types of the Bible, the Covenant denomination’s one-sentence affirmation regarding the Bible, and a small selected number of Scripture passages related to class discussions.

COMPLETION OF ALL PROJECTS AND READING: Students and their participating parents/guardians are expected to complete all assigned projects including the reading of various passages from the Bible, hand-outs, and other assignments given by Confirmation leaders.

Contact Pastor Paul to sign up!