Dear Families and Friends of Peace,
This Sunday, during our 9:30am worship service, is the Rite of Confirmation, an affirmation of baptism for our 8th grade Confirmands—Eli Betlock, Kingston Fast, and Sofia Oman. During the Rite, our students are supporting and proclaiming the promises of eternal life and unconditional love that God has already pronounced over them. They are also publicly stating that they are ready to take on both the blessings and responsibilities of being an adult member of the congregation.
The Rite of Confirmation is also a time to recognize our Confirmands for the wonderful people that God has created them to be, as a well as a time for all of us, the congregation, to reaffirm our support and encouragement for them as they continue in their journey of faith and in their continued engagement and investment in the life of the church.
Together, knowing that community is essential to us as individuals and as a congregation, we will all profess our faith through the Apostle’s Creed.
Then, the Confirmands will be asked to state their intentions to continue in the responsibilities entrusted to their parents and sponsors at their baptisms:
- To live among God’s faithful people,
- To hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper,
- To proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
- To serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and
- To strive for justice and peace in all the earth
They will respond as well as any of us can, knowing we are reliant on God’s faithfulness and goodness: “I do, and I ask God to help and guide me.”
And when the congregation is asked if they will support and pray them in their life in Christ, we will all reassert, as we did at their baptisms, “We do, and we ask God to help and guide us.”
Sofia, Eli, and Kingston are incredible people—they are kind, caring, genuine, and faithful. And most of all, they are beloved children of God.
Please join in celebrating and supporting these wonderful individuals on Sunday—and always!
Grace and Peace,
Joe