Our desire is for students to come to know Jesus and further develop their relationship with God. When students finish our confirmation process, our hope is that they don’t see themselves as crossing a finish line to becoming members of our church. Our prayer is that this is a launching point from which they will BE the church and lead a life-long faith.
For short periods each year, middle school students will focus on a different part of their confirmation journey, stretching the process over three years.
When will confirmation take place?
6th grade: Sunday mornings in the fall with covenant service in December.
7th grade: Field trips, including church visits and group service activities.
8th grade: Sunday mornings in the spring with confirmation service in May.
What happens during seventh grade year? Do we take a break?
Students in confirmation are invited to participate in all student ministry programing. During their seventh-grade year, our hope is that your student continues to actively engage in Sunday school, life groups, connect nights, and retreats. We are launching a middle school specific Sunday school class for Sunday mornings. Students are invited and encouraged to come on the middle school fall retreat each year in addition to a designated a ‘focus’ retreat for that year.
When will students make their public proclamation/vows of faith and become church member?
At the end of their 8th-grade year.
If my student has not been baptized, when will that happen?
Students are invited to be part of a baptism service on Sunday morning following the rite-of-passage retreat during their seventh-grade year. It is a special service to publicly recognize what God has done in forming their identity through the rite-of-passage, and the whole congregation gets to join us in the celebration. Families may also opt to set up a private family baptism with a pastor.
Families are already so busy. Will this three-year model take up more time? 
The three-year program would be designed to be more manageable for busy families. The confirmation activities that we have always done in one very busy year are now spread among three years.
What if my student is older than sixth grade, but would like to get confirmed?
You student is welcome to participate in confirmation no matter their age. For older students, we also offer confirmation in a more casual, personalized format.
SIXTH GRADE:
Starts: Beach kick-off (August)
Ends: Covenant Service (December)
Retreat Focus: Middle School Fall Retreat (September)
Practices: Read the book of Luke
Beach Kick-Off
To Kick-off confirmation, we will take a day trip to Galveston Island for students to get to know one another and get to know our staff.
Middle School Fall Retreat - Stoney Creek Ranch
Retreats provide a space for us to put aside our busyness and allow God to work. On the middle school fall retreat students learn about the heart of the good news - what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Students are invited to make that story their own. We understand that sometimes schedules do not work out, but retreats are an incredible space for us to take steps forward in our faith, as well as build friendships with other students. If possible, please be there. The retreat center is a 1.5-hour drive. For those who have conflicts, we encourage them to come late or leave early. We encourage all to attend life group on a weekly basis, but for those who cannot make the retreat, we ask that students commit to attending at least 2 life groups/month for the purpose of building faith centric relationships with friends and mentors.
The Covenant Service – December
After the first semester of confirmation, students and families take part in a covenant together with the church. Essentially, a covenant is establishing a relationship based on a set of promises. Together, parents and their students will promise to give full pursuit of their faith in Christ throughout the remainder of the confirmation process.
Coffee or lunch with Student Ministry Staff
We make it our goal to meet with the parents and guardians of each confirmand during the first semester of sixth grade. It’s a lofty goal, so we for your help in making it happen. Our desire is to get to know you and hear your heart for your child. We are also happy to process any questions of faith, parenting, or otherwise that you may have.
SEVENTH GRADE:
Retreat Focus: Rite of Passage Retreat
Field Trips
On a designated date, students will experience a worship service at partner church communities of Chapelwood. Through these visits to other worship communities, our hope is students experience that the Church is not confined to a single language, culture, or race, and that we all worship the same God who crosses ethnic boundaries.
Service Days
Confirmands in seventh grade are asked to attend both the fall and spring service days. The Church is the hands and feet of Jesus. By giving our time and energy to serve others, students practice doing what Jesus did.
Mentorship
We pair up students with an adult mentor with the hope that they will meet once a year during the confirmation process. These are an opportunity for us to check in and know how students are growing, and it is an opportunity for students to ask any questions they have about faith and life. In order to make this possible, we ask many members of our church, and we ask you to consider being a mentor for a confirmand.
Rite of Passage Retreat – February
Details coming soon!
Baptism Service – February
A special Baptism Service will be held after the rite of passage retreat all students who desire to be baptized. Students who have already been baptized will have the opportunity to remember their baptism. Family and friends are those getting baptized are welcome to join to celebrate and witness the baptisms.
EIGHTH GRADE:
Starts: January
Ends: Confirmation service (May)
Practices: Read the book of Acts
Retreat focus: Eighth Grade Overnight
Eighth Grade Overnight
The eighth grade overnight is an opportunity for students to intentionally process the confirmation vows they are about to make. Students hear our high school student leaders share their testimonies, and our challenged to think about who Jesus is to them.
Confirmation Service – May
Students and their families will join us in a special ceremony, where each confirmand will recite their vows before their church family, be blessed by the pastors, and take up their role as part of the Church. From this point on, students will be considered members of Chapelwood United Methodist Church. More importantly, they are called here to be the Church. In the same way a new team member affects and is affected by the rest of the team, so each student’s God given gifts, passions, faithfulness, and relationship with Christ will affect and represent the rest of the Church.
Release Valve
We recognize that even by eighth grade, some students may not be ready to be confirmed. We value your student and desire to see them make the choice to follow Jesus with authenticity, therefore, during your student’s confirmation interview they will be given the option to defer their confirmation. If they choose to defer, we will assign them a mentor to meet with monthly to process their faith journey. Students who select this option will be invited to participate in the confirmation service the following year.
Parent Involvement
Parent involvement is essential to what we are doing in student ministry. We believe in the power of parents leading this next generation in faith. Parents are invited into all confirmation activities, and we hope you will consider engaging as a confirmation class table leader, a retreat chaperone, or a life group leader. We also have opportunities to serve behind the scenes for those who prefer it. Please let us know if you are interested or have questions.
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Questions?
We would love to have a conversation with you. Please email Allison Hume, Associate Director of Student Discipleship.