6th Grade Confirmation: General Information

Attention all incoming 6th graders!
June begins your year for Confirmation.  The curriculum for the confirmation year is part of a larger 7-year plan that goes from 6^th grade through 12^th grade.  Educationally, confirmation is a seven-year process, though the rite of confirmation comes at the end of the first year.  We welcome youth and families regardless when you join this exciting class. We hope you are excited about your 6th grade year at Highland Park United Methodist Church. It's going to be a blast!

What is Confirmation?
Confirmation at HPUMC is a 12-month program for 6th grade youth and their families. This includes a nine-month academic year component and a summer group-building component. The overall goal of the summer group building activities is communication, cooperation, and team building - what it means to be a faith community. Yet each week's session stands alone.  We have discovered that these activities are a wonderful addition to our confirmation program and that they help us in our goals for the confirmation year. Dress casual and come prepared to experience a different "challenge" each Sunday.  The nine-month academic component is about intentional commitment.  During the confirmation process, the individual is asked to consciously embrace the Christian faith and vocation as one's own and to accept the responsibilities of Christian discipleship. Two important processes must take place in a confirmation program.  First, the child must be instructed in the basics of the faith. Confirmation seeks to give the child a systematic overview of the faith - our identity, our history and heritage, our practices, and our beliefs.   This will include both our heritage and practices as a Christian community and as a United Methodist Family, as well as our basic beliefs and commitments. In addition, the person should be instructed in what it means to live the Christian life and be involved in the mission of the church in the world.  The second process is spiritual formation.  Our faith is not just about information.  It is about formation - being molded, shaped, or transformed into the image of Christ.  This takes time and experiences, not just data.  A comprehensive confirmation program is more than just a class.  It seeks to provide experiences and opportunities in which the child can be shaped as a Christian. Confirmation seeks to mold or shape the child by providing a safe environment of love and acceptance in which the child can explore the faith as well as experience what is being taught real (i.e., relationships with peers and mentors, small group experiences, mission opportunities, etc.).  At this level the faith is lived and experienced.  One of the most important things we do in confirmation is build relationships - with God, with each other, with the adults who lead the class.  The great commandment that Jesus gave us is to love - to love God and to love each other.  In all we do during the year, we try to fulfill this commandment.  We intentionally spend a lot of time and effort building trust, building relationships, and building community.

Who is in charge of Confirmation?
Our Confirmation program is sponsored and administered through the Youth Department. It is led by Reverend Walt Marcum, Minister to Youth and Families, and a leadership team of more than 80 parents. If you are not currently on the leadership team and are interested in becoming apart of the teaching team, call Rev. Marcum (214-523-2235), email marcumw@hpumc.org or download, complete and mail in the volunteer form.

Where is Confirmation Held?   Our class meets every Sunday morning through May from 9:30-10:45 a.m. in the basement of the Wallace Building.   In addition to our class room instruction, we will have retreats, mission opportunities, field trips and parties. Our Confirmation program is a comprehensive package of classes and events. It is intended that participants be involved in the whole range of activities, not just the morning classes. There are no attendance requirements. At the end of the year (May 24th), class members have the opportunity to be confirmed as full members of the church. However, the decision to be confirmed is just that - a decision, a choice. It is not required.

Mark your calendar for these important dates!
Confirmation has many special events, and a full curriculum. For a current calendar, click to download. Add these dates to your calendar now!