This summer, when visiting the third floor of HPUMC’s Mockingbird Campus, you may notice the sights and sounds of construction! That’s because construction on the President George W. and Laura Bush Family Confirmation Center has officially begun.

The vision for the new center was part of the Beyond Campaign, where Rev. Paul Rasmussen challenged the congregation to go beyond our limits to invest in the next generation, creating a space for future confirmation students to feel welcomed and comfortable in their faith.

When the center opens in the fall, it will welcome hundreds of sixth-graders for generations to come, giving them more room to call their own. Here, they’ll have the opportunity to confirm their faith, making firm all that God has already done in their life including their baptism.

The new space also honors the legacy of Rev. Walt Marcum, who has led the Confirmation program at HPUMC for the past 25 years, leading to the confirmation of more than 4,000 students! His leadership not only helped thousands develop a faith to call their own, it defined what confirmation is for United Methodist churches all over the United States. To honor Rev. Marcum, HPUMC created the Walt Marcum Volunteer Lounge, a place for parents and volunteers to meet before programming kicks off on Sunday mornings.

“During the 2018-2019 school year, I've been shadowing Rev. Walt Marcum in the HPUMC Confirmation program,” says our Pastor to Children and Their Families. “I learned that there are three unique characteristics about the HPUMC Confirmation program and Walt's leadership.

“First, without parents and volunteers, this program wouldn't work. Parents and volunteers act as small group leaders that help guide the confirmation students through lessons of history, theology, and ideologies that allow them to discover more about their faith and relationship with God.

“Second, it's built around relationships and exploring faith together. We believe that one of the ways sixth-graders will be open to this process is by creating relationships in small groups.

“Finally, confirmation students get to make faith their own — it's not their mom's, dad's, or their siblings’ faith. It's a decision that only they can make. This is the legacy that the HPUMC Confirmation program has been built upon, and this is the foundation of where it will go.”

Construction will be complete in mid-August, with an official opening on August 25 to kick off the new school year.

Learn more about the Confirmation program at hpumc.org/confirmation.