From cradle to Confirmation: HPUMC nurtures faith journeys

In the Sanctuary, mom-of-three Michele Spillman sheds tears of joy as her son, Sutton, professes his faith at the 2022 HPUMC Confirmation service. The Spillman family joined the church when Sutton was around six months old, and this year, the 13-year-old was confirmed into the Christian faith and the United Methodist Church.

“It feels like it went so quickly from the time he started here in the church nursery, and we would take our older girls to Sunday school while we went to service,” Michele said. “We felt like he was so cared for by the sweet ladies who would rock him and the other babies in the nursery. And then to see him make that profession of faith in the Sanctuary was very emotional.”

Confirmation is a year-long spiritual formation program bridging the Kids and Youth Ministries, allowing sixth graders to go beyond just Bible stories and learn more about the history, practices, and beliefs of the Christian and United Methodist faith. Then, they make the decision for themselves to respond to Jesus’ call to live for Him at the Confirmation service.

“The big thing is that it's a time when they’re becoming more independent from their parents and are trying to decide, ‘How is faith personal to me separate and apart from my parents,’” Michele said. “They can start taking steps to make their faith their own.”

Sutton was Michele’s last child to be confirmed, following his older sisters. This made his Confirmation even more emotional.

“I think it's hard for parents to let go,” Michele said. “I felt like that was part of the letting-go. He made the decision on his own that he wanted to be confirmed and we were just so, so proud that he did that.”

Michele and her husband, Travis, took it one step further and volunteered as Lead Parents for Confirmation, leading with Elliott Gonzalez, Pastor to Confirmation, who Michele said made the whole experience both fun and meaningful. It also gave them a better, behind-the-scenes look at spiritual programming put on by HPUMC.

“It gives you insight into how the process works and allows you to develop a great relationship with the other parent leaders and Elliott,” Michele said. “We got to see all of the heart and all of the hard work that went into making the program successful.”

Michele, who didn’t grow up in the Methodist denomination, was also able to learn as a Lead Parent alongside her son.

“If you are at all curious about Confirmation, especially if you didn't go through it, it's a fantastic way to learn more about the origins and roots of the church,” she said. “As members of the church we are called to give back, and this is a way to serve within the church. I would definitely recommend it.”

For the Spillman family, Confirmation is a valuable experience offered by HPUMC that Michele said she can’t say enough good things about.

“The goal of the program goes along with the church's mission to make deeply devoted followers of Christ,” Michele said. “It’s a good way for these kids to start doing that on their own and to start growing their roots in the church.”

“It gives you a unique perspective. Not only do you get to watch your child go through the process, but you get to know a lot of these kids in a different way because you see them every Sunday morning. Even now, I'll see kids in the neighborhood that maybe I didn't know before, but now they know me from being in Confirmation. It just builds community.”