Confirmation on the Move!
by Kiesha Priem, Director of Children, Youth, & Family Ministries Bethany Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg
Traditionally at Bethany Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg, our 7th and 8th graders go through Confirmation Classes. Youth participate in class time on Wednesdays from 6:00-7:30pm. These classes include not only “live teaching” time with Pastor Kevin Haug and Kiesha Priem, the Director of Children, Youth & Family Ministries, but also videos, hands-on projects, outings, and worship together.
This year, as we explored Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, we’ve been taking the students out in the community to learn about how the concepts from the 1500s are still important today.
While learning about the Apostles’ Creed, especially the Third Article, we took them to Fredericksburg Funeral Home, where Max Beckmann, the Funeral Director and owner showed us around and answered our questions. While learning about Holy Communion, we talked about how Communion prepares us to serve others and we went on a field trip to our local HEB, demonstrated and discussed what it is like to shop for families on a budget, and donated food to the Fredericksburg Food Pantry afterward.
In learning what it really means to be a Lutheran, we not only looked at our own faith, but we talked about other denominations and we took the students to St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, and St. Mary’s Catholic Church (all in Fredericksburg) and we got the chance to explore their traditions and faith practices and ask questions.
Those are just some examples of what we’ve been up to with the Confirmation Class this year. We hope and pray that the kids become passionate lovers and followers of Jesus, that they become passionate about Christ’s Church and active in its worship, that they become passionate about the world Jesus loves, and they become active praying people.
Our 8th and 9th grade Confirmands will affirm their faith in front of Bethany, their families, friends and each other on Sunday, May 3 at our 10:30 Traditional Service.