Confirmation Retreat
March 23-25: Wesleyan Uniqueness
February 2013
At some point in each United Methodist youth's life, the decision to claim the name of Christ for oneself and deciding whether to live a faithful, committed life becomes important to each of them. The responsibility for giving direction to this falls to the pastor and the parents and can be very time intensive. Lakeshore's confirmation retreats are designed to help with this very important task.
Lakeshore offers two confirmation weekends, one in February and one in March. You may choose to send your youth to one or both. We believe each of these retreats can help our pastors by offering what would typically be twelve hours of teaching in an intense but fun-filled weekend experience. The youth will not only learn the United Methodist understanding of faith, they will experience the connectional church at its best.
Churches/pastors have some additional responsibilities in addition to registering youth for the retreats.
PRIOR TO THE RETREAT
• Select counselors who will be good role models. They must be senior high age or older. We will need 1 counselor for every 5 students of each gender and at least 1 counselor for each gender you send. (For example: if you have 2 boys and 3 girls, send a male and a female counselor. For 6 boys and 3 girls, send two male and one female counselor.)
• Complete & submit all registration material to the Lakeshore office at least one week prior to the retreat.
• If you prefer to assign adult mentors to your confirmands on a one to one or one to two basis, you may do so and they will be seated with their students. Mentors, however, are not necessary for these retreats.
• Select and meet with your confirmands to explain the process you have chosen and to let them know that they will not be asked to make a decision at the retreat. Lakeshore feels it is the pastor's role to work with the confirmand at the point of decision making.
• Organize transportation for the event and be there to send them off with prayer
AFTER THE RETREAT
• Complete & submit all registration material to the Lakeshore office at least one week prior to the retreat.
• If you prefer to assign adult mentors to your confirmands on a one to one or one to two basis, you may do so and they will be seated with their students. Mentors, however, are not necessary for these retreats.
• Select and meet with your confirmands to explain the process you have chosen and to let them know that they will not be asked to make a decision at the retreat. Lakeshore feels it is the pastor's role to work with the confirmand at the point of decision making.
• Organize transportation for the event and be there to send them off with prayer
• Hold a session with your confirmands (and mentors) to share the story of your local church. This would be a great time to have volunteers share what life in the local church has meant to them.
• Consider scheduling one or two field trips to such places as the "Upper Room Chapel" in Nashville, the Conference Connectional Ministries Office, United Methodist Neighborhood Center, Reelfoot Rural Ministries, and/or the Campus Ministries.
• Schedule and teach the final six sessions on making and living their commitment.
• Meet individually with each confirmand to discuss their experience and assist them in their decision.
• Consider meeting with their parents to help them with any concerns.
• Set up date to receive your confirmands into membership and baptize those not previously baptized.
For questions please contact the Lakeshore office.
• Consider scheduling one or two field trips to such places as the "Upper Room Chapel" in Nashville, the Conference Connectional Ministries Office, United Methodist Neighborhood Center, Reelfoot Rural Ministries, and/or the Campus Ministries.
• Schedule and teach the final six sessions on making and living their commitment.
• Meet individually with each confirmand to discuss their experience and assist them in their decision.
• Consider meeting with their parents to help them with any concerns.
• Set up date to receive your confirmands into membership and baptize those not previously baptized.
Confirmation Retreat brochure
