The Nuts and Bolts of Gethsemane’s Confirmation program
Gethsemane's Confirmation program is a 3 year program. The program encompasses the 7th , 8th, and 9th grade school years. The "Rite of Confirmation" ceremony for the youth occurs in the fall when the Confirmands are in their 10th grade of school.
The curriculum that Gethsemane's Confirmation program has used since the fall of 2005 is “Here We Stand”; published by Augsburg Fortress. This curriculum is taught to all 3 grades together, in a 3-year cycle. The cycle is:
- The 25 most important stories from the Old Testament
- The 25 most important stories from the New Testament
- Cathechism (10 Commandments, Apostle’s Creed, Lord’s Prayer & the sacraments)
A typical Wendnesday Confirmation evening is: Supper is available on most Wednesdays from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm (for the Youth as well as for the entire Congregation). The official Confirmation timeframe is from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm each Wednesday. The Confirmation weekly lessons are taught in a large group format (all the Junior High youth are in the Fellowship Hall and are being taught at the same time). These lessons are taught on a rotational basis by our 2 Pastors and by the Youth Director. Part of each Confirmation evening includes small group discussion time (fellowship, lesson reinforcement, etc.) which is led by an adult volunteer (a “Guide”). Each small group (students from the same grade and gender) is led by a Guide who is assisted by one or two Senior High youth ("Junior Guides").
In addition to attending on Wednesday nights, further requirements of students are:
- Completing weekly homework, including prayer exercises (but NOT weekly memorization tasks)
- Taking turns assisting in Sunday morning worship as ushers, greeters, or acolytes
- Completing 10 sermon notes per year
- Participating in annual group service projects like Feed My Starving Children,
Operation Christmas Child, and the 30-Hour Famine - Attending Sunday morning "House"
- Attendance at/in Lutheran summer camps/trips
- 10th graders write an individual “Faith Statement” and meet with a pastor
7th graders together attend a week at Green Lake Bible Camp *
8th graders canoe and camp together for a week in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area *
9th graders take a 10 day trip to Montana, to backpack and camp in the mountains: coordinated through Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp *
*Fundraising opportunities are offered with the intention of covering half the cost of these activites.
During the school year, the Sunday morning youth activity (9:55 am to 10:35 am) is called "House". House is a Junior and Senior High gathering for fellowship and for bible study. House is led by the Youth Director.
Although the vast majority of congregation members enroll their junior high-age kids in Confirmation, it is not a requirement of continued membership. We are averaging 15 students per grade, including 2 – 4 non-members. No fees are charged, except for retreats and summer camps.
Additional, optional, activities (some suggested by the Youth Council) are planned throughout the year to give students further fellowship opportunities in order to build and strengthen their friendships and faith. These activities are unrelated to Confirmation, and often include our Senior High youth. For most events, students are welcome to invite guests. Depending on the length of the event, such gatherings will feature community prayer, brief devotions, Bible study or some topical faith discussion. Recent events have included:
- Camping weekends
- Paintball
- skiing
- overnight lock-ins
- Grand Rios water park
- Youth-led Worship
- concerts
- 7th grade Family Night
- Congregational Talent Show
Be sure to check out the photos in the Photo Gallery to see what these Junior High Youth events are all about.