In most ELCA congregations, 7th & 8th grade students are preparing to affirm their baptisms. We call this Confirmation! At St. Andrew all 7th & 8th graders are invited to our 2-year faith formation and fellowship ministry that will help equip them to say "yes" to the baptismal promises their parents and baptismal sponsors (i.e. godparents) made on their behalf as infants. For more information on our Confirmation program, please check out that page here. If you'd like to sign your kid/s up or learn more about the program from Pr Jenna, you can reach her through the church office.
Affirmation of Baptism
Saying "yes" to God's promises
After a baby is baptized, what then?
In our Rite of Baptism, parents promise to bring their kids to the Lord's Supper, place in their hands the word of God, teach them the Lord's Prayer, Creed, and Ten Commandments, and to raise them in faithful community. As the church, we help parents keep those promises.
Most of our students prepare to Affirm their baptismal promises at the end of 8th grade. To help them prepare, we offer Confirmation for our 7th and 8th grade students. St. Andrew partners with Grace Lutheran and St. James Lutheran Churches for Confirmation and High School Youth Group, and we meet at Grace Lutheran in Libertyville during the school year.
Faith Statements & Projects
Why they want to be confirmed, and
How they live out their faith
Their Faith Statement answers the question: “What does it mean to me to affirm my baptism?” This statement must be at least 5 sentences long.
The purpose of the Faith Project is for them to share something from their lives that is meaningful to them, and how their faith impacts it/them. In the past, students have done: photo collage, music playlist (with Christian and secular music), a recipe booklet, made friendship bracelets, etc. Then, they are to write up an explanation of why this is specifically meaningful to them, how their faith is a part of the activity, and how God strengthens God’s relationship to your child in this activity.
Everything they'll need to reflect on will be in their Confirmation books, Small Catechism, and Bible. They cannot use AI for any aspect of their statement or project, and failure to follow this will jeopardize their participation in Confirmation Sunday.
I know that for some of your kids, writing is tricky. The goal is for them to think about their faith, the promises they're making, and how it ties into the rest of their lives. If your kid would do better with just fully talking through their Faith Statement and the significance of their Faith Project, I am happy to schedule a longer "Confirmation Check-In" meeting time with them.
Both of these are due the week before Affirmation of Baptism/Confirmation Sunday. Unless your child speaks in advance with Pr Jenna about why they need an extension, failure to complete both the Faith Statement and Faith Project on time will mean your student cannot be confirmed with the rest of their class. We will arrange another date after they have completed their work.