Firming Up

 

July 2022

Dear Friends

Confirmation.  It’s not in the Bible but it is a rite that has been practised by churches for centuries.  During a special service of Confirmation the bishop prays for each candidate in turn, that the Lord would confirm them in their faith in Jesus Christ by the good gift of his Holy Spirit to them.  And each candidate confirms that they have turned away from their sin, that they are trusting in the Lord Jesus for forgiveness and they are following him as one of his disciples.  A certificate is issued and names are entered into the register in the church.

Some were baptised/Christened as children, and this is the natural progression – they are confirmed and begin to play their part as young adults in the church.  Other young people have not been pointed in that direction but might still like an opportunity to hear more about Jesus and to think for themselves whether they intend to follow him in life or not.

From September we plan to begin a group that meets in Burton after school at 4.15pm (probably on Thursdays) for anyone in school year 6 and above.  Over the course of several weeks we will go over what Christians have historically believed and give lots of opportunities for questions and discussion.  Then, those who might want to find out more, and those who are thinking they would like to be confirmed at some point, will have the opportunity of continuing to meet to prepare themselves.  No-one who comes to the group will have to be confirmed if they decide not to proceed.  Anyone can join the group – those who have never been baptised/Christened can be baptised at their Confirmation service if they choose to go ahead.

If this might be of interest to you or your son/daughter then please send me a quick email or text and I will contact you nearer the time with more details. 

And if Thursday at 4.15pm is no good, or if you are much older than Year 6 but you would still like to talk about confirmation or baptism – I would be delighted to hear from you too.  Many adults have never been baptised or confirmed so I think it will be quite common now to see people of all ages who want to declare their faith in Jesus Christ in these ways.

Sincerely

Graham Burrows