Monthly Missional Living Opportunity for Confirmands & Faith Friends

It is official! The Confirmands and Faith Friends will serve monthly on the 3rd Saturday at the Williamson County Humane Society for "Adoption Day."

To prepare for our monthly offering, we are required to attend a training session with the Volunteer Coordinator, Debbie. Our training has been scheduled for Friday, November 30 at 6 pm. We will provide transportation for all Confirmands from Belmont UMC. Our departure time is 5:30 pm. You will need to bring a Health Form and Permission Form (attached) to participate in the training. After the one-hour training session, all Confirmands and Faith Friends are invited to a share a meal pizza supper at the church. Pick-up will be at 8:30 pm from Belmont UMC.

If you are able to attend the training and/or meal, please let Lanecia know by Sunday, November 18.

We will begin serving the 3rd Saturday of each month in January. We will serve January-May.

Christmas Party

Christmas Party for Confirmands and Faith Friends
Saturday, December 15 (6-8 pm)
The Pearce Family will be hosting the gathering

It will be an evening of fun, fellowship and good food. All are invited to bring one gift for your Faith Friend and a $5 or less gift to share in the Great Gift Exchange Game.

RSVP with Lanecia for the party by December 2.

Meet the Genesis Team

Keller H. . . .



5 Cool Facts About Keller

1. I do yoga.
2. I cut my hair to increase awareness about Breast Cancer.
3. My favorite 8th grader is Aren Edwards!
4. I love High School Musical and High School Musical 2!
5. I grew up at Belmont.

Meet the Genesis Team

First up, Carrie H. . . .



5 cool facts.... are these the kid of facts you're looking for.
1. I know sign language.
2. I'm a soccer coach.
3. I love to eat icing.
4. I went to the Jelly Belly Factory in CA (see the picture...)
5. I have visited 37 states.

Confirmation Covenant Service, September 30

To prepare for our service Sunday at 9:15 am in the sanctuary, spend time studying the Scriptures below and reflecting upon these questions with your parents or Faith Friend. See ya Sunday!



A covenant is a special relationship, a special agreement that calls for commitment. Followers of Jesus Christ are in a covenant with God and with one another. This Sunday we will all enter into a special covenant relationship as commit to journeying together in mission, study, fellowship and love. If you have any questions or concerns, contact me via email or phone.

Confirmation Participant Covenant: With God's help and the support of my family, to fully enter into the confirmation journey. I will attend regularly and participate fully in weekly gatherings starting in January, in worship, in service and in all other confirmation-related activities. I will be open and honest about my own questions and will endeavor to understand what it means to be Christian. I will also respect, support and help others in their own questions. This is the covenant I make this day, by the grace of God.

Parent and Faith Friend Covenant: With God's help, I will assist my child/Faith Friend on the confirmation journey. I will encourage and support her/his participation in confirmation. I will, to the best of my ability, be an example of what it means to be Christian. This is the covenant I make this day, by the grace of God.

Scriptures: Genesis 17:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Jeremiah 34:18

Questions:
1. What does this tell us about covenant?
2. What does it tell us about the covenant we will make at our service?

Peace of Christ be with you!
lanecia

4 Ways of Serving Christ in Nashville…

* Caring for our community… One Saturday a month we cam gather together at Belmont to walk around our surrounding community picking up trash, offering smiles, noticing the beauty & needs of the earth and helping to keep our community clean.
* Caring for our elders… One Saturday a month we can go to a local assisted living facility offering music, games, fellowship, devotions and friendship to shut-ins.
* Caring for our neighbors living on the streets… One Friday night a month we can serve at Room In the Inn with other groups from our church. This will offer an opportunity for us to serve and be in fellowship with our neighbors of various walks of life.
* Caring for the animals… The 3rd Saturday of each month (10am-Noon) we can serve at the Williamson County Animal Control helping with the animal adoption process.

Reflect on the following questions for each opportunity:
1. What is the human need in this particular situation?
2. What it is we can do to be a glimpse of Christ, of help and love?
3. How is this response connected to our faith?

Confirmation T Shirt Quilt

Each Confirmand is invited to bring a t-shirt to the Covenant Service on September 30 that represents a favorite experience, activity or talent. A couple of ladies in our congregation have offered their time to quilt a Confirmation T Shirt Quilt that will be presented on Confirmation Sunday. This quilt will represent the unique beauty of each individual participant and the group.
If you have any questions call or email me.

Confirmation Journey 2007-2008 Schedule

September Confirmation Orientation
September 9 "What is Confirmation?" 9:15 am
September 16 “Beginning the Journey: Part 1” 9:15 am
September 23 “Beginning the Journey: Part 2” 9:15 am
September 30 Confirmation Covenant Service 9:15 am

December 14 Christmas Party 6-8 pm

Exploring the Four Pieces of Furniture in the Household of God:
Pulpit, Font, Table and Basin & Towel

Weekly Gatherings:
6th Grade Room on the 3rd Floor
3:30-5:30 pm

"Pulpit: Learning Our Story"
January 13: "What is a Christian? What is the Church? What is Our Jewish Heritage?"

January 20: Movie Night & Fellowship 5:30 pm

January 27: "Our Common Heritage With All Christians”

February 10: "Our Heritage As a Local Congregation"

February 17: "The Bible: The Book for Christians"

"Font & Table: Our Life Together"
February 24: "Baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation"

March 7-9: Confirmation Retreat at Lake Junaluska, NC

March 16: "In the Image of God and What is Sin"

March 30: "Who is Jesus and What did He Do? What is
Salvation?"

April 6: "Who is the Holy Spirit?"

"Basin & Towel: Living Our Story"
April 13: "I Choose Jesus Christ"

April 20: "I Choose to Live as a Christian"

April 27: "The Call to Christian Discipleship"

May 4: "Our Decision to Claim the Name"


Confirmation Celebration Dinner, May 17 (6 pm)

Confirmation Sunday, May 18 (We will take family and faith friend photos before the service. You will have an opportunity to sign up for a photo time for your family and faith friend in April. The service rehearsal will begin around 9 am.)

What is Confirmation?

Confirmation in The United Methodist Church is a time of intentional preparation, leading to the first public profession of faith. During this time young persons "make firm" what has gone before: God's prevenient grace, baptism, the teaching and witness of parents and other persons of faith, the teachings and life together in the church, the student's own growing faith. Youth are invited to claim for themselves the name Christian and the name United Methodist. Confirmation is a significant step in the journey of faith.

Confirmation is the choice a young person makes to respond to God's grace with intentional commitment, publicly reaffirming his or her baptismal vows before the congregation. Young people choose to participate in a formative adventure with other confirmands, faith friends, teachers and pastors to learn the meaning of Christian Faith: the history, teachings and stories of our faith and United Methodist tradition.

Come join as we learn more about what it means to be a member of the household of God in 2007-2008 at Belmont UMC!

Dear Parent(s):

Greetings from your Belmont UMC church family and welcome to the 2008 Confirmation Class journey!

The Confirmation journey is one of the most formative and informative experiences in the life of the church, and we are looking forward to you and your child choosing to participate in this journey at Belmont UMC. Our Confirmation curriculum, Claim the Name, states this about Confirmation:

The word confirmation means ‘with firmness.’ Confirmation seeks to make firm what has gone before. It is closely linked to and dependent upon all that has taken place in the individual’s life already, including God’s prevenient grace, the sacrament of baptism, the Christian nurture provided by parents and the faith community, and the ongoing activity of God’s Spirit.

The September Confirmation Orientation begins this Sunday, September 9, during the Sunday school hour (9:15-10:10 am) in the 6th grade Sunday school room on the 3rd Floor. Parents are invited to attend and participate in this session. Parents are also invited to the Confirmation Covenant Service on September 30, in the sanctuary during the Sunday school hour.

Here is the September Confirmation Orientation Outline:

September 9: “What is Confirmation?” During this session we will introduce what confirmation means and how it relates to baptism and church membership. You will be introduced to the Genesis Ministry and learn more about the unique Confirmation experience Belmont will provide for your young person.

September 16: “Beginning the Journey: Part One” Faith Friend matches will be shared and we will begin the process of getting to know each other. We will also spend time as a group discerning how we will offer ourselves in loving service to our community once a month together, beginning in November.

September 23: “Beginning the Journey: Part Two” Continuing discovering what the Confirmation journey holds and continuing growing in relationship with those who will be serving as Faith Friends.

September 30: “Confirmation Covenant Service” 9:15 am in the Sanctuary
The 4th & 5th Grade Sunday school class and Jr. High Sunday school class will be present to share in this special moment for our 2007-2008 Confirmation participants.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 383-0832 or lanecia@belmontumc.org.

We look forward to sharing the Confirmation journey with your family.

Be God’s
Lanecia A. Rouse

Attention All Confirmation Participants!!!

Attention all 2007-2008 Confirmation Participants!
This fall, September 9, begins your year for Confirmation. We hope you are excited about your amazing Confirmation journey at Belmont United Methodist Church. It's going to be a blast!

What is Confirmation?
Confirmation at Belmont UMC is a special time when you will learn about and experience the Christian faith. Participants will learn about our roots and heritage as Christians and United Methodists, the practices of the Christian faith (the Bible, worship, prayer, ethics) and the basic beliefs of the Christian faith, including God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, hope beyond death – to name a few. We will also focus on how to be committed disciples of Jesus Christ. We will have retreats, mission opportunities, trips and parties, as well as our great weekly experiences starting on January 13. At the end of the experience, Confirmands have the opportunity to be confirmed as full members of the church. However, the decision to be confirmed is just that – a decision, an informed choice that you make with the support and guidance of your parents, pastors and Faith Friends.

Confirmation is an Eight Months Experience for Young People
Confirmation is much more than just a Sunday gathering of fellowship, learning and devotion. We’ll have our own trips, retreats, mission opportunities, parties and activities. Take a deep breath, climb on board and get ready for a great journey of discovery and fun with friends.

Confirmation Orientation
We will kick-off the Confirmation Experience in September. There will be a three-week Confirmation Orientation during the Sunday school hour for Confirmands, parents and Faith Friends. On September 30, we will have the 2007-2008 Confirmation Covenant Service during the Sunday school hour.

Our Formal Gatherings Will Begin in January
Our formal confirmation class begins on January 6. Our class will meet Sunday evenings from 3:30-5:30 pm on the 3rd Floor. Each week will include a weekly ritual, a large group session and games/activities where you can get closer to others and process what we are learning. Confirmation class will culminate on May 18th, when we have our confirmation service.

What About Attendance Requirements?
Our Confirmation program is a comprehensive package of classes and events. It is intended that participants be involved in the whole range of activities, not just the Sunday evening experiences. Full and consistent participation is encouraged, that each Confirmand might have a rich and meaningful experience. There are no official attendance requirements.