Palm Sunday a Highlight

During the winter months, Pastor Kelvin held a six session confirmation class with three students.   The sixth graders studied basic beliefs of the Christian church,  learned about the liturgies they participate in from week to week,  and discovered more about their local United Methodist Church here at Copper Hill.   Pastor Kelvin asked the three to write out questions as the class proceeded.  This prompted much live discussion as some questions were addressed immediately.    According to Pastor Kelvin, this was a time for them to "Make the faith their own."    Since the classes concluded during Lent, one of the obvious themes was the Cross of Jesus.  In this picture, the confirmands  lead a special liturgy for the congregation on Palm Sunday which focused on the cross and summarized their learning.   

Sheri Mandirola assisted with the confirmation class by supervising the Cross craft.   Each student was provided with a four layer wooden Baltic Birch cross to decorate and display as a part of their confirmation journey.   Sheri encouraged them to put cut-out pictures representing their lives on the large bottom layer which were then decoupaged.   The only thing dictated was that the tiny top cross would be painted red to symbolize the blood of Jesus shed for us on the cross.  The students chose their own colors and decor for the middle layers.  Here they are displaying the crosses on Palm Sunday before reading the Cross liturgy.   Thank you to Sheri for her time and expertise.  

Confirmation is a special time.   Each one has a sponsor or sponsors.   Griffin was sponsored by his parents, Paul and Sheri.  Kylie Smith was sponsored by her Grandma,  Mary McCorison.  And Shannon Collins was sponsored by her Grandma, Nancy Collins.   The confirmation service itself consists of  multiple parts; presentation of the candidates by the sponsors,  ritual questions and answers relating to renunciation of sin and profession of faith, congregational affirmation and support,  confirmation blessing,  confirmation gift  which was a new Bible, membership vows and reception  into membership.   I have included pictures of the confirmation blessing for each of the three, appropriately softened, I thought, to emphasize the moment.