At Manchester UMC, the Confirmation program provides an opportunity for young people to explore the Christian faith alongside other youth in a fun, relevant and engaging way. Our focus is on helping each young person learn about God’s unconditional love and amazing grace through experience and conversation.
At the end of this journey, youth will have an opportunity to profess their own faith in Jesus Christ and be confirmed as new members of Manchester UMC. We believe Confirmation is not a destination, but more like a way station where youth have an opportunity to take personal ownership of the faith journey they have been traveling since their baptism. While we hope every youth will make the decision to profess their faith and be confirmed, there is no pressure or requirement to do so.
Important program information
Confirmation is open to youth in 7th and 8th grades who are interested in exploring the Christian faith in a fun and experiential way.
Rather than just talking at youth, our Confirmation Program strives to engage young people and their families in a variety of experiences that provide opportunities for learning, reflection and conversation.
Confirmation experiences include:
- A lazer tag lock-in and other fun adventures
- Learning and talking about the Christian faith
- Going on an offsite weekend retreat
- Service projects and touring St. Louis agencies
- Observing and discussing other faith traditions
- and so much more!
Download the Confirmation Schedule
It is our goal that after being confirmed at Manchester UMC, your youth will have:
- A stronger connection to other Christian youth
- An expanded world view plus compassion for others
- A better understanding of their own values and beliefs
- A faith deeply rooted in the love and grace of Jesus Christ
- A desire to become an informed church member
Confirmands are expected to attend every meeting for Confirmation. The schedule for the year is below. If they miss a meeting, make-up work is required. Make-up work can be downloaded at the link below. Confirmands can miss up to five meetings, and some meetings will be more than one session. (see schedule for details) Because this a very experiential program, any youth who misses 6 or more sessions will need to postpone their Confirmation and enroll in the next program year. (Sessions missed due to illness will not count as a miss, but make-up work will still be required.)
Confirmands are expected to participate in the following programs before Confirmation Day on May 19. They can choose any days that work for them. Parents will need to verify these were completed. This requirement served the purpose of helping youth find they program they can plug into once Confirmation is completed. While the minimum is listed, the more they can get there, the more they will connect and get a feel for the best fit.
Attend 5 worship services (4p, 9a, or 11a)
Attend 5 Sunday Squads (9a OR 11a)
Attend 2 Middle School Meet-Ups (in addition to the three on the schedule)
Serve in worship 4 times
The easiest way to do this is to sign up for the Sunday Service Team. On the first Sunday of the month, youth will volunteer on a Sunday morning in a capacity they feel called. This coiuld be acolyting, lay reading, ushering, serving donuts, etc. More details about this program will be coming soon.
The program fee for this year’s Confirmation program is $150 per person due at registration. The program fee covers materials, supplies, t-shirt, Bible, travel expenses and more.
This program is also supported financially by Manchester UMC. Half and full scholarships are available and may be selected on the payment page at registration. There are no requirements or additional forms for scholarships. Anyone who selects a scholarship will receive one.
