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| 725 Pine St. Winnetka, Illinois 60093 847-441-3400 |
At WCC we strive to make it meaningful, thorough, and provocative.
At the end of the 2-year process, 8th graders will be invited to choose membership or exercise their right to consider the decision longer as a non-member (friend of the church?) Whether your Confirmand chooses membership or not, he or she will be encouraged to worship as a non-voting friend of the church and participate in WCC activities through high school and beyond.
Classes begin at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. Regular class days start with lunch in the Fellowship Hall or Alsdorf Activities Center.
Central to our eighth grade program is working with an adult member of the church. Seeds for this process of selecting a mentor are planted in seventh grade. Mentors are chosen in eighth grade. The pastoral staff will help each Confirmand with their choice, suggesting names for Confirmands who aren’t sure who to ask. Ideally, a mentor is someone who the Confirmand experiences as a committed, respected, and caring member of the congregation—an exemplar of the Christian faith. A mentor can be someone with whom the Confirmand has already developed a close relationship, a friend of the family, or a person the Confirmand would like to get to know.
Mentors will meet twice as group to learn about the mentoring process. They will also meet occasionally with the entire group of Confirmands and their mentors during their eighth grade.
Requirements for Confirmation:
These statements reflect the Confirmands’ beliefs and require courage and honesty. We offer a safe place to articulate these growing statements of faith. Sharing with the congregation is not required. Workshops and Mentor-time will help prepare the Confirmand for this personal and in depth project.
Retreats give Confirmands time to enjoy being part of a group that’s going through the same feelings, confusions, frustrations, joys as part of the same process. As individuals within the group, the Confirmands will have a chance to ask the questions they’ve newly discovered, to test out ideas, and see where s/he is in relation to others. Retreats accomplish the following:
Because of the rich experiences of discovery, trust, community and faith building for the group and the individual, retreats are a requirement for all Confirmands.
Each class will visit other faith communities about two or three times each year as part of their learning process. We will choose among differing faith traditions as well as other Christian denominations. Experiencing diverse cultures and religious traditions gives our Confirmands perspective on their own faith traditions just as it helps build understanding and tolerance among peoples of various faiths. We typically make one such visit per quarter.
Mission activities for both classes include:
Our Confirmation program is designed to be not only an interactive learning process for your young person, but also a way for families to experience together some of the joys of being a part of the Christian community. Our students have so much to teach us. With your help and co-commitment, the Rite of Confirmation at the Winnetka Congregational Church will succeed in developing self-conscious and actively engaged people of faith. We’re counting on you. So are they.
Consider becoming a mentor for one of the Confirmands. One of your children’s friends may see you as the person of faith they wish to become. Think about it, and let Jennifer Gleichauf know if are willing or if you just want to talk about the possibility. Jennifer can be reached by telephone at 441-3400, ext. 15 or by e-mail jenny@wcc-joinus.org
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