8th Grade Confirmation Class

Eighth-Grade Confirmation Class:

A New Way to Tell the Story

 

2009 Mid-Fairfield Confirmation is Saturday, May 16, 2009

Time and location to be announced

      We Christians are a people who are shaped by a story. The great biblical narrative forms and informs our ideas about the world, about God, God’s plan for salvation, and our place in this created and redeemed cosmos. Making disciples involves telling our world-altering story to new generations of believers, and we can tell it compellingly – although, all too often, we do not.

 

     Jesus knew how to tell a good story. It’s one of the things that made him such an effective teacher. One of Jesus’ most frequent and vivid “teaching aides,” the parable, was an already-popular narrative/didactic technique in the first century. The parable has an engaging narrative flow, it has drama – listeners are encouraged to see themselves as actors in the story – and it has elements of mystery or uncertainty. Parables are not simple allegories, in which Character A is definitively “X” and Character B is definitively “Y.” Parables are nuanced and complex – a lot like real life, which is why they are so riveting to people who live in the real world.

 

     This year we’re taking a leaf from Jesus’ teaching notebook and telling the great Christian story in a style that’s popular in the 21st century: the format of “The Daily Show” (Jon Stewart’s evening “news” broadcast on Comedy Central – just in case you’ve been a little out of touch lately). We will begin each hour of class time with the presentation and discussion of a religion-focused story that the instructor will have selected from the mainstream media – newspapers of record, magazines and network news broadcasts. The students will be sent out as “correspondents” to find additional stories – on blogs, in song lyrics, school newspapers and, of course, the MSM (mainstream media). Students will be provided with personal journals that may also serve as reporters’ notebooks.

 

     The didactic part of our time together will focus on an element from the “Outline of the Faith” (a.k.a. catechism) from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, e.g., the doctrine of God, the doctrine of human nature, salvation, the Church, the Sacraments. We will explore a range of theological approaches, noting similarities with and differences from the Episcopal/Anglican tradition.

 

     As regular viewers of “The Daily Show” know, the program ends with a segment announced as “Your Moment of Zen.” Our “Moment of Zen” will be the prayer office of Compline, a guided meditation, prayer before an icon, or simply quiet time for reflection and journaling.

 

     Each week, a day or two before class, parents of prospective confirmands will receive an e-mailed “Dinner Table Question.” The question will be relevant to the catechetical section of the upcoming class, and the purpose of the question is to spark discussion within the student’s family. The journey of faith is a lifelong – and joyous – one, and it is always pleasant to have companions alongside.

 

     Confirmation classes begin promptly at 7:30 on Wednesday evenings; dismissal is at 8:30. If there is an eighth-grader in your household, he or she is welcome to our show! (Please call or e-mail the Rev. Carol Hoidra for additional information, or to register a new student. choidra@stmarksnewcanaan.org; 966-4515, ext. 102.)

 

See below for the weekly topics:

 

Fall 2007

 

September 12                          The Christian Narrative: Why Confirmation?

     (Why the Church?) (Why the Episcopal Church???)

 

September 19                          Man, O Man – The Human Condition; Incarnation       

 

September 26                          God! The Decalogue. Sin. (Redemption.)

 

October 3                                WWJ(D)? Who Is Jesus

(and what does he Do)? Salvation.    

 

October 10                              The Holy Spirit (Bird? Or what?)

 

October 17                             “We believe…”  The Creeds

 

October 24                              Prayer (“Help me, help me, help me!”

     “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”)

 

October 31                              No meeting: Happy All-Hallows E’en!

 

November 7                            Worship: Holy Eucharist. Community rituals.

 

November 14                          Holy Baptism/Christian initiation and formation

 

November 21                          No meeting: Happy Thanksgiving! (Be grateful!)

 

November 28                          “The Pastoral Offices” – Sacramental Rites;

                                                Personal/Life milestones; Church for all occasions

 

December 5                             The Liturgical Year – There is a time and a season…

 

December 12                           The Church and the World (Not necessarily a dichotomy.)

 

December 19                           Mid-year Exam (and Merry Christmas – our little joke…)

 

 

Christian Ethics and Praxis

Winter/Spring Term

  

1/9                   Introduction to the Book of Common Prayer; the Daily Offices

 

1/16                 Instructed Eucharist, Rite II (Parents welcome to attend!)

 

1/23                 Planning our Lenten disciplines (No “giving up” Confirmation class!)

 

1/30                 The Hymnal (with Guest Artist B-P Thomas!)

 

2/6                   No meeting; attend Ash Wednesday service (required)

 

2/13                 Lenten prayer and worship: Stations of the Cross

 

2/20                 No meeting; New Canaan public schools vacation week

 

2/27                 The New Canaan Food Bank: Love in Action

 

3/5                   Preparation for retreat with Bishops (weekend of 3/14-15)

 

3/12                 No meeting: Retreat with Bishops 3/14-15 (strongly recommended)

 

3/19                 No meeting; Wednesday in Holy Week

 

3/26                 Life after Easter: Introduction to Christian Ethics/the Christian Life

 

4/2                   The Church: The Body of Christ… and???

 

4/9                   “Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry” – The Church’s three major “flavors”

 

4/16                 The Anglican Communion; “Instruments of Unity”

 

4/23                 Episcopal trivia night (e.g., What’s a maniple?)

 

4/30                 Final examination

 

5/7                   Confirmation preparation and year-end party