Confirmation Statement of DC

What does Jesus mean to me?

I believe that Jesus is the son of God. As the son of God, Jesus means forgiveness to me.

I can make mistakes and ask Jesus for forgiveness and I will always be forgiven. Jesus saves me from myself, and he will always be with me throughout my life. I have had times in the past when I was worried, or even scared. Last year I was in a car accident. We were driving on the interstate in New York during the daytime. All of the sudden a deer ran across the road in front of us and hit our car. If the deer had started just a few seconds later, it might have hit the windshield and broken into the car, hurting me or my family. Fortunately, the deer bounced off of the side of the car and we were all okay. That experience showed me how Jesus is always there with me.

Now I am in 8^th grade, and I am one of the older students at my Middle School. Next year though, I will be going to high school and I know that Jesus will always be there too, to help me to get through my new challenges and experiences.

My hockey coach once told me, that when a good coach considers bringing a new player on a team; that the coach asks three questions about the new player: 1) What kind of a person is he? 2) How are his grades? and 3) What kind of hockey player is he? When I first heard this, I didn't understand why being a good hockey player was the third question asked (instead of the first question). When I thought about it, I understood that my coach, like Jesus, wanted me to be a good person before anything else.

How have I grown in faith and understanding of God's grace these past few years?

I was baptized at Christ the King. I know that I have grown in my faith and I have also grown in my understanding of my faith over the past few years. Before I went through confirmation, I didn't really understand what grace was. I now understand that grace is a great gift from God, and I definitely accept God's grace.

I have learned that God is love, understanding, and forgiveness. I also know that as a person, I am not perfect. Even though I am not perfect I know that God will understand me and he will forgive me when I do the wrong things. It is hard to do the right thing all of the time, because even if I do the right things, I have to say the right things and even think the right things. We are lucky that we always have the gift of God's grace.

I have also learned a great deal about what it means to be a Lutheran. I didn't know that much about being a Lutheran a few years ago. Now I understand more about Martin Luther and about the ways and the reason for our beliefs. One thing I didn't understand too well before was communion. I think that I now understand and appreciate communion and how important it is to have our sins forgiven.

Why do I wish to affirm my faith in baptism at this time?

I believe that I am ready to affirm my baptism as a confirmed member of our church. I think that I have grown a great deal in my faith over the past few years and that I am ready to be an actual adult church member.

Baptism is one of the sacraments of our church along with communion. I understand that both baptism and communion have the forgiveness of sins, and also the presence of Jesus. It is important that in confirmation that I can affirm my faith in baptism to show that the forgiveness of sins and my faith in Jesus are both very important in my life.

How am I using my spiritual gifts for the ministry of the church?

I have learned that helping others is very important, and that this is what Jesus wants us to do. I have been an acolyte, a reader, and a cross-bearer at church, and I enjoy helping out. I was a little bit nervous the first time I did all of these things, especially the first time I read a Bible passage in front of the church. I know that the church must have people to do these things, and I am glad that I was able to help.

Last summer I went with our church confirmation group to the work camp near Lancaster, PA. We were there for one week, living in college dormitories, and assigned to teams with other Christians of all faiths. For the entire week, my team assisted elderly and disabled people by painting their homes. It was hot work, but I enjoyed helping the people in need. At the end of each day, we would have worship and prayer services. This week of helping people in need made me think of how important it is to serve others.

I hope that as I get older that I am able to help people and to help my church. I know that I will be very busy in high school with academics and sports, but I also know that I need to find the time to help the church and to help others.

Confirmation Statement of DP

What does Jesus mean to me?

To me, Jesus means the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:8). I believe He is the only way or path to God. In the book of John, Jesus says “No one comes to the Father but through Me.” I want to know and love God, and Jesus is the only way to achieve that goal. I am not perfect; I know that I do make mistakes and sin all the time. Jesus has taken away all my sins by dying on the cross for me. Jesus is my Savior. His work on the cross is the only work that allows me to have an eternal relationship with God. “The law was given through Moses, grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Jesus is the truth, by looking or following him you will discover the way to God. An example from my life is, whenever I want to achieve a goal, like getting good grades, or winning an important soccer game, I will look to my coaches and my friends and teachers and parents and all that, but over all I will look and pray to God to help me. This does not mean that I will automatically achieve the goal just because I prayed to Him, but I will have his guidance with me. Sometimes the ways my prayers are answered are in a different way or a different time than I expect, but they are eventually answered.

I know how when people have something bad happen to them they blame God and ask “What did I do wrong?” but the truth is they did not put all of their trust in Him, or they worshipped someone or something over Him. If I had to choose between everything I know and love, and God, I would choose God, because the truth is God IS everything I know and love. What Jesus wants us to know and realize is that the way to Heaven and Eternal life with God is Jesus himself. Truthfully, if I had to choose between going to Church and a night out with all of my friends, I would choose my friends. I know this is wrong and I think this is what most kids my age would choose, because I don’t think we have really thought about what Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before me” meaning we should only worship the real and true God. By choosing my friends instead of Church I am worshipping them over God.

I think that most kids my age aren’t mature enough to realize that Jesus is the only way to God. A lot of people ask, “Who is Jesus?” One answer to that lies in the Bible (as every answer does). Jesus asked his followers, “Who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” I am so thankful that God has shown me this truth expressed by Peter.

How have you grown in faith and understanding of God’s grace these past few years?

I’ve grown in my faith in several ways the past few years. Luke 15:11 is an example of God’s grace in the Bible- This is about the prodigal son.

Over the past few years God has blessed me with a growing faith. Before I came to Christ the King I did not know God and who Jesus is or what the big deal about Him was. I started out going to Sunday school every Sunday and forgetting about church, but when I got more interested in God I decided to go to church whenever I could. When I started confirmation my faith in God grew more. Before confirmation I still had questions about God and Jesus and I did not know what the Bible really was. By going to confirmation every Sunday morning and church right after that I began to understand more about God. These are examples of God’s grace drawing me closer to Him. Having multiple people to share their spiritual gifts by God’s grace with me is absolutely wonderful. Another example of God’s grace is, in the past couple of years, God has given me everything I need. He’s given me Himself, my house, and everything I own. God has graced me with so many things it is hard to write down all of them. I have gone on seven cruises; one every year, and God graced my family with the money to attend these cruises. God has graced me with wonderful friends and family whom I love with all my heart. God has churches that allow fellow believers to get together to share their faith with each other. Overall, God has given me everything I need, and whenever I need Him he is there for me, that is more than anyone can ask for. God helps me grow in my faith and understanding every day by providing for me. Right now my father is without a job, and I believe that God has done this so I can spend more time with him. Although I pray my father will get a new job soon, I do love having him home with me when before I could barely spend a single minute with him without him going off to work or taking an important phone call.

I know my faith will continue to grow now that confirmation class is ending. I will still attend church, and will come to Youth Group next year. I am also very blessed because a lot of my soccer friends also attend church, mostly at Reston Bible Church, and they always include me in their Youth Group activities and in their annual summer camp.

Why do I wish (or do not wish) to affirm your faith in baptism at this time?

I believe I should be confirmed because I believe in God the Father Almighty. I believe Jesus Christ the Son of the Lord died on the cross for our sins. I believe that after three days he was resurrected and sits on the right hand side of God the Father. I believe Jesus is our savior. I believe these things personally, for myself – not my parents making a promise for me as happened at my baptism.

One night with several of my confirmation friends we traveled to D.C to serve food for homeless women. Without Jesus affecting my life, I would not have served these homeless women. There were a lot of things that would have been more fun, but the encouragement of my parents and my confirmation friends helped me actually go down there and serve the women. I can see Jesus is in the hearts of those people that persuaded me. Confirmation is a statement of your faith. Confirmation is an extremely important step in my life. It is stating publicly that what I believe is in my heart. Stating that I believe in Jesus publicly is showing everyone that I am a true believer, it is not a secret. I hold responsibilities for myself and my own actions. I am thankful to have this opportunity to confirm my faith as it is a part of growing up and taking ownership and responsibility for my own decisions and actions. I know that my confirmation is a gift from God and I pray that I can steward this gift in a way that will honor God. I hope that I will let other people participate in continuing to help build my faith, because faith grows when it is shared.

How am I and how do I intend to use my gifts, talents, and abilities for the ministry of the church?

God has given me a lot of gifts, and part of the reason He gave them to me is so I can share them with others in our Church. I believe one spiritual gift given to me is the gift of faith, I intend to use this gift on others by sharing it with others. I can share it with my friends that also go to Christ the King by continuing to support those in my small group. I also believe I have the gift of knowledge – God has given me the ability to learn quickly. I have used this gift in the past to help teach younger children. I hope that in the future I would be able to build up this gift of knowledge with God’s grace and help from others. I would like to increase my knowledge so that I would be able to teach more people about God. I can use these gifts by informing my friends and others about Jesus Christ. I could help teach Sunday school to teach little kids about God. I could show my peers my testimony. I would also like to serve at Work Camp every summer so I can help serve God and others. I recognize that my gifts come from God. I know that spiritual gifts are “for the common good” (1 Corn 12:8). I would like to continue seeing where Christ the King church or my pastors will have me utilize my gifts. At 13, I am not sure I know what all of my gifts are yet, beyond sharing my belief in God and my knowledge. I might also be able to help coach younger kids in sports as I also have a gift of being very athletic. When I earn money for helping with soccer camps in the summer or from presents at Christmas or my Birthday I can share part of that with the church. But as I get older I will keep learning more about my gifts and will always, at every age work to give back to my community and my church.

Confirmation Statement of CS

What Does Jesus Mean to Me?

Every night before I go to sleep I say my prayers and each time I pray I ask for the same thing: forgiveness of sins; to bless my family and to keep them healthy & safe. When I pray to Jesus, I am trusting him with my life, my faith and my hope.

Often when I am scared, like when I’m home alone or in the dark, I pray to Jesus for protection and courage. For those few seconds that I’m talking to him, I forget all things around me. I hear nothing, see nothing, smell nothing, but only feel the sensation of Jesus listening. When I am in a bad mood or really upset, I also pray to God to help me, to help me listen, and to help me find a solution. When I’m talking to him I feel as if he is listening, not judging, but caring about what I have to say. I don’t believe he takes sides, but as I speak to him, he helps me to see or notice what I can do to make things better. It is only when I am talking to him that I get my answers. I realize what I’ve done wrong and how selfish my words can be. God helps me realize that when I’m complaining about something I feel is important, that sometimes it’s something that most people in the world can never even have as a problem. People with less don’t have the same greed that I do or the need to feel like they fit in like I do.

I look to Jesus to find answers and to help guide me through life. I talk to him when there is no one else to listen and I feel that he helps me more than anyone else in the world. He is my life guide.

Why I Wish to Affirm My Faith in Baptism at This Time

I wish to affirm my faith in baptism at this time because I feel as though I am ready. Although some people my age do not think the Bible is the most appealing book to read, I find it highly interesting to be given a phrase from the Bible, and to have to interpret it. No matter the author of the verse, I feel as if I do a fine job in interpreting the author’s meaning. Although half the time I have no clue what is going on, with the help from my guide, pastor, & parents, I find it quite fascinating and sensational to understand a passage from the Bible and I will continue to learn and love in God’s world.

I feel as thought I have grown to understand so much more of God’s word and I believe it is time to make a greater commitment and take one step closer to becoming a Lutheran.

How I Intend to Use My Gifts, Talents, and Abilities for the Ministries of the Church

I believe everyone has many talents and throughout the years, God has helped show me some of the gifts and talents in my possession. Although I will not continue to pursue all of my talents, I will certainly use some of them to help the church’s mission. My gift of love, I will continue to share with the young children in the church. With my gift of song and my love for singing, I will try to bless the ears around me. Through my gift of faith and hope, I will continue to try and create a safe and warm sanctuary for my family and friends. Through my talent of (minor) cooking, I would love to continue to make food and to help serve meals in the fellowship hall and to make sandwiches for the needy. With my gift of gratitude, I will continue to help in programs like the Angel Tree project. I recently helped wrap and deliver Angel Tree presents. This brought great amounts of joy to my heart, and also sorrow for the living conditions of some of the people. Even though they didn’t have much, they showed love and gratefulness to everyone around them. I intend to use this gift of bringing joy to people not only at Christmas, but at other times in the church, in my home, in my school, and in the world I have yet to face. Most of all, however, I intend to use my gift of spirituality for everyone to see and to spread the word of God around the world.

How I’ve Grown in Faith & Understanding of God’s Grace These Past Few Years

I have grown significantly in God’s grace by learning the art of forgiveness. I used to be really short tempered, but now I’ve learned to use the forgiving way of God to deal with problems in my life. In the past, whenever my friends would do something to make me mad, I’d want to make them feel bad thinking it would make me feel better. I’ve learned that is not the way to handle the problem. Now I look at the perspective of the person I’m mad at and try and see things from their point of view, and sometimes realize that I’m the one causing most of the problem. I’ve also learned that every human is imperfect and that I can’t blame them for something they can’t help or have trouble containing.

I’ve grown in my faith in a major way. Throughout these past couple of years, I’ve learned to trust God with my life, my health, and my safety. I’ve trusted God when I’m scared, to keep me safe in the darkness of life. I’ve learned to trust God about death, although I am still afraid to die. I will strive not to be afraid, but to trust God and accept what follows.

My mother’s definition of Grace is “God never gives up on you. He loves you, he forgives you, and he will always be there for you.” This definition has much to say and I will work to learn more about God’s grace as I grow older.

Confirmation Statement of BB

What does Jesus mean to me?

Jesus means everything to me; he means my time and possessions. He means my best friend. A friend who is constant and never changing, a friend who has been there for me through the good and the bad. He means comfort when I am lost, lonely, and afraid. He means encouragement when I am down and depressed. He means sacrificing a Sunday morning to be with him in church. He means forgiveness of all my sins; he means a leader whom I can follow and a teacher, to teach me his ways. He is a bright light in a world or darkness which shines through to me. What would this world be without Jesus?

How have you grown in faith and understanding of God’s grace these past few years?

Through confirmation and church I have grown in my knowledge and understanding of my loving lord and savior Jesus Christ. Before I had many questions such as, how did God create the world, and how did Jesus perform miracles like making blind people see, or how did Jesus feed five thousand people, cure people of diseases, and if he is all powerful why do bad things happen on the earth? In my confirmation classes all those questions have been solved. The confusing messages if the bible have been unraveled, and I see Jesus more clearly.

Why do I wish to affirm my faith in baptism at this time?

I wish to affirm my faith in baptism at this time so I can further myself into the church programs such as angel tree, and I can organize trips to the homeless shelter where we can serve food and interact with the less fortunate. I also wish to assist Christ the King in making decisions, offer my opinions and views, and support the church in whatever way they need.

How do I intend to use my gifts, talents, and abilities for the ministry of the church?

In my confirmation group and also on my time I have made trips to homeless shelters, where I assisted in cooking and cleaning. I have also assisted in the angel tree program which I wish to further myself into and I have also done things within my community such as pick up trash and beautify my neighborhood. I wish to go on mission trips, work camps and do whatever the church needs me to. I am BB and I wish to become an affirmed member of Christ the King.

Confirmation Statement of BL

What does Jesus mean to me?

To me, Jesus is like guidance counselor, when I ask for help he helps me, when I’m worried he can help calm me down, when I have questions or am unsure of something, he gives me advice and when I am down or sad he cheers me up. He does all this through the people in my life and I see him in my parents when my mom helps calm me down, my teachers when they give me advice or answers, my friends when they cheer me up and make me laugh, various other people I meet, like I might hear someone just randomly in another conversation saying something I need to hear, or even my own thoughts and ideas.

How I have grown in faith and understanding of God’s grace these past few years?

I used to go to Sunday school, listen to what the teachers and the pastors told me about God and Jesus, said “okay” and went home afterwards, now I’m more interested in my faith and I try to think deeply about God’s lessons and his meanings and how it makes sense. Though I have also started realizing what real faith is, not getting facts from teachers and just saying okay but its also realizing that you cannot always find the answers and that is when you just believe that God has it covered and you don’t have to worry about it.

Why do I wish (or do not wish) to affirm your faith in baptism at this time?

I wish to affirm my faith in baptism because although I still have questions about God and Christ, I do know that God loves me, that Jesus has saved me, and they are always with me.

How do I intend to use my gifts, talents, and abilities for the ministry of the church?

One of the best ways I think I can serve the church is by taking part in the various public service opportunities presented before me, whether it be through school like helping out at Challenger baseball, a baseball program mostly for mentally handicapped kids, or just taking part in the yearly public service day that they have in the high school next year; or through scouts because every time someone has an eagle project it helps the community or some organization; and also looking at the opportunities through the church as I have not done that thoroughly since I got here last year. I guess the other way I could serve the church is by doing what I like from day to day, which are making people laugh and giving them advice when they need it.

Confirmation Statement of AS

WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN TO ME?

Jesus is comforting. He forgives everyone of their sins and through Jesus Christ's love, everyone can reach Heaven. Jesus blessed me with a great family and he will love me no matter what. Jesus is the one who is there for everyone to lean on and he will always be there for you when no one else will.

HOW HAVE I GROWN IN FAITH AND UNDERSTANDING OF GOD'S GRACE THESE PAST FEW YEARS?

Through our confirmation lessons I have learned more about the books of the Bible and the stories in it. I have learned the history and meaning of the Ten Commandments, and our confirmation group even did a skit on these Commandments!

From studying the Book of Luke, I have learned how to pray better because of Luke's explanation of the Lord's Prayer.

I have examined more closely the life and message of Jesus and I have learned that I can always trust God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

WHY DO I WISH TO AFFIRM MY FAITH IN BAPTISM AT THIS TIME?

Through our confirmation lessons I have learned that confirmation is the spiritual development of young Christians. When I was baptised, my parents were responsible for educating me in the Christian faith, but through my confirmation classes, I have made the decision to become a child of God through Jesus Christ. I want to become a confirmed member of the Congregation and be able to give back to the Church. I feel that if I don't become confirmed, I will only be a half, not a whole, in the Christian Faith!

HOW CAN I AND HOW DO I INTEND TO USE MY GIFTS, TALENTS AND ABILITIES FOR THE MINISTRY OF CHURCH?

My Confirmation classes have taught me to identify better with the Christian Community so that I can participate more fully in its mission. I want to continue helping out younger kids who are in need through my Peer Helping Courses. I would like to continue doing charity work which was part of the Confirmation process - it made me feel so good to help other's who can't always help themselves. And I would like to positively represent the Congregation and my family through my actions - in and out of Church.

Confirmation Statement of AS

What does Jesus mean to me?

Jesus is a friend. I look up to Jesus in the good times and bad. He’s someone I can ask for help. Jesus is loving. Whether it’s depression, a sporting event, or even a time when everything is going the right way, Jesus is always there. It feels good knowing that there is always someone to watch over you and that there is always someone who you can talk to without being embarrassed because you know he won’t ever get mad. So basically Jesus is everything to me. He is the reason I am who I am, and the reason I am here confirming my faith to Him and God.

How have you grown in faith and understanding of God’s grace in these past few years?

My faith and understanding in God has grown very strong over the past couple of years. My best experience of my growth in faith happened in the one week I spent at work camp last year. This week taught me a tremendous amount. I don’t know if it was the work during the day and when we listened to the stories of the people we helped, or if it was the evening gatherings with our church group, or the whole camp. One story that the man we helped shared with us was that he had just been in a car accident with his girlfriend and her son. He and his girlfriend were severely injured and his girlfriend’s son had died in the back seat. The report from the doctors was never good for the man so all he could do was pray. He was almost recovered from the injury and was only required to pay weekly visits to the doctor to see how his progress was going. The man told us that his faith in God is so much stronger then it had ever been and that he owes his life to God.

Why do I wish to affirm my baptism at this time?

I wish to affirm my faith at this time and to start my journey as a strong Christian. I feel I’ve grown so much these past two years and I believe I am old enough and mature enough to take on the responsibilities of being a member of the church. I also wish to affirm my faith because I feel a strong need for Christ as I begin high school and in 4 years, college. This is why I wish to affirm my faith.

How do I intend to use my gifts, talents, and abilities for the ministry of the church?

I believe once I become a confirmed member of this church I will attend the semi annual congregational meetings and give my input on the situations that are being expressed. I will also continue to attend church services on a regular basis and attend Sunday school. I have been helping deliver the Angel Tree gifts since I was 7, and I will continue to help with that. Later in life I have a strong interest in becoming a missionary and go to different third world countries to expand the Christian faith. I do wish to spread the Christian faith one way or another, because I feel a strong need to share his stories and help others understand the reasons for Jesus’s doings.