Look East!

As we enter into the Advent season and begin to look East, I wanted to share a story from one of our East Coast participants of Confirm not Conform. This also reminds us of what we are looking forward to as some of us come to a mid-point in the CnC year. 

From Pastor Jen Miwok at United Church of Underhill in Vermont:
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In June, UCU held two exciting celebrations to mark new chapters in the faith lives of many within our church family. 
On the evening of Saturday, June 22, seven senior high youth participated in a special “iConfirm” service, the culmination of their confirmation program, which began in February. The service was a part of the Confirm not Conform curriculum used in the class. It recognized the faithful discernment process of each student, whether or not they ultimately chose to join the church. As a part of the service, each student memorized, presented, and taught on a passage of scripture. They were accompanied by their mentors, who met with them periodically throughout the confirmation process, and were presented with special gifts: Lectio Divina Bibles, handmade stoles signed by their mentors and families, and bookmarks with excerpts from their memorized passages of scripture. Afterwards, families, friends, and church members gathered for a celebratory cookout and game night on the church lawn. 
Then on Sunday, June 23, we welcomed eight new members into the life of the church through baptism, confirmation, and reaffirmation of faith. See the next page for brief bios of our seven confirmands and two new members. The confirmation bios include references to the scripture passages each youth memorized. As pledged during the June service, please continue to keep all of our new members in your prayers and care! 
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