FAITH FORMATION
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We have a vibrant, extremely active Faith Formation program for all members of our Spirit filled congregation! From birth to high school graduation, our young people are supported by a dedicated team of volunteers committed to helping them build confidence, make new friends, and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Another aspect of our Faith Formation ministries is increasing our sense of mission and allowing folks in our rapidly growing congregation to better get to know each other.
Our cradle roll assists families of infants and toddlers by providing various age-appropriate Christian education resources for use in the home through a program called Frolic. As soon as your child begins pre-school, she or he can join our Sunday School program, where kids sing songs, play fun games and continue learning the stories and values of the Christian faith using a lectionary based curriculum called Whirl. Once our youth reach middle school, they begin a more in-depth program of preparation for the public affirmation of their baptism, traditionally referred to as "confirmation." In addition to helping as teaching assistants in the Sunday School, our confirmation students gather every Sunday night with Pastor Dustin (who spent many years working with youth as a summer camp counselor) for fun, relevant discussions about how their faith intersects with the realities of twenty-first century life using an innovative new curriculum called colaborate. Our confirmation students frequently participate in awesome trips and community service opportunities as well. High school students play an essential role in the life of our congregation. In addition to assisting in worship, serving as Sunday School teachers and playing key roles on many of our various committees, our high school youth are currently planning to attend the 2018 ELCA National Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas and are beginning to form an Interfaith Youth Service group with teens from other area congregations. Young adults (folks roughly age 18 - 30) have the opportunity to learn leadership skills and discern what God is calling them to do in life through the Messiah Builds Leaders internship program. Participants develop a learning covenant regarding goals they'd like to work on throughout paid and unpaid internships at Messiah and then regularly meet with Pastor Dustin to evaluate and reflect upon their learning. They also share about their experiences on the Messiah Builds Leaders blog. Adult education is so important at Messiah, as we deeply believe faith formation should take place throughout our life. Classes generally meet on Sunday mornings at 9:00am during the program year and our led by Dr. Merle Longwood, Professor of Religion Emeritus of Siena College. Click the links below to learn more about each component of our Faith Formation Program! |
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