Praise Report!

Like many congregations, my congregation has had the problem of having confirmands disappear off the face of the earth. It is as if once they get that confirmation verse in hand, they simply vanish never to be seen again.

If one were to look at the past classes of confirmands, you would be hard pressed to find one who still attends today. There are many reasons for this, but I think that the biggest one is that after confirmation, these children (young adults) were not assimilated into the life of the congregation. Somehow this cycle needs to be broken.

This past year, I had, for the first time in my five years, "Confirmands!" The Lord brought three young members forward to confirm their faith. Not wanting to lose them like many of the previous confirmands, I prayed and searched for ways to include them. This is not easy in a congregation where the average age is 70 plus.

I have come up with two great ideas to include these young members. The first was to make one the webmaster for our website and a junior member of the Board of Trustees. The second was to make another a teacher’s aide in Sunday School, working with the teacher that she liked the best. Praise the Lord that both youth have accepted the challenge and are excited about serving their Lord and His Church.

I am still searching for one other way to include the third recent confirmand. Thankfully he has a father and mother who insist on his attending church. This gives me more time to think and search for that right spot. Pray that God will provide a way for him to become more involved.