Confirmation, Reaffirmation, and Reception this Spring!
On January 22, Fr. Chris and Fr. Ben put out a call to the people St. John’s— are you interested in Confirmation, Reaffirmation, or Reception into the Episcopal Church? The Sacrament of Confirmation is our mature profession of the faith as well as the mark of full membership into a parish in the Episcopal Church. Any and all Baptized Christians are full members of the Body of Christ and the Episcopal Church; Confirmation allows one to take a leadership role in the church and profess their faith in a new way. It is a sacrament of inclusion into the whole church, and as such it is administered by the Bishop. On April 30, all those who have prepared for Confirmation/reaffirmation/reception will be confirmed by Bishop Mark Bourlakas. E-mail Fr. Ben if you would like to sign up and he will help you know which thing is right for you and your family. Read more below to understand the differences between the Sacraments!
For Adults
Confirmation
Confirmation is open to youth (below) and Adults who have been Baptized, in either the Episcopal Church or another tradition, but not received the laying on of hands by a Bishop. Once confirmed, one becomes a confirmed member of St. John’s. In addition to its practical merit, confirmation is a spiritual process of learning more about one’s faith, the church, and the Christian story. Class will be offered Sunday mornings during Lent for those to be confirmed, along with optional reading and study to go deeper.
Reception
Reception is for those who have been confirmed by a Bishop in another denomination. Many who are received come from Roman Catholicism, Methodist, Lutheran, or other similar denominations. Those who wish to be received into the Episcopal Church are received by the Bishop to mark their inclusion into the wider Episcopal Church and the wider Body of Christ. Those who are to be received will join those being confirmed on Sunday mornings for class.
“In the course of their Christian development, those baptized at an early age are expected, when they are ready and have been duly prepared, to make a mature public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism and to receive the laying on of hands by the bishop.
Those baptized as adults, unless baptized with laying on of hands by a bishop, are also expected to make a public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism in the presence of a bishop and to receive the laying on of hands. ”
Reaffirmation
Reaffirmation is a bit different. Reaffirmation is open to anyone in the church who feel that they would like to make a public reaffirmation of their Baptismal vows. While we do this together every time we Baptize and on certain feasts of the church year, if one chooses reaffirmation they will also receive the laying on of hands from the Bishop. Many people have experienced huge changes in their personal and faith lives, and are coming back to the church for the first time in years; others may want to mark a major life transition with a reaffirmation of faith. If you are interested in this, contact Fr. Ben! Preparation will look a little bit different than those being confirmed or received, and will depend on the schedules of those registered. It will be less about “the basics” and more about spiritual growth and deepening our faiths together.
Membership
As stated above, all people Baptized are members of the Church. To be official members of the Episcopal Church, specifically St. John’s, we must have a record of your baptism. This is often called “transferring in;” for those who are baptized or baptized and confirmed it can be done by contacting your previous church to confirm their record and notify them that you are transferring out of their church. The process varies much on a case-by-case basis as we try and get in touch with your past parish. For those already confirmed in the Episcopal Church who are not officially members, they simply need to call the office to begin the process of transferring in or confirm their membership status. For those coming from another denomination, they need to be confirmed or received (see above). For those who are not sure, contact us and we will review our records and let you know what your next steps are!
For Youth: Confirmation
At St. John’s, we invite youth who are around driving age (16+ or turning 16 this spring) to go through our confirmation process. Once confirmed, one becomes a confirmed member of St. John’s. In addition to its practical merit, confirmation is a spiritual process of learning more about one’s faith, the church, and the Christian story. Youth will listen to a series of podcast episodes and take a quiz on each one; then join together for a retreat day led by Fr. Chris and Fr. Ben. A young person may go through the process and discern they are not called to be confirmed at this time; we ask that they complete the work and retreat first before making this decision. A retreat is tentatively scheduled for March 26th contingent on participant’s schedules, with confirmation on April 30.
Most of our youth have already been Baptized but for any who haven’t, they would go through the Confirmation class with their peers and be Baptized and confirmed on the same day by the Bishop, or baptized at another appropriate time by Fr. Chris or Fr. Ben.