MICHIGAN AREA CONFIRMANDS’ RALLY: Time Well Spent
In the Michigan area, one of the responsibilities of the Bishop is to participate and provide leadership at the Confirmands’ Rally. It was held at Albion College, one of our church related colleges. Sponsored and coordinated by Albion College and the Detroit and West Michigan Conference United Methodist Church Councils of Youth Ministry, I spent invaluable time with our youth. Seemingly, all of them anticipated the day of their Confirmation. On that day, children as young as twelve will be recognized as members of Christ’s holy church. On that day, our children will have been baptized and duly instructed in the doctrines and duties of the Christian faith. Parents, sponsors, laity and clergy from local churches, you have done a good job teaching our children. I learned as much from your children Saturday, April 4, 2009. We took pictures, talked, had a contest and worshiped together. I was blessed to be in their presence. Below, I’ve sketched some vignettes of our time together.
I. We took pictures together. Pictures allow time for me to meet and greet the Confirmands’ personally. I am present with them before I go up on the stage away from them. Finally, the picture provides opportunities for each class to show their church and parents when they met the Bishop and remember our time together for years to come.
II. We talked together. One group met at 11:30 am and the other group at 1:10 pm. I stressed the importance of youth in the ministry of the church now. Group one asked questions like: What does a bishop do? How do you get to be a bishop? How often did you go to church as a youngster? And what are your spiritual gifts? My answers to the last two questions were these. K-8th grade, I went to church six times a week. Catholic school required attendance at mass daily. And my Methodist church once on Sunday although youth choir practice was always on Saturday. As far as my spiritual gifts, I shared gifts like worship, prayer, biblical study, acceptance of all persons and discernment come from God. Plus, I shared the heartfelt and heavy responsibility of making appointments. Families and churches are shaped by the appointments bishops make. Also, I reminded them that it was April 4, 2009. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated 41 years ago in 1968. I particularly reminded them that the success of his Civil Rights Campaign in Birmingham, Alabama would not have happened without the involvement of school age children. They have a role to play in church and society now. A girl volunteered to close our session in prayer. Group two heard one of their own read Jeremiah 1: 4-10. They had to listen for their involvement in the text. The word “youth” was identified in the text. Further, I emphasized how God used Jeremiah “a youth” to further the ministry and mission of the people of God in the Old Testament. After that, I mixed them up and asked them to find and reveal other biblical stories where young people were front and center in the ministry of the church. Their knowledge of scripture poured out like an ever flowing stream. After sharing more stories, they asked questions. The exact form of the question escapes me. I believe it went something like this. If your parents asked you to steal, would you obey or disobey your parents? Do the right thing, I quipped. At the same time, I acknowledged moral dilemmas of that ilk could that put a child at great risk if they chose to disobey a parent. A young man closed with prayer.
III. We had a contest. If you determine how old I am, I’ll give one dollar to mission for every right answer. Group one raised about $15. I asked group two the same question. Thirty eight correct answers came in. Surprised that so many of them got it right, I inquired how. It’s simple. They talked to one another. So my dollars to mission grew because the youth shared information.
IV. We worshiped together. Thirteen year old David from group two was an eager beaver. Once he discovered that we could talk easily together, he wanted to answer as many questions as possible. In scripture, I told him that David and person X were best friends. Did he know who that was? Furthermore, that person and the bishop had the same first name. David asked his pastor and came back with the answer. At the closing worship, David came up while I was serving communion and asked if he could hold the cup I held and serve communion. I said, no. So he plopped down on the front seat right in front of me. A minute later, I motioned for him to come and hold the cup. Thirteen year old David served communion as I said to communicants “the blood of Christ shed for you.” What did David’s push and drive to answer questions and serve commune mean? We shall see. Time will tell.
If the young people I met are paradigmatic of the young people the church is nurturing in the faith, the church of today and tomorrow is in good hands. That is the belief they confirmed for me at the Confirmands’ Rally Saturday, April 4, 2009, anno domini.