The place where I feel at home , the place where I became a member of the church of God, the place that has changed my life for the better- My journey of confirmation at Hope Lutheran Church. Becoming a member of the Church of God along side my peers is an experience I will never forget. For the past three years I had been studying the word of God diligently putting time and effort into everything I did to learn more about my God. It all started in the sixth grade when I began my first class of confirmation , we were referred to as “ first years”. In our first year we had hilarious instructors who made the experience a blast. That year we mainly learned the word of God in a fun way through games, songs ,and extremely thorough discussions. However, On the downside of all the fun activities we had a midterm and a final exam . The event we were all looking forward to though was the retreat (a camp in the woods where we grow closer to God and our brothers and sisters of Christ). Feeling comfortable in my journey of confirmation my peers and I transitioned to our second year of confirmation , in my opinion the hardest one. During this level of confirmation we all had a rude …show more content…
Being third years one of our instructors was the Pastor ,and no one wanted to disappoint him. The final year was not much different in terms of the amount of work, except for that we had a quiz every Sunday that we had to study for during the week. This year was by far my favorite year because I was able to grow so close with my classmates and instructors. Our seating arrangement had me by the Pastor’s daughter, Emma, who was very kind. Sadly she struggled with thinking difficulties, so I was by her side and helped her through the year. The ultimate part of this year was our retreat; I grew extremely close with the people in my class and grew as a
My time at Mary Queen of Peace has been unforgettable. I have grown in knowledge, faith, and have grown strong relationships with friends and teachers. Through our class field trips, class bonding experiences, retreats, athletics, and recess I have learned the many virtues that need to be in place for a successful day. We as an Eighth Grade class have shared many memories that I will never forget. Each day we faced a new challenge and we would again and again overcome the obstacles. I have made friends for life here and will miss seeing them every day.
Beginning just before my senior year I went through a series of trials that continued through most of my senior year. I wanted to do something for myself, and was encouraged to attend the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC). I decide to go, and so in January I set off for Indianapolis. Once at the conference, I listened to music, met other catholic high schoolers, and participated in workshops. I learned a lot about my faith, and about different forms of worship. This was something that I had not previously been exposed to, as while I was a member of one of the largest parishes in Central Ohio, it is a very traditional parish that had not exposed me to much more than the basic teachings of the church, and also had not demonstrated
I believe in the beauty of confidence. Confidence is truly a defining factor in self-recognized beauty. I believe that confidence is one of the most important traits that an individual can possess. To perceive confidence is not solely to feel pride in oneself, but to recognize the strength that lies in the presence of a single individual. To feel the power of emotions that can exist, the wonder of thoughts that are able to ring inside a free mind too. To feel strength in a crowded room is to be mighty. To sit down beside champions of the same sport and to not feel an urge to compare oneself to others in any manner but for inspiration. Letting only my eyes wander to the appearance and the interviews of my competition, but for the sole purpose of improving myself. To settle for less than I already am because of someone else is a crime I have the power to commit, as well to prevent. People are so much fiercer and more powerful than their minds will ever lead them to believe. To feel dignity blossom inside a mind and soul is to allow a heart the ease of knowing that it is at rest inside a chest that it
In recent days I had the opportunity to go back to North Carolina for a few short days. There, with a heavy heart from a loss in the family, I had nothing else to look towards. I’ve always heard of individuals finding peace, faith, blessings, and love of Christ from attending church. I’ve never been a person who put their faith into a higher power. As I was growing up my parents never wanted to force me into any religion without me knowing everything about it and choosing which route to take on my own. As the years treaded on, I never bothered myself to learn about the many different religions and what each stands for. So I used this opportunity as mine to attend church for the very first time. I attended the Roman Catholic services held
While walking out of the building, I found myself walking the same path as a classmate who was also leaving. “What did you think of that, Taryn?” With a smile upon her face, she looked up and said, “I just love how great it is to have that time to fellowship and have with God during a stressful week.” Her answer summed up my feelings perfectly. “Have you joined?” Not
Divine Street United Methodist Church has been a major facet of my life. This is the establishment that gave my parents the resources to raise me to find solace in a religious community, and witnessed my growth from a caring and involved perspective. The congregation has supported me through the many challenges and successes of my young life.
The first lunch we had was my favorite of all the meals because it was grilled cheese. I really enjoyed eating with all of the school and being able to sit where ever. Then came link, before Shabbaton I had never played link before and I thought it was a very fun all school bonding activity. Though it was very cold outside we were able to still have a fun time. During our first free time, everyone just hung out, explored the campus, and got ready for Friday night services. All of the girls put on their fancy dresses and did the makeup, and the guys also put on formal clothes. Everyone looked elegant and beautiful. Personally, I do not observe often, but the service was very nice and I could tell it meant a lot to other people. Right after dinner, we did grade activities, for the freshman we did speed dating and watched the grade that did the tinfoil fashion show. I was content with the time we spent during the grade activities but I think there could've been improvements. For the morning activities I had the hike, I thought is was very fun and I got great service at the top of the mountain above the
Lee Greenwood said, “And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.” Everyone in America should be proud that they live in a free country. These rights occurred due to the men who died while honoring the country. The America I believe in is giving us the power to be free and to speak.
Walking into class for the first time, I did not know what to expect. I grew up going to church every Sunday and going to Sunday School after the church service, it was a Christian household. I know the stories, the important Bible versus and the songs. I would say that I know my faith, my faith was something that I knew and I wouldn 't question it. It was something I was confident with since its something I have known since birth. In this class we question faith, we question everything, even Jesus. I am learning that questions are the best way someone can learn. While reading Night, The Plague and The Gospel of Mark, I got to explore the meaning of the word God.
It was an unforgettable life changing experience. I went from a cold hearted Atheist to a loving Catholic in one weekend and I have not reverted since. This was a turning point to who I am now the great Mr. Fab. I began my crusade of volunteering soon after and have not slowed down. Fast forward from the summer I lived the retreat to February of the following year to when I made the longest and strongest service project I have undertaken to this date. Since I was in Confirmation classes I understood that as part of the confirmation classes we should take part in service and use the guidance of the Holy Spirit to make thoughtful decisions. I took lots of time pondering what I should do for service and how I could positively affect other people in my own local community. After lots of thought and research, I decided I was going to be an Altar server at San Martin. Most people believe all an Altar Server is, is just an average teen who puts on a gown and plays a servant for an hour. To me it is more than a just an act you perform on weekends, it is the essence of being a Catholic. Being Catholic is more than being a follower of Christ by attending mass on a weekly basis,
Apprehensively I journeyed through “God’s time”, and couldn’t have been more grateful of the outcome. Before the retreat even began I was excited: excited to learn about others and myself, but more importantly to learn more about God. My relationship with God wasn’t necessarily horrible. I consider my past self to be similar to someone who believed in God, but was confused in what she specifically believed. I was unsure of how God could love people who only brought destruction and hate into a world that he created out of love. Kairos helped me come to the conclusion that God loves everyone and will continue to love His people forever. If I were to ever turn away from God, I now know He will always be waiting for me to return to Him.
My mother and I do not get along so well because of our differences with God. My mom signed me up for church classes on Wednesdays and I refused to go. The classes are based on getting the students their confirmation. When I refused to go we got into a ginormous fight and it was never ending. My mom thinks I have no relationship with God because I don’t want to go to Wednesday classes. Truth being, I go to church every Sunday and try to pray as much as I can. I have a relationship with God. It may not be the way she wants it but that’s my relationship with him. Confirmation should be the meaning of a person that is ready to accept God into their life and are ready to take the full on challenges that God sends, but the truth is I know I am not ready. Most kids get their confirmation because their parents want them too, but what if their are not ready to get their confirmation? Many do it to please their parents, but maybe they are not ready to accept God fully into their
The place where my personal legend had started, the abandoned church. It was in the church where I dreamed of the treasure being by the pyramids in Egypt. It had caused me to follow my personal legend, learn new things, meet fatimah, the Alchemist and everything else on my quest. The Abandoned Church taught me the importance of home and the recognized. Little did I know that the whole point of my journey was for me to learn and grow, allowing me to understand that the secrets of being happy and accomplishing my personal legend are not always far from us, instead it is at home, where we all started. I did not have to travel for many years to find my treasure, but if I dreamed of the treasure to be at the church and not have to travel, both the
Personally, I felt closest to God during church camp at Imago Dei because just being surrounded by nature all the time, I realized how beautiful gods creation is. One part of confirmation I will always remember are the youth events, it was cool going out into the community and helping through the church. I was connecting what I was doing to what I was learning about being a Christian. Another part of confirmation I will always remember will be my teachers. Confirmation teachers have always told us stories about events in their life and how it impacted them as Christians, and it made me think more about my life. These stories made me remember how every event that happens has a connection to Christ. Finally, youth group conventions at the hotel in downtown Neenah were always a fun way to connect to Christ and meet new people. I would like to leave you with a bible verse that stuck out to me in the options. It was Romans 8:38-39. It states "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our
In examining my experience during the recent Cohort Intensives held at Payne Theological Seminary (PTS) in Wilberforce, Ohio; I was quite intrigued with how all of the scholars and guest speakers reinforced many of the initiatives I have already implemented in the context of my own ministry. Likewise, my time spent in class with my Cohort mentors Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Rev. Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson was both scholastically and spiritually invaluable. During the week-long Intensive class sessions with my mentors, I learned a number of new things about myself that I was not previously willing to address. In short, I had a moment of self-actualization that required some personal omissions on my part regarding my faith and yes some internalized oppression as labeled by author Gayraud S. Wilmore. Opening up in class and admitting a few of my own short-comings was nothing short of liberating. Suddenly, I felt as though I had an epiphany; that has given birth to a renewed zeal, mind, and spirit. For the first time in years I am certain that I am now moving closer to the apex of excellence where God intended me to be.