AUMC confirms 12 in 100th anniversary confirmation service

Today Avondale United Methodist Church confirmed the 12 members of its 100th anniversary year confirmation classes during the 10:50 worship service.

The 12 participated in a year-long class of review and understanding of their faith and the Methodist tradition before participating in today’s service, answering the questions about their faith and being confirmed into the faith and received into the church.

The service started with a processional by the confirmands where they carried in items for the altar. My confirmand, Nathan Lightfoot, led the processional carrying the Christ Candle, while other confirmands carried elements of the baptistry, the pastor’s stole, etc., until the last two confirmands filled the role of acolyte and lit the altar candles.

The sermon by Pastor Gary Ponder Williams was the fifth installment in a series themed on baseball, and proved to be a good charge, both to the confirmands and the congregation: “We Say to God: Put Me In, Coach!” Ponder Williams reminded the confirmands and congregation that we all need to eagerly desire to be put into the game, to use our unique talents to serve God and others.

He mentioned the three guiding principles of the Methodist tradition (I am not going to have the wording exact here …) that the confirmands reviewed during each session:

Do no harm

Do all the good you can

Seek all the ways you can to know God better.

The sermon was followed by the asking of questions to the confirmands with their responses, and then each went up, with their mentors and families, to be prayed over and formally confirmed in the church.

After the service, there was a reception in Wesley Hall, where each confirmand was represented by their favorite type of cake, and also had a display table of items about themselves to help the congregation get to know them better.

The confirmands are:

Ronin Dmetri Dare

Skyler Allen Foster

Jackson Scott Garrett

Jonathan David Lightfoot

Savannah Kya Louann Lindsay

Megan Catherine Lyon

Estella Rayanne Marsh

Chase Lee Newman

Jennifer Lynn Steenstry

Emilio Trevino

Madison Ann Wear

Sheridan Anthony Wiseman