CONFIRMATION 2026
DEAR PARENTS
It is time for our 2026 Confirmation experience to begin, and we are excited for our 8th grade students to walk through this process. We are also extremely excited and thankful for our wonderful Confirmation Mentors, without whom, we could not offer this spiritually impactful experience.
Every year, we see tremendous growth in our participants, and it is our privilege as a Student Ministry, to have a role in this important part of their faith journey.
Our Student Team has developed our GROW theme and curriculum around the outcome we hope to see in our students’ lives. It is based upon 1 Corinthians 3:7 (NLT), where Paul reminds us that neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, “but only God makes the seed grow.”
We are praying for great things this year, and we are excited for you, the parent, as you not only have the opportunity to point your child toward Christ, but also grow in your own walk with God as well.
Below you will find information about the Confirmation process, the Confirmation Retreat, important policies and more.
We will also offer an optional Confirmation Parent Info Session on Sunday, November 9, 2025; 12:30 PM, in the Student Room. The purpose of this session is to answer any questions parents may have about our Confirmation experience.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.
CONFIRMATION EXPLAINED
Confirmation is an annual practice of the Global Methodist Church in which eighth graders at Mt. Horeb Church become full members by going through a Confirmation experience and publicly affirming their faith to the congregation.
The word “confirmation” means to make strong, to strengthen or to make firm. We use it to entitle a specific rite by which the church seeks to strengthen the spiritual faith and convictions of those being confirmed. Like so many of our spiritual acts, Confirmation can be considered from three sides: the God side, the church side and the confirmand side.
Confirmation is acted out in worship. The church lays hands upon the confirmand and prays for his/her spiritual vitality. It is associated with baptism, and it assumes the baptism of all who are to be confirmed. For some, baptism and confirmation can be immediately sequential. For others, years might separate two acts. God uses the church to baptize and to confirm.
The confirmand, in Confirmation, affirms the vows of his/her baptism. In summary, the vows express repentance, turning from sin and turning to God, confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, acceptance of the authority of the Holy Scriptures, and accountability in the church of Jesus Christ.
The confirmand professes, the church baptizes and confirms, and God unites the person with the body and strengthens him/her for a life in Christ and in service to Christ.
Upon completion of all the sessions, each student will need to decide whether he/she is ready to be confirmed.
Confirmation seeks to strengthen what is already graciously occurring in a student’s life. The sessions seek to give clarity and explanation to God’s work and to help develop a lifetime of Christian formation.
GENERAL INFO
- Confirmation Registration opens November 9.
- We will host a Parent Information Session for any parent and/or student interested in learning more about the Confirmation experience at Mt. Horeb Church. This session will take place on Sunday, November 9 at 12:30 PM in the Student Room. It is not mandatory, and no advance registration is required.
- Confirmation Cost is $160 includes:
- Session materials
- Confirmation retreat food/lodging/activities
- Confirmation Bible
- Confirmation certificate and gift
- Confirmation t-shirt
- Confirmation Celebration and Reception
- Full payment is due at registration.
- If there are any payment issues, or if financial assistance is needed, please contact Stephanie Cunningham at stephanie.cunningham@mthorebchurch.org.
WEEKLY SESSIONS
Our Confirmation Sessions will be held each Sunday from 4:00-5:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall. We will be using the cafe entrance of the building for drop off and pick up. During these sessions we will meet together as a large group approximately 45 minutes, before breaking into gender-specific small groups. Each small group will be led by a minimum of two Safe Sanctuary trained adult Mentors.
COVENANTS
At Mt. Horeb Church, we view the Confirmation experience as a partnership between the student, the parents/guardian and our mentors. When these three work together, students will have the best possible experience and be the most prepared for the next steps in their faith journey. Therefore, before beginning Confirmation, students, their parents/guardians and our mentors are asked to enter specific covenants, which detail each individual’s commitment to the Confirmation experience. The covenants are completed during the registration process.
SCHEDULE
- Nov 9 – Registration Opens/Parent Information Session
- Jan 4 – Confirmation registration closes
- Jan 11 – Confirmation Session 1
- Jan 18 – Confirmation Session 2
- Jan 23 – 25 – Confirmation Retreat Sessions 3-5
- Feb 1 – Confirmation Session 6
- Feb 8 – Confirmation Session 7
- Feb 15 – Confirmation Session 8
- Feb 22 – Confirmation Session 9
- Mar 1 – Confirmation Session 10
- Mar 8 – Confirmation Session 11
- Mar 15 – No Confirmation due to Best WKND Ever
- Mar 22 – Confirmation Session 12
- Mar 29 – Confirmation Sunday with Baptisms (Contemporary Services, 9:00 and 10:45 AM)
- Mar 29 – Confirmation Ceremony and Reception (Sunday 6-8 PM)
POLICIES
- Registration will not be accepted after January 4.
- Attendance at the Confirmation Retreat is mandatory. Please arrange your schedule to make attendance top priority. Students who miss the retreat will not be Confirmed.
- One regular Confirmation Session absence will be allowed, with the understanding that there will be a required make-up assignment covering the content missed. More than one absence and/or failure to complete make-up assignments will prohibit student from being confirmed. However, that student will still have the opportunity to seek membership at Mt. Horeb Church by participating in one of the regular Membership Classes.
- All students, parents/guardians and mentors will be required to sign a Confirmation Covenant, which details the requirements for participation in the Confirmation experience. The covenants are completed during the registration process.
- If a student makes a profession of faith during this Confirmation experience, or if he/she has made one prior to this experience, he/she will write a Statement of Faith describing that commitment (details to come).
- At the end of Confirmation, the student will meet with his/her mentors to review and discuss his/her Statement of Faith.
Please be familiar with and follow these policies. The Student Ministry Staff reserves the right to make adjustments or concessions on a case-by-case basis
RETREAT INFO
DATE: Friday – Sunday, January 23 – 25
CAMP LONGRIDGE
1 Longridge Road
Ridgeway, SC 29130
(803) 337-2082
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Friday, January 23
Drop Off Friday – 6:30-7:30 PM
Night Session
Small Group Time
Group Activity
Saturday, January 24
Breakfast
Morning Session
Small Group Time
Lunch
Free Time
Dinner
Evening Session
Small Group Time
Bonfire
Sunday, January 25
Breakfast
Parents join us for Worship Service – 10:00 AM
Pack Up and Return Home
DIRECTIONS FROM COLUMBIA
I77 North
Take Exit #34 (SC 34)
Turn (R), go 2 mi. to Ridgeway
Turn (L) on SC 3 (Church Street/Longtown Road)
Go 6.9 mi. to Camp Longridge
CONFIRMATION SUNDAY & CONFIRMATION CEREMONY
Sunday, March 29
Confirmation Sunday takes place during our Contemporary Services in the Auditorium at 9:00 and
10:45 AM. Students will sit together during the service and have the opportunity to be recognized, join in church membership and be baptized if they have never been baptized before. A recap video will be shared that includes clips from the Retreat and the Confirmation Ceremony.
Dress code: Confirmation t-shirt with pants or a skirt. Shorts are not acceptable.
The Confirmation Ceremony will be held in the Sanctuary. We will celebrate the students’ completion of Confirmation by praying over each student and by awarding certificates. Each student will receive a small gift as a keepsake of their Confirmation journey. This will also be a time to express our gratitude to the mentors. We warmly invite and encourage friends and family to join us. After the ceremony, all are welcome to attend a reception with light snacks and a photo booth. More details will be provided closer to the event date.
Dress code: Semi-formal attire
STATEMENT OF FAITH
Download Statement of Faith here.