FAITH MILESTONES
Sylvia Nelson handmade beautiful quilts for our 2013 graduating Hawley seniors!
So many important faith milestones, including Baptism and Communion, happen during the childhood years. At Living Grace, we recognize and honor these events and their importance in our life and in our faith journey.
Baptism
Baptism is entrance into the community of God’s people—the birth into a great family. Baptism initiates a lifelong journey that shapes every aspect of our lives and gives meaning to every moment. If you are interested in your child or you being baptized, please contact the Leadership Team for more information.
Entrance into Sunday School
Entering Sunday School is a milestone for children age 3 and is a big step for both children and their parents! Children need assurances that Sunday School is a safe place for them, and their parents need to learn that Sunday School is a ministry that partners with the home to pass on faith, values, and character formation. This milestone is celebrated on Rally Day in the fall.
Presentation of First Bible
Students in 3rd grade receive their very own (age appropriate) Bible as a gift from the congregation in the fall. Students and parents are invited to participate in a Milestone learning session where they will learn some Bible basics and some tips and tools for reading their Bible that will help them as they read God’s Word together. Serving as a renewal of the promises made at baptism, this milestone is celebrated during worship, allowing parents and the congregation the opportunity to acknowledge and affirm their promise.
Communion
Communion is a renewing and nourishing milestone in the life of a Christian individual and whole community. Through Communion we are strengthened for service by God’s abiding love, receive God’s forgiveness, and share in the abundance of living in this great Christian family. Several weeks of instruction are given for students interested in receiving Communion; they will receive their First Communion on Maundy Thursday or another appropriate time.
Entering Confirmation
Confirmation is a wonderful time to reaffirm the importance of nurturing faith in the home and to recommit to doing that. Through the waters of our baptism, we promised “to place in our child’s hands the Holy Scriptures and to provide for our children’s instruction in the Christian faith” (ELW). So it is through this milestone where we continue to fulfill these baptismal promises, through the visual gift of the NRSV Lutheran Study Bible for Students, and Luther’s Small Catechism.
Confirmation
The rite of Confirmation is also referred to as Affirmation of Baptism. It is not a graduation from church, but rather a commencement of a new chapter of involvement in the faith community and commitment to lifelong learning and serving in the Body of Christ. Confirmation normally occurs in May.
Graduation from High School
Graduation is a major life milestone, and so as a congregation we want to take the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate our graduating seniors. We take a moment to remind them of God's presence in their lives as we lift them up in prayer and give them a quilt made by members of Living Grace Lutheran Church. In this time of transition, it is important for these young men and women to know that God is with them wherever they go.
Baptism
Baptism is entrance into the community of God’s people—the birth into a great family. Baptism initiates a lifelong journey that shapes every aspect of our lives and gives meaning to every moment. If you are interested in your child or you being baptized, please contact the Leadership Team for more information.
Entrance into Sunday School
Entering Sunday School is a milestone for children age 3 and is a big step for both children and their parents! Children need assurances that Sunday School is a safe place for them, and their parents need to learn that Sunday School is a ministry that partners with the home to pass on faith, values, and character formation. This milestone is celebrated on Rally Day in the fall.
Presentation of First Bible
Students in 3rd grade receive their very own (age appropriate) Bible as a gift from the congregation in the fall. Students and parents are invited to participate in a Milestone learning session where they will learn some Bible basics and some tips and tools for reading their Bible that will help them as they read God’s Word together. Serving as a renewal of the promises made at baptism, this milestone is celebrated during worship, allowing parents and the congregation the opportunity to acknowledge and affirm their promise.
Communion
Communion is a renewing and nourishing milestone in the life of a Christian individual and whole community. Through Communion we are strengthened for service by God’s abiding love, receive God’s forgiveness, and share in the abundance of living in this great Christian family. Several weeks of instruction are given for students interested in receiving Communion; they will receive their First Communion on Maundy Thursday or another appropriate time.
Entering Confirmation
Confirmation is a wonderful time to reaffirm the importance of nurturing faith in the home and to recommit to doing that. Through the waters of our baptism, we promised “to place in our child’s hands the Holy Scriptures and to provide for our children’s instruction in the Christian faith” (ELW). So it is through this milestone where we continue to fulfill these baptismal promises, through the visual gift of the NRSV Lutheran Study Bible for Students, and Luther’s Small Catechism.
Confirmation
The rite of Confirmation is also referred to as Affirmation of Baptism. It is not a graduation from church, but rather a commencement of a new chapter of involvement in the faith community and commitment to lifelong learning and serving in the Body of Christ. Confirmation normally occurs in May.
Graduation from High School
Graduation is a major life milestone, and so as a congregation we want to take the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate our graduating seniors. We take a moment to remind them of God's presence in their lives as we lift them up in prayer and give them a quilt made by members of Living Grace Lutheran Church. In this time of transition, it is important for these young men and women to know that God is with them wherever they go.