Special Programs & Events

10 youth sitting on the floor in a circle

CONFIRMATION

Confirmation Class (CC) is intended for young teens (ages 13-15), but is open to any teen who is interested in the confirmation process.  CC in mainline churches has traditionally been viewed as threshold young people must cross in order to become a church member.  This has sometimes involved being able to recite creeds and articulate the specifics of Christian doctrine in order to be confirmed in the church.  In short, the process has been “believe in order to belong.”

Our CC flips this process on its head.  We begin with the premise that all of our teens already belong in our church.  It is recognized that each person regardless of age is on a journey of faith.  We affirm that each person’s faith develops and changes; it is not static.  So, CC is about helping and supporting our teens as they begin to take ownership over their own faith journey.

To help them do this, we have designed a class that is relevant, discussion-based, and creates opportunities for teens to experience a life of faith in community.  Our textbook is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which we use as a resource to raise issues of faith that we then discuss.  Each teen is also part of a group with an adult sponsor that meets several times and does service projects for the church.  CC is an experience!

OUR WHOLE LIVES

Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a comprehensive sexuality education program that helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. OWL resources are based on the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education produced by the National Guidelines Task Force, a group of leading health, education and sexuality professionals assembled by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. OWL regards parents as the primary sexuality educators of their children. All parents of participants enrolled in this course will be required to attend a parent orientation and an end-of-semester group meeting.
This year, OWL for 8th-9th graders runs from October 2022-February 2023 and OWL for 10th-12th graders runs from February-June 2023. Email DarlynneOverbaugh@fccithaca.org for more details.