Confirmation – is it for me?
There will be a confirmation service on Sunday 20th November for people from the churches in Sutton Deanery.
If you’ve never been confirmed, this is a great opportunity to think about taking that step.
Many people who grew up in the Church of England were confirmed as young adults. But perhaps you’re someone who grew up in another kind of church, or you came to faith in later life, or you have started exploring faith fairly recently. Whichever is the case, we would love you to think about confirmation, and whether it is for you.
Confirmation – Q and A
Here are the answers to some questions that people often have about confirmation.
What is confirmation?
Confirmation is about making a public commitment to following the Christian faith, and to make for ourselves the promises made for us at baptism. Many of us were baptised when we were very young, and parents and others made promises on our behalf that we would turn towards God and turn away from doing wrong. Confirmation is about confirming those promises for ourselves.
What happens at a confirmation service?
The Bishop takes the service. The candidates (the people being confirmed) stand up together and reaffirm the promises first made at their baptism services. The Bishop anoints the candidates with oil, prays a blessing, and prays that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit to strengthen you in your life as a Christian.
You can also invite family and friends, along with others from the church, to come and support you and pray for you as you take this step.
Who can be confirmed?
Anyone can be confirmed, as long as they have been baptised.
What if I haven’t been baptised?
If you would like to be confirmed, but you’ve never been baptised, do come and see us, to explore whether you would like to be baptised too (this may be at a separate service).
Is there any preparation for confirmation?
We will be running a series of 3 or 4 preparation sessions for confirmation in the early autumn. These meetings give people the chance to explore and discuss the Christian faith, and to ask questions.
I am interested in confirmation, who can I talk to?
Please talk to anyone on the ministry team, if you would like to find out more about confirmation, and whether you would like to take that step. Alternatively, you can email Francesca: francesca@cheamparish.org.uk.