FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
THE FOUNDATION FOR CHRISTIAN FORMATION
 
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FAQs
 
Q. What is Confirm09?
A. It is a series of weekend events for young confirmands of the UMC and their adult counselors and mentors, sponsored jointly by the Pfeiffer School of Religion and the FCF, a team of United Methodist resource persons, among them: Chris Hughes, DMin, Minister to the University, the Rev Kathleen Kilbourne, MA, Director of the Masters of Arts in Christian Education for Pfeiffer, Ed Kilbourne, MDiv, musician, storyteller and folk theologian, and Gloria Hughes, MCE, Director Of Christian Peer Leadership Development for Pfeiffer University and Event Coordinator for the Confirm09 weekends.
 
Q. Who and what is the Foundation For Christian Formation?
A. The FCF is a nonprofit foundation formed in 2005 by Chris & Gloria Hughes and Ed & Kathleen Kilbourne, to design and lead events that invite people to follow Jesus Christ and encourage and equip them as Christian disciples.
 
Q. What is the relationship between FCF and Pfeiffer University?
A. Pfeiffer University is a United Methodist school whose mission statement is "to be be recognized as the model church-related institution preparing servant leaders for lifelong learning". The School of Religion offers undergraduate degrees in Youth Ministry and Christian Missions and the Masters of Christian Education program serves career adults in Christian ministries. Chris Hughes is the Minister to the University at Pfeiffer and Kathleen Kilbourne is the Director of their Masters of Arts in Christian Education program. The president of the University, Chuck Ambrose, and the head of the School of Religion, Dr Ed Trimmer, encouraged Chris and Kathleen to design and lead the Confirm series and students from Pfeiffer will assist and be trained at FCF events.
 
Q. What are the goals and main features of the Confirm09 weekends?
A. Confirm09 will help confirmands claim their identity as Christ-people in Christ-community, the Church, as they move toward owning for themselves the faith claimed on their behalf at their baptism. Program features include:
 
Worship services of Baptism Renewal and Communion
 
Large group gatherings, Friday night, Saturday morning & Saturday night, and Sunday morning
 
Opportunities to visit the World Methodist Center and the Methodist Heritage Museum at the Lake Junaluska events
 
Four workshop sessions focused on the vows of church membership, "Promises to Keep - Prayers, Presence, Gifts, and Service"
 
A "stole making" small group process (originally designed by Chris Hughes) through which we help confirmands recall highlights of their faith journey, witness to their emerging faith in their own words and symbols, and prepare to answer the call of God on their lives
 
The culminating service of Receiving the Stoles - a sign of their call and commitment as part of the "ministry of all Christians"
 
The nationally recognized Gospel storytelling and teaching of Ed Kilbourne
 
The music leadership of Chris Hughes & Ed Kilbourne, the recording artists featured on the "Light The Fire" and "Light The Fire Again" worship CDs
 
Q. Are there any guidelines or restrictions on the ages of confirmands?
A. In our experience, while 11 & 12 year olds may be ready to begin the confirmation process, many, if not most children this age are too young to grasp concepts or invest in experiences inviting them to Christian discipleship and church membership, such as a Confirm Retreat. And they may not have the maturity to take that final step of confirmation and church membership until they are 13 or older. The desire to be confirmed is a free and informed response to the invitation of Jesus Christ and His Church. Too often, church, parent and peer group agendas push young people along and they are unclear as to what they are doing or why. A forced response is meaningless to the church and to the child and they may become resistant or at least indifferent to participation in confirmation classes or events such as our retreats. Having said this, we realize that the majority of UM churches confirm young people around the age of 12 and therefore this age group is a large segment of our retreats. In the future, FCF may offer a weekend limited to youth in 7th or 8th grades but as yet, we haven't taken this step. At the very least, care should be taken to be sure that the youth that come on a confirmation retreat have made the decision to participate on their own.
 
An over-night retreat with early teens may be the first such trip they have made. Commitment to structure, discipline and to the schedule is important. Combine a lack of commitment or maturity, undeveloped social skills, with too little sleep and too much sugar, and you are in for a very long weekend. Experienced supervision must be in place and behavior covenants announced and agreed to before you leave home. Ministry with youth is always a worthwhile venture but it can also be an adventure.
 
Q. What do we expect of the adults that participate in a Confirm09 weekend?
A. An FCF Confirmation weekend is designed for the adult counselers and mentors as well as youth. Adults that attend are expected to participate in every gathering and activity. A Confirm09 weekend will have a deep spiritual impact on each adult and will equip them in their ministry with youth and in their Church. Their role in the culminating service of Receiving the Stoles, is one they will never forget.
 
Q. What do we expect to happen in the local church to prepare confirmands for a Confirm09 weekend?
A. It is assumed that confirmands will be in a process of Christian Education (confirmation studies or classes) in their local church designed to help them understand and respond positively to an invitation to Christian discipleship and church membership.
 
Q. What do we expect to happen when confirmands return to their church after a Confirm09 weekend?
A. They will continue in their confirmation studies and process and be better prepared to respond positively to the invitation to Christian discipleship and church membership. However, it is not assumed that they will do so right away or ever, if that is their choice. For that decision to have true validity, they may have to continue on the journey until such a time as maturity and intention have developed to the point that they can make their profession of faith in their own words, in their own time.
 
Q. What is the schedule for a Confirm09 weekend?
A. We begin with our first session at 8:30 on Friday evening and will have everyone on their way home by 10:30 Sunday morning. Groups are on their own for supper on Friday evening. Saturday meals and Sunday morning breakfast are served at the event. Saturday morning, after the large group gathering, we divide into breakout groups for workshop sessions Saturday morning and early afternoon. There will be free time before supper and a large group gathering on Saturday night. Closing worship begins at 8:30 on Sunday morning and we will be on our way home by 10:30.
 
Q. Are any parts of the weekend optional?
A. No. If a confirmand or mentor can not attend from beginning to end, 8:30 Friday night through 10:30 Sunday morning, participating in every session, please make plans to attend another event. The content and group relationships build from beginning to end and coming late or leaving early significantly impacts the confirmand and the event community.
 
Q. Is there any relationship between the FCF weekends and other confirmation events at Lake Junaluska?
A. No. The Confirm09 series is put on by the Foundation For Christian Formation in partnership with the School of Religion at Pfeiffer University. There may be other church related organizations and individual churches using the facilities of Lake Junaluska for confirmation events at the same time so read your registration info to avoid confusion.
 
Q. How might an FCF event differ from weekends offered by other groups?
A. FCF has an intentionally distinct design for the leadership, content and schedule of its confirmation weekends. First, the Confirm09 Series are events for United Methodists so our team is made up exclusively of United Methodist ministers, UM Christian educators, and resources with membership and credentials from the UM church. Each of our up-front people have at least 20 years of experience in large and small group process, as communicators, worship leaders, teachers and artists. Second, we design our events to engage both the young people and the adults that accompany them and we in turn encourage and expect full participation and respectful behavior by every participant. Third, we make the "stole-making" track a part of each large group session, Friday night through Sunday morning. This experience, first introduced by Chris Hughes, continues to be held in high regard by those who have been in confirmation events led by Chris, Gloria, Ed and Kathleen through the years. Finally, the size of each Pfeiffer/FCF Confirm09 weekend is limited to between 120-160 participants. In our experience, when confirmation weekends are larger than this, the content is compromised and the attention span and participation, in other words the quality of the weekend, is diminished.
 
Q. What is the cost of a Confirm09 weekend?
A. There are different plans and packages at each event location. Please consult our Event Rate Page for details. A deposit is required to register. Your balance is due 30 days before an event begins. Plan for at least one adult to attend with each 5 youth. There is an Online Registration Form and a Mail In Registration Form on this website.
 
Q. How can I register my group and what does it cost to register?
A. A non-refundable registration deposit for each attendee (confirmands & adults) is required to secure a group's reservation. Please go to the Event Rate Page for deposit information. There is an Online Registration Form and also a Mail In Registration Form on this website. We can not reserve your rooms or confirm your participation in an event until we receive your completed registration form and deposit.
 
Q. What are the provisions for cancellations or individual "no shows"?
A. While we realize that a variety of circumstances arise that can change your plans or the size of your group, remember that when you register, we begin saving a place for you and turning others away. If a registered group cancels 90 days before an event, they will receive a complete refund. If a registered group cancels within 90 days of an event, the registration deposits will not be refunded. If a group brings fewer people to an event than were registered 30 days before an event, the registration deposits for the "no shows" will not be refunded..
 
Q. Will there be a Confirm10 & Confirm11 series?
A. Yes. The FCF/Pfeiffer team plans to lead confirmation events in 2010 & 2011. The dates of these events, as well as registration info, are available on this web site. More questions? Call or email Gloria Hughes at 704.438.2376 / gloriah29@yahoo.com
 
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