Dear Confirmation Parents:

This year’s Confirmation class is off to a great start.  The kids seem to be melding well as a community.  Our teachers for the class are fantastic.  They are so dedicated to the spiritual formation of your child.  If you have the opportunity, please thank them for their commitment.  And finally our parents have been wonderful—quickly volunteering to serve in out of class activities, participating in the classroom and staying up with the many requirements, requests and responsibilities that are inherent in Confirmation preparation for your child.

Fr. Blackmon will be meeting with you again about a couple of topics, including mentors, on Sunday, November 19, in the Bethlehem Chapel at 10:20 a.m.  At least one parent needs to attend.  Between now and then, please consider who might be a good mentor for your child and, if possible, make a decision as to who will serve as your child’s mentor.  The following clarifications might be helpful as you begin considering whom you would like to ask.

Our preference is that you choose your child’s mentor.  However, if you feel unable to do so, please contact Fr. Blackmon as soon as possible and he will assist you in finding a mentor for your child.  We would prefer that your child’s mentor be an Incarnation member.  If not a member of this church, we would prefer that the mentor be Episcopalian.  If your choice for mentor is not Episcopalian, he or she does need to be an actively faithful Christian.  Any mentor must have the time and commitment to meet with your child at least four to six times over the period from January through March.  Finally, he or she should be someone who fits the “job description” found below.

The mentoring process is an integral part of preparation for Confirmation.  It gives the Confirmands an opportunity to see and discuss how a person’s faith actually shapes his or her life—the life of the mentor!  Not as described by parents, but as revealed in relationship with another Christian adult.

Please contact either Fr. Blackmon or Mary Lessmann with the name and contact information (phone and email) of the person you’ve chosen to be your child’s mentor.  If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact Fr. Blackmon at 214.521.5101 x21.

Mary Lessmann
Director of Educational Programs

A Confirmation Mentor Is Someone Who…

†  Spends some time with and personally gets to know a sixth grade Confirmation candidate.

†  Listens to and learns something about the temperament, character, interests and values of his or her Confirmand.

†  Offers a Christian witness to the Confirmand from his or her own life about the reality of God’s love and grace, including (but not necessarily limited to:)

-         What it means to be made in God’s image

-         What it means to be a sinner

-         What it means to repent

-         What it means to be forgiven

-         What it means to experience God’s grace

-         What it means to be given a ministry

-         What it means to live your ministry as Christ’s disciple

†  Shares with his or her Confirmand why it matters to be actively involved in a Christian community and why this parish means so much to him or her, including

-     How the Sacraments touch us in a powerful way (e.g., What does the Eucharist mean to you?)

-     Why studying the Bible is so important (What does the Bible mean to you?)

-     How people are called to treat one another within the church and called to serve the needy outside the church (Who is your neighbor?)

-     How each of us is called to give time, energy and treasure from what God has given us (How do you, and can you, give back?)

We ask mentors to plan four to six get-togethers with their Confirmand over the period from January through March.  Suggested structures for these meetings will be provided to you.