May 27, 2021

Some of the questions were simple: “What does “amen” mean?”

(Amen is a Hebrew affirmation said after a prayer. It means “certainly” or “it is so.”)

Some of the questions were more difficult: “How can I know God is really there?”

But each time a hand went up at a virtual session for the Faith Emblem merit badge class or at our in-person Confirmation meetings, an adult at Galilee had to clear their voice and give an answer.

“My personal journey never included children of my own,” says Galilee’s Deb Benigni, who led the Faith Emblem class for middle school Boy Scouts. “If you asked me before this class if I wanted to work with 6^th-8^th grade boys, I probably would have said no! But what I found was that these young men were hungry to know Christ. In helping them start their faith journey, they helped me to remember what it is like to come to Jesus with fresh eyes and a fresh perspective.”

The Faith Emblem earners with parents and mentor

Julie Logan lead the program for high school scouts. “Our curriculum focused on the life of the apostle Paul, so the older scouts were able to learn that God does not call perfect leaders, he calls ordinary people. We discussed our responsibility to respond to such a call by preparing for service and living our lives with room for faith. We were a small group, but this time provided a chance for growth in understanding that the Holy Spirit is always at work in our lives.”

Kristen Jenkins and Rebecca Makowski were also leaders in the Faith Emblem program.

Meanwhile, other Galilee members were at work preparing the next generation through the timeless rite of Confirmation.

These Galilee regulars spent time with youth even before volunteering to be Confirmation mentors. Sunday school stalwart Don Evans has taught a generation of Galilee kids what Jericho might look like in modeling clay; communications guru Chris Smith has accompanied our kids at Skycroft and been a storyteller at VBS; Galilee business manager Kathy Butler loves to cook for the small groups of young people she encourages; and Kant Chiang has served as a leader of our youth in both church and in scouts. They, together with mentors brought in by two new Galilee families, responded to all the questions their confirmands had with answers from their own lives.

Chris Smith says, “My big fear was that there would be no questions. So at our Confirmation retreat, I was delighted to see hands shoot up. Their questions made me revisit my own approach to faith. And also made me Google stuff.”

The Confirmation Class of 2021

Pastor Geitra and Family Ministry Youth Coordinator Lisa Collins prepared a series of lessons for six Confirmands, who became full members of our church at a ceremony on Sunday, May 23.

The Faith Emblem classes and Confirmation were made tricky because they coincided with the lingering stages of the pandemic. Nevertheless for a time this spring, believers young and old(er) found their walks with God intersecting.