Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Over the last several months, the LCMS churches of the Inland Northwest have been meeting to collaborate on a new approach to Confirmation Ministry. We are excited to announce the kick-off of this ministry in the Fall of 2019 – Introducing, Camp Confirmation!
What is Camp Confirmation?
Camp Confirmation is a 3-year Confirmation Program designed to take place at Lutherhaven Ministries’ two fantastic campuses. Each year – on the first weekend in October and the last weekend in April – we will offer an overnight, Friday to Saturday, retreat at Shonshone Mountain. The last weekend in January, we will partner with Lutherhaven’s Coeur d’Alene Campus to attend their Friday through Sunday Building Youth Groups Retreat.
Each retreat will focus on a portion of Luther’s Small Catechism. Between enjoying the great recreation opportunities camp has to offer, students will hear presentations on the catechism and take up the question, “What does this mean?” from our Lutheran perspective.
Why at Camp?
We choose to organize this new approach to Confirmation ministry at camp for several reasons.
- It brings us together – Many of our churches no longer have Confirmation classes of 20+, 10+, or even 5+. While great teaching can and does still take place in these smaller contexts, organizing retreats for all students in the area allows us to experience greater fellowship as part of our Confirmation education.
- It lets us be our best – No matter how long you’ve been teaching Confirmation, you probably still have days when the demands of ministry prevent you from preparing the best lesson possible. With our retreat structure, Pastors, DCEs, and other leaders are responsible for only one content section, allowing them to chose the topic about which they are most passionate and giving them the time to prepare for it well.
- It connects us to Lutherhaven – We are blessed to have such wonderful camp facilities so close to home. Partnering with Lutherhaven allows us to access amazing resources for our own retreats, and further connects students with all of the wonderful opportunities Camp Lutherhaven can provide over the years.
What will these retreats look like?
Our first retreat will kick off this fall, on the first weekend in October. These fall retreats at Shoshone will be over one night, beginning Friday at 6 pm with a pizza party, and wrapping up after dinner on Saturday night. The fall retreats will focus on one portion of the catechism, with extra time to enjoy the fun activities of camp. The cost for the fall retreats will be $65 and includes 4 meals and lodging.
For the January/February retreat, we will be attending Lutherhaven’s Building Youth Group (BYG) retreats in Coeur d’Alene. This is a 3 Day Retreat, beginning Friday evening and wrapping up Sunday after worship. Over the weekend students will experience all that Lutherhaven programming has to offer – great presentations, fun around camp, group games, and more! Lutherhaven sets the cost for these retreats, and they’re currently under $100.
For the April retreat, we will be joining up with Shoshone’s service day. We’ll again stay Friday night to Saturday night, and in addition to Catechism study, we’ll be participating in service projects to help get camp ready for summer. The cost for this retreat will be less than $50.
Is there a schedule of topics?
Right now, we have a proposed scope and sequence of our first 3-year cycle of retreats.