Confirmation
At St Michael's
Confirmation is a very special event for followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. It marks the point in someone's Christian journey where they stand up to be counted for Jesus.
At St Michael's, we hold an annual Confirmation Service each Spring (shared with the other churches in the Ledbury Team Ministry). If you are interested in exploring confirmation, then please read on.
What is Confirmation all About?
What happens practically at the service is that Confirmation candidates affirm the promises made for them at baptism. The Bishop then lays his hands on each candidate's head, and prays that they be filled with the Holy Spirit - given power to live for Jesus in the world.
Three things are being confirmed:
- Candidates confirm their baptism promises - they want to follow Jesus, and are taking full responsibility for their own spiritual lives.
- The Church confirms that candidates are now full adult members of the Church, and welcomes them to receive Holy Communion.
- Most importantly, God confirms with his Holy Spirit that he will be with the candidates and empower them as they follow Jesus Christ.
- Adults.
- Young people are considered for confirmation from when they begin secondary school (though our preferred age is from 13 onwards).
It's very important that everyone who is being confirmed knows exactly what they are doing, so we hold preparation classes for both young people and adults. Please ask us for details.
I was confirmed years ago, but it didn't mean much to me then.
This is the case for many people today, who were confirmed when younger, and it didn't mean much to them then. Now, having come to faith, people often want to make the kind of public declaration that Confirmation is all about. You can only be confirmed once, but there are alternatives. We offer what is called 'Renewal of Baptism Promises' as part of our Confirmation services, and this can be a powerful demonstration of a living faith. Again, please ask us for details.
