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Confirmation Convocation offers new
experience
By Tita Parham
LAKELAND — For more than two decades the
Florida Conference has been offering churches an opportunity to
enhance their confirmation program by providing the annual Bishop’s
Confirmation Convocation event.
After surveying clergy in response to declining
attendance over the past three years, the event’s design team has
developed a brand new event that continues to offer the benefits of
previous events. This year’s convocation is March 29 at Trinity
United Methodist Church in Palm Beach Gardens.
Survey participants said the event’s main
benefit is enhancing the local church’s confirmation program and
bringing kids from other churches together so they can become part of
the bigger church, according to Carol Sue Hutchinson, director of the
Conference Council on Ministries’ Discipleship Ministry office.
“Within those two things, we had people say we
could do anything,” Hutchinson said.
With that feedback the design team changed the
event’s format. The event begins with worship geared toward middle
school youth and led by Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker, followed by small
group discussions, lunch and fellowship. The day ends with worship and
communion led by Whitaker. Adults bringing youth will be asked to
serve as small group leaders.
The location is also new. Based on survey
feedback and general responses to conference event locations, the
design team decided to move the event out of Central Florida and to a
different location each year so it makes its way around the
conference, enabling more people to attend.
The cost of the event is $8 per student.
Registration begins at 9 a.m.; the program is 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. For
more information contact Hutchinson at 800-282-8011, extension 140, or
chutchinson@flumc.org.
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© 2002 Florida United Methodist Review Online |
