During the weeks of Lent the Confirmands all engage in a Lent project in place of our regular weekly learning times.  They are instructed to choose a Spiritual Discipline (prayer, worship, scripture reading, devotions, service to one another, generosity/stewardship) and engage in that discipline using one of their own Spiritual Gifts and/or interest areas.  After Easter each of the youth present their project.  I don’t worry about a flashy or spectacular the presentation, but rather the process and engagement of their faith.  It’s such fun every year to hear how each person has engaged deeply and become more aware of how their faith is lived out.  Here are some of the projects this year:

Devotions:

*Teen devotional book and written daily reflections and prayers

*Volleyball with different scripture, used for devotions

*Looked at 25 different Christian songs and picked out the main point/theme of each and found scripture to match.

*Used weekly devotions and nature to explore scripture and God’s creation.

*Commentary on the book of Jonah along with painting depicting the story of Jonah.

*Words of faith art project & painting

*Weekly Taking Faith Home

*Explanation of faith, what God does for us, and supporting scripture verses

Scripture:

*Created a study guide for reading the Bible & completed it for two books of the Bible

*Found Bible verses to use for each week in Lent for family devotions.

*Read different Bible verses and reflected on what it meant personally

*Wrote and performed a song based on scripture.
*Various scripture craft projects that go along with different parts of life: Softball plate and ball with scripture, t-shirt with cross, shadowbox of stitching from grandma, wooden nail/string cross

*Matchstick cross & pictures of family and friends all surrounded by scripture

*Created a painting of a tree with detail and scripture verses woven in that have special meaning.

*Various verses and how these verses apply to sports, teamwork, and endurance.

*Study and commentary on Hannah in the Bible.

*Scrapbook of favorite Bible verses along with photographs

*Study on the 10 Commandments

Prayer:

*Interviewed family members about faith journey and used this to pray for others.

*Wrote down prayers for each day

*Powerpoint and photos of God’s presence in every day life

Generosity/Stewardship:

*Made corkboard wall hangings with words, scripture, and photos to explore daily living of faith.

*3 on 3 basketball tournament. Each player paid an entry fee and the winning team got to choose which charity to donate the money.

Vocation:

*Explored full time ministry by shadowing Pastor Shannyn & Pastor Jon, preached on a Wednesday night in Lent, and was an assisting minister on a Sunday morning.

Service to one another:

*40 days of kindness—an intentional act of kindness each day

History:

*Learned about the history of Saint John and the 125 years of ministry.

*Researched and explained the meaning and history of Lent.