Confirmation United: Growing in Faith, Together
Confirmands at Glen Lake Winter Camp
Something new and hopeful has been taking shape across Horizon Texas Conference churches this year.
Confirmation United was created out of a simple but powerful desire: to give youth a richer confirmation experience by learning, questioning and growing in faith together across the connection. For churches with smaller confirmation classes, the program offers students an opportunity to hear the voices of peers beyond their own congregation and discover they are part of something much larger.
This year, two Confirmation United cohorts are meeting — a Waco-area cohort made up of five churches and a South District cohort with three churches. Rather than meeting in one place, each cohort rotates host churches for its joint sessions. Every gathering looks a little different — new spaces, new leaders, new perspectives — but the heart of the experience remains consistent. Youth share meals, play games, learn together and explore what it means to belong to The United Methodist Church.
Confirmation United includes eight sessions total: four joint gatherings with multiple churches and four additional sessions held within each student's local church. This rhythm allows confirmands to build meaningful relationships across congregations while remaining rooted in their home church community.
Beyond the classroom, churches are encouraged to share experiences together. Many confirmands attended Winter Camp at Glen Lake Camp and will gather again at the Bishop's Youth Rally this April. Participation from both cohorts was strong, and the extended time together at Glen Lake proved especially meaningful — youth worshiped, laughed, asked big questions and strengthened bonds that had already begun forming in their joint sessions.
The timing of the camp experience connected well with the curriculum. The Sunday before departing, confirmands explored John Wesley's understanding of grace — learning to see grace not as a checklist but as God's constant movement toward humanity. That foundation connected beautifully with Glen Lake's theme, "Draw Near," as youth explored the "PJS" of grace: prevenient, justifying and sanctifying.
Confirmation United continues to demonstrate that confirmation is not about having all the answers. It is about belonging, responding to God's grace and discovering that faith is meant to be shared.
This year's gatherings are part of a pilot program. The vision for expanded implementation includes seven joint confirmation gatherings paired with seven additional lessons led within local churches — a model that honors both the strength of connectional ministry and the importance of each congregation's unique context.
Churches interested in learning more about Confirmation United or exploring how the program could work in their setting are invited to contact the Children and Youth Ministry team.