Over the past few months, up until the end of April, a host of Confirmation services have taken place in churches around the Diocese of Leicester, each one a joyful and meaningful celebration.
Those being confirmed shared openly their commitment to follow Christ, supported by family, friends, and their church communities.
Each service marks an important step in their individual journeys of faith, whilst also reminding us of the shared life and calling we hold together as the Church.
Bishop Saju joined the congregation at St James the Greater in Oaks in Charnwood to confirm Jenny, Madeleina, Elio and Denis of that church, alongside Kerrie from St Mary in Charnwood, Nanpantan.
You can read their testimonies below.
“God has called you by name and made you his own.”
Peter, Cheryl and Ricci were confirmed, and Lucy was baptised and confirmed by Bishop Saju, during the poignant Easter Vigil at the Parish Church of Burbage with Aston Flamville.
In April, Bishop Martyn joined the congregation of All Saints Belgrave in Leicester to baptise and confirm 16 people, young and old, sharing in their faith stories and worshipping with the church community.
They were Arunesh, Ethan Ayaan, Vishnuprasad Kodarial, Navpreet, Karanjit, Gurpreet, Rohit, Tanvi Isha, Asha, Gurmeet, Satnam, Kokilaben Vishnuprasad, Kurrin, Sharon Anjali, Balbir Kaur and Ravleen.
Paul, Blaize and Luciana were confirmed by Bishop Saju during a service at St Michael’s Church, Stoney Stanton.
The three also shared their faith stories, and why they have chosen to say ‘yes’ to God. You can read their testimonies below.
And finally, a joyful service of holy communion with confirmation and reception was held at St. Bartholomew’s United Church in Quorn.
The service was led by Bishop Saju and Revd Karen Beecham, Methodist Superintendent for Charnwood and Mowbray Circuit.
Jonny, Lydia, Dawn and Charlotte were confirmed, and Jonny and Lydia were also received and welcomed into the Methodist Church.
Please pray for all those newly baptised and confirmed in our diocese, and for the clergy and lay leaders who prepared them and guide them in their discipleship.
Testimonies
Luciana
I want to say "yes" to God as I have always had faith and have tried to live my life accordingly. I try to use my beliefs to govern how I behave and how I treat others.
Paul
I want to say "yes" to God because I believe it will bring me closer to God. I have been thinking about this for a long time. Last year I finally took the step of being baptised, and now I want to deepen my commitment.
Blaize
I was baptised last year, and I am continuing to explore my faith. I want to say "yes" to God in confirmation as I feel it is the next step on my journey. I am following in the footsteps of my father and other family members.
Jenny
My religious journey has been a varied one, starting with attending our local Methodist church through childhood, then as an adult, I married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and attended there with our 2 children over a 20-year period. Until I finally found St James the Greater, where I now feel that I have found my religious home. It is now the right time for me to make my confirmation so that I can further commit to my faith, become closer to God and take the Eucharist.
Madeleina
Through confirmation, it enables me to take full responsibility for my own beliefs, to strengthen my faith and spiritual journey, to confirm the promises made during baptism and become a full member of the church.
Elio
With confirmation, it gives me the opportunity to better my relationship with God, become a member of the church and it also enables me to take the next step with my religious journey.
Denis
Confirmation means to me that I affirm my faith in Jesus Christ and publicly make the promises that were made on my behalf at my Christening, many years ago.
The act of confirmation allows me to take Holy Communion which I feel will bring me closer to God and that, in turn, will assist me to gain a greater understanding of his ways, with God’s blessing.
Kerrie
My faith journey began as a young child when my Nana and Dad helped me to understand that prayer and speaking with God helps a person face their fears and find peace. Throughout my childhood I was extremely anxious and scared of attending school, yet with the support and strength from my family and my faith, at 18 years old I made the decision to train to be a teacher and attend school by choice!
I successfully qualified as a teacher and for 18 years I taught at the same school. Towards the end of that time my dad sadly passed away. He always lived by the saying, "Gather your troops and come back fighting" and just before he passed, I asked what he meant. He told me, "that when times are hard you gather the love and support from those around you, both past, present and your beliefs. From that, you gather the strength to tackle what's in front of you" And to this day, I live by those words.
I am now the Headteacher of a Hospital School and during the past two years I have come to realise that my personal values and faith are intertwined and make me who I am. Life is a precious gift and with it comes many challenges. St Mary in Charnwood have accepted me and my loved ones into their church family. I personally feel that now is the right time for me to openly share my love and commitment to God and the wider Christian community through Baptism.