We are excited again to continue our Mentor Ministry with all of our Confirmation youth this Lent. Below you will find the important information which will need to be completed in the coming weeks. We will have all of the information available at our Confirmation Family night on January 3, but this page will give you a bit of a jump start if you need it!

What Do We Need To Do?

To make this process a bit easier here is a step by step process of the Mentor Ministry:

1. Families ask First Lutheran Member to be a mentor for youth.
2. Families fill out Parent/Guardian Affirmation with youth and mentor information and return to Michael by January 27. If you need a mentor, please let Michael know and we'll match you up with one from our volunteer list.
3. First Lutheran contacts mentors with Mentor Application to be filled out and returned to Michael Beckmann by February 17.
4. Mentors attend training on February 27 from 6:30-7:30pm.
5. Mentors complete Child Safety Training by March 6.
6. Mentors and Youth meet for worship on March 6 for Ash Wednesday Worship. After worship attend meet and greet.
7. Mentors and Youth Attend following Wednesday evening Worships starting at 6:30pm through April 10.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are Confirmation Faith Mentors? 
Confirmation Faith Mentors is a new program at First Lutheran designed to match each and every confirmation-aged student with a confirmed member of our church over the age of 18 who is not related to the student.  The goal is to foster a spiritual friendship between the youth and the adult in our church family.

When will the mentors and mentees meet?
The pair will meet each other just before 6:30 p.m. each Wednesday in Lent at First Lutheran beginning on Ash Wednesday March 6.  They will attend worship together every week.  After worship each week the pair will go to an assigned area inside the church building to participate in a guided discussion with each other for 30 minutes.   

Will there be a training for mentors?
YES!  Wednesday, February 27, at 6:30pm in the LFC. We will provide a meal and mentor training, as well as the Child Safety Training for those who have yet to complete this. The training will be done by 8:00pm and will cover the discussion guide and themes for the mentor time. If you are unable to attend this training, please contact Michael.

Will they continue beyond Lent?
No…at least not formally.  The last scheduled meeting is Wednesday, April 10, but our hope and prayer is the spiritual friendship would continue well beyond the five weeks of Lent!  This may be as simple as the pair waving and saying “hello” in the church hallways.  It may involve the mentor taking note of milestones in the young person’s life like coming to church when they are confirmed, graduate high school, or serve as a liturgist.

Who can be a mentor?
Any current First Lutheran member over the age of 18 who completes the Child Safety Training.  This is the same process to volunteer for our Confirmation and/or Children & Family Ministry.  If you’ve already completed that training for 2017-18, you don’t have to do it again.  

Important Confirmation Mentor Dates

January 3 
Introduction to the Mentor Ministry for 2018 to parents at Family Night for Confirmation. Parent/Guardian Affirmation is handed out. (Parent Affirmation will be available online at our website as well.)
January 27
Parent/Guardian Affirmation is due. Families ask person to be mentor and fills out information online.
February 27
Mentor Training date for Mentors Only
Mentors meet at 6:30-7:30pm for specific training regarding mentoring. (Mentors will follow the Child Safety Training steps to ensure the safety of our youth.)
March 6
Ash Wednesday Meet-and-greet, sit together in Worship, attend reception in LFC following worship.
March 13- April 10
Worship together and meet for guided discussions following worship. (All materials will be available for mentors at training).