United Methodist

This past weekend I took my Confirmation class made up of 6th-7th graders to Wichita for a rally put on by the KS West Conference. We got there on Friday evening and began by playing a few mixer games followed by a message from our bishop and then a concert by a group called Evergreen (Christian band out of Lawrence). So it all started off pretty well. The next day was what I was frustrated with. The first part of the day we took a tour of the United Methodist agencies including a low income medical center, urban ministry help center, and a drop in center. This part was good because it allowed the students to see how the church is feeding, clothing, and giving shelter to the "least of these." After this I figured we would have workshops and worship that really wrapped up what Confirmation was all about. Instead we migrated from room to room hearing more about the United Methodist Church and how we should listen for God's call to become a pastor or work in missions. There was really no mention about what this confirmation experience is all about. No mention of how important our relationship is with God. Just a plug for the United Methodist Church and how connectional we are to be. OK, fine, we do need to understand how the UMC works, but these kids need more than a denomination and a religion. They need Christ! We concluded the day with a worship service that included few songs anyone knew and a communion time that was mixed with a slide show of the previous day's activities. Kids were yelling and talking and causing commotion during a time that should have been reflective and repentant. Needless to say, I was frustrated by this event that could have been used to really reach out to these youth. They need it!