Generational dynamics have meant that for some time confirmation classes have been attended by only a handful of students, and the ceremony of being accepted into the congregation has been held with fewer participants.
Now that the babyboomers themselves are of the age where their children are ready to enter the church as adult members with full church privileges we are seeing a return to those glory days. We note with pleasure that this year’s confirmation class at St. Andrew’s Estonian Evangelical Lutheran congregation in Toronto is one of the largest in decades. 16 students are taking instruction from Archbishop Udo Petersoo in preparation for the June 2nd confirmation ceremony. A list of the confirmants to be is found in our Estonian language pages.
A recent Sunday visit to the church proved very informative. Archbishop Petersoo proves time and time again his innate ability to combine spiritual messages with temporal reality, using every day examples to support the teachings of the Bible. On the day in question the problems posed by the jihad were very much front and centre. Conflict between Muslim and Christian belief has been around since the founding of the Church. The questions asked by the world today are difficult for many to answer, and the confirmation class did their utmost to delve into the thorny issue created by conflicting religious views. Suicide bombers of the age of the confirmants, with a disregard for all life, including their own, were discussed. Other topics on the table were the third and seventh commandments, the disregard Hollywood has for marriage and wedding vows, and whether this attitude carries over into the everyday world.
It was heartening to hear the answer to the question - why are you attending confirmation classes? Sure, the jokers - and one needs to have at least one in every group for levity’s sake- said it was for the party/parties, but the overwhelming answer was adultlike. To be accepted as an adult, to be a part of the church, a milestone in personal life, these were among the answers given. One was struck by the maturity of the confirmants, the weight they gave to questions and answers, and their willigness to receive instruction.