Bethlehem Lutheran Church
The Heart of Bay Ridge
Sunday Service 10:30am
4th & Ovington Avenues
Brooklyn NY 11209
718.748.9502
Dear Members and Friends,
Confirmation Sunday is June 1st and we celebrate with four wonderful young women as they affirm their baptismal faith in their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In preparation for my one on one conversations with them, I asked them to respond to the following questions. (1) What do your Christian beliefs and faith mean to you? How will they affect your life? (2) What is the significance of your Confirmation? What does Confirmation Sunday mean to you?
The excerpts from their answers below will inspire you.
“My Christian faith and beliefs help guide me through life because I know I can follow Jesus’ teachings and God’s path and it will end up working out. I know as long as I follow Jesus’ teachings, I’m doing the right thing and I aspire to be the best version of myself…I hold my faith close to me because I know it can get me through anything. In this way, it affects all aspects of my life. It guides me and keep me persevering.”
“To me, having a belief in God and Jesus provides guidance for my life. Before I do something that has an impact on my life, I pray. I put my worries and fears into God’s hands and let him guide me on my path. My faith also gives me someone to talk to, someone who will always listen. Every night before bed, I have a conversation with God and whatever negativity I was feeling immediately changes to positivity by the morning. Being a Christian keeps me strong…Going to church on Sunday freshens me for the rest of the week and gives me a wonderful reminder that God is always with me.”
“My Christian beliefs mean a lot to me. They have helped me get through difficult times and allow me to be happy. The Bible has taught me many things like how to love people, including my enemies. My Christian faith will affect me later in life. It will lead me to a happy, healthy life and will keep me in a good spirit. It has also taught how much Jesus did for us and how appreciative we should be because of him, especially when he died so our sins would be forgiven…My faith will forever be the most important thing in my life and I’m not sure how I would live without it.”“The significance of my confirmation is that I follow the teachings of God, and I can continue to grow with God. It also means that I can continue to go to church to grow my knowledge of God and encourage future generations to learn about God as well…Confirmation Sunday means that I am now going to be an adult member of the church and accept the responsibilities I will be given as a member of the church. This includes making sure the faith of the church community grows and stays strong.”
If only we could all express our faith so well.
In the Lord's Service,
Rev. Paul H. Knudsen
Pastor Paul's June Message
Bethlehem Lutheran Church ® | 4th & Ovington Avenues, Brooklyn NY 11209 | 718.748.9502
A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
