Youth Confirmation
My name is Dominic Vega. I first stepped into Simsbury United Methodist Church in 2017. I didn’t know what to expect. I was an eight-year-old kid following my mom and dad. My parents encouraged me to attend Sunday school, which I didn’t want to participate in at first, but when I went, it was awesome. After getting a little bit more involved with the church, I decided to be in the Christmas Pageant, where I played the role of a Shepard, which was fun once again. This was a great start, but I knew I could do more. Over the past couple of years, I have been involved with the cookie caper, youth group, and selling hotdogs or burgers to raise money for the church. Although I have done all of these things, I am writing this about my best and most favorite activity I have participated in to date: my Confirmation Class.
My mom received an email informing us that the Confirmation Class was being offered for my age group. I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn about the bible. Starting off, confirmation class felt like 2017 all over again. I didn’t know anything that was happening or anybody in the group. All I knew was that this was helping me become closer to God and my religion. Not knowing anybody or anything, I didn’t talk much. I sat in the back of our group and just listened to Pastor Ott talk. Soon enough, I was paired with somebody, a mentor, to help me learn and teach me what I needed to know. Again, I was not very engaged at the start of the lesson, but all of that changed. I realized that my mentor actually wanted to teach me and didn’t just see this as a task for her to do. I soon found a sense of community again and became dedicated to learning. I found that the people of Simsbury United Methodist Church loved to help and spread the ways of God. Thanks to my mentor, I came to the next class with an uplifted spirit and ready to learn. I also got to know some of the other students in the group.
Overall, this experience has been great because I have learned more about Jesus, the Bible, and God while making friends. Soon enough, I will be confirmed, and I am very excited for that day to come. I hope I can become a mentor when I get older and help kids learn about God the same way my mentors did. Thank you all for loving this religion and its community. This is what makes us all so great!
- Dominic Vega, Confirmand