Catechesis

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Family Resources

Preparing Your Child
Training up Your Child in the Faith
Teaching Aids
First Communion
Pre-Confirmation
Confirmation

Parents,

God has given you the duty to raise your child up in the FAITH. And Messiah Lutheran Church offers many resources in addition to regular worship services and Sunday School classes to assist in catechizing your child starting at a very young age.

Some flexibility has been added the Catechesis Programs at Messiah. You as the parent can start your child on the Confirmation Program sooner than in the past. The criteria are based on a child possessing specific biblical and doctrinal knowledge. A review is used to test for this knowledge. To prepare your child, a curriculum has been prepared and a copy of the review is provided.

As a parent, you have the freedom to use the offered curriculum or to develop your own. Once you believe your child is prepared for the review, please send a request to Confirmation@MessiahKeller.org. We will work with you to schedule a time to do the review. Once your child demonstrates their knowledge by passing the Confirmation I Entrance Review, you may enroll them in the next regular Confirmation I class. Confirmation I class semester is generally scheduled to start in September of each year.

Please use the Table of Contents above to access resources designed to help you as a parent be successful in training your child in the Faith.

In Christ,

Messiah Lutheran Church

Preparing Your Child for Pre-Confirmation and Confirmation:

Attend Worship and Sunday School with your child regularly and as early as possible.

Ideas Encouragement (from the Lutheran Witness)

Confirmation - More Than a Graduation (LCMS Reporter)

Resources for Purchase:

Bible Stories (sets up a basic search for Arch books)

Resources for Children 8 years old Younger

My Treasury of Faith (preschool)

My First Hymnal (up to 10 years old)

My First Catechism (early childhood)

One Hundred Bible Stories (3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade)

Lutheranism 101 for Kids (4th - 6th grades)

Luther's Small Catechism for Kids (older elementary)

Portals of Prayer for Kids (ages 5 -11)

Table of Contents

Training up Your Child in the Faith:

While we encourage you to get a catechism (2017 ESV edition) from Concordia Publishing House here is a free version from a LCMS Partner Church The Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE). Note their translation is not American English. You are free to share.

Luther's Small Catechism (17 pages) (Click here for Source Page)

Lutheran Service Book (pages 321 - 330)

Small Catechism 2017 ESV edition Materials:

50 Day Reading Plan

Devotional Reading Plan

Android Phone, Chromebook iPhone

Go to CPH.org, search for "Luther's Small Catechism app" and install.

The Lutheran Study Bible App - Concordia Publishing House (cph.org) has a free basic version. Just click the line above for more information.

Attend Worship and Sunday School regularly

Table of Contents

Instructional Resources:

Teaching Aids

Sermon Notes are not just Confirmation busywork, but is a valuable tool in training a child in lifelong skills. Actively using Sermon Notes helps focus a child's attention, retain key points of the sermon, connects the dots to one's daily life and ties in what is being taught in the Confirmation program. Increase its effectiveness by regularly discussing a completed form with your child.

Sermon Notes

Practical Ideas for Home

How to Use the Lutheran Service Book in Your Home

Divine Service Guide - an explanation of the Worship Service

What About . . . Lutheran Worship - an explanation

Memory Work Repetition Concept

Repetition supports the retention of information. This is important to training a child up in the Faith. The entire Catechesis Program is built on this. The documents below show the repetition within a class but repetition is also across the classes. Look between the documents to see the repetition across classes.