Epiphany Lutheran Church in Richmond, VA has been bringing their confirmation students to Roanoke for about 25 years to meet the Bishop, tour Roanoke College, and see Lutheran Family Services. Pastor Chris Price who is now the assistant to the bishop was the first to start this tradition.

Callie Hamer shakes Bishop Mauney’s hand as he welcomes the confirmation class from Epiphany Lutheran Church, Richmond

“I wanted to let the confirmands know that the church is beyond Epiphany’s walls and that the Synod is also in partnership with the church,” Pastor Price said. “The Synod can accomplish things that Epiphany would not be able to do alone.”

The day always begins in the Synod Office in Salem. This year there were 12 students who proudly shook Bishop Mauney’s hand and then piled into his office. Each confirmand held a list of questions, prepared beforehand to ask the Bishop.

“I think it’s really cool to go into the Bishop’s Office and have him tell us what he thinks,” said Callie Hammer, one of the confirmation students. “I learned what a bishop does, I didn’t know that before, and I learned what he feels is important for us to know and how important the small catechism is.”

After the group had exhausted their list of questions, Bishop Mauney pulled out a list of his own but instead of questions it held descriptions of items for a scavenger hunt within his office. The students looked around for important documents, a statue of Martin Luther, and other oddities.

“They were engaged young people who seemed most attentive and who wanted to learn more about the life of the church,” Bishop Mauney said. “Today they were given an opportunity to recognize that they are part of something far greater and maybe begin to grasp that the body of Christ is a global body.”

President Maxey shares stories of Roanoke College’s Lutheran Roots with Epiphany confirmands

When the group had met the other members of the Synod staff they walked over to the centerpiece of Roanoke College, the Administration Building, where they were welcomed into the office of the college’s president, Michael Maxey.

President Maxey shared with the group how important Roanoke’s Lutheran roots are to the college and how the school’s Lutheran identity is still being lived out today.

After a tour of campus, the group drove to Lutheran Family Services where they visited the Minnick School in Roanoke, a school for children with special needs.

“As young people who are about the become full members, its important to understand the bigger picture and how their participation is important to the life of the church.” said Caren Sizemore, the lay catechist for confirmation at Epiphany.

If you are interested in planning a trip for your confirmation class similar to Epiphany’s trip, call the Virginia Synod office at 540-389-1000.