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On the Way is a fifteen session course for young people preparing for Confirmation. It uses the Gospel according to Luke as a framework and deals with the main areas of basic Christian teaching. However, the course is flexible enough to be adapted and used according to your own situation. When you register you will have access to outlines of the sessions for use in your confirmation classes, along with downloadable resources, such as dramas, games and liturgy outlines.  There will also be links to other useful resources. We hope that this web site will continue to develop to offer even more resources for you in preparing young people for Christian Initiation.

The Sessions
Each Session has various components, which the leader can decide how to use, according to the nature of the group and the number of young people. However, it’s recommended that you always use the Opening Activity, Into the Gospel, the Discussion Suggestions and Closing Liturgy. Remember that the Discussion ideas are suggestions – 'starting points' to help your group discuss what needs to be discussed and as a vehicle for teaching. Choose the other activities that are appropriate to you and your group and use them for further discussion and teaching. However, also incorporate your own ideas, and use things such as popular music, videos, slides, and PowerPoint presentations to get your point across and enhance your time together. Each session ends with a Liturgy that should involve the young people and may involve the results of some of the activities they‘ve done.

The Catechism
Many people will remember the days when the Catechism was learned by memory. On the Way doesn’t use this as a teaching mechanism – however, many of the Sessions do make reference to the Church in Wales Catechism and so provides an ideal opportunity to explore more fully the teaching of the Church using that particular resource. Copies of the Catechism are available from the Church in Wales Office at 39, Cathedral Road, Cardiff or from SPCK Bookshop.

Scripture
On the Way uses the Gospel according to Luke as a framework for teaching material, and so provides a good opportunity for the young people to read Scripture in an organised manner. Choose a modern version of the Bible that is accessible to the young. There are good little resources from publishers like CTS, who publish individual books of the Bible, using the Jerusalem Version. The Good News Bible is also available in this format, as are others. You may want to purchase some copies and present them to the young people during the first session. They only cost £1.

The Faith Community
It's important that the Faith Community of which the candidates are a part take their role seriously, and that the candidates do actually feel a part of the community. Remind the Community of their obligation to pray for and support the young people, and encourage the parents of the Candidates who perhaps are not regular or even occasional worshippers to be part of this Faith Community.

There are several other ways in which this important aspect can be enriched. Firstly, within the new Baptism and Confirmation Rite of the Church in Wales is liturgical material for use on a Sunday for The Admission and Welcome of Candidates for Baptism and Confirmation, which you are, encouraged to use, as well as Intercessions and material for formally passing the Apostles Creed to the Candidates.

On the Way also provides liturgical material.  It's designed for the group but you may want to adapt it for certain situations and invite other members of the church to attend. Other things you could do, for example, is to have a display board in church for any work that the candidates produce during their time together. Place prayer cards on the board, with a photograph of the young people, asking the community to pray for them. Or hand out individual prayer cards to members of the congregation with the names of the candidates.

Be Creative!
Most important of all, use On the Way creatively. After all, it is simply a resource for you and it doesn’t matter how you use it – as long as it's of help to you and allows the young people in your group to journey with Jesus.