Dallas Northeast District Lay Speaking Classes

Classes for the Dallas Northeast District will be held May 1 and May 8, at First UMC – Rowlett, 4405 Main St., Rowlett, Tx. The two-day classes will begin each Saturday (check-in at 7:30 on the 1^st) at 8 a.m. for the Basic Course and 9 a.m. for the other two courses. Classes end at 4 p.m. A service of commitment will be from 4 – 5 p.m. on the 8^th.

The classes offered, other than the Adult Basic Course, led by Patricia Downing, are You Can Preach, taught by Rev. Ben Read, and Teach Adults, leader to be announced. The conference registration form and class flyer can be found at www.ntcumc.org (follow the Laity/Lay Speaker links) or www.danroark.com/multimedia.html. Deadline for registration is April 15. For more information, contact Pat Downing (info on class flyer).

Peace be with you.

Sherman-McKinney District Lay Speaking Classes

Sherman-McKinney District lay speaking classes will be held April 24 and May 1 at Sadler UMC, Ram Ave. and Pecan St., Sadler, Tx. The two-day classes will be held on both Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with check-in at 8:30 a.m. on the 24^th. A Service of Commitment will be held at 3 p.m. on May 1^st.

Classes offered will include the Adult Basic Course and From Your Heart to Theirs (Preaching). The deadline for registration is April 12^th. For more information, contact Lori Massey (info on class flyer). The conference registration form and class flyer may be found at www.ntcumc.org (follow the Laity/Lay Speaker links), and www.danroark.com/multimedia.html.

Peace be with you.

Paris-Sulphur Springs District Lay Speaking Classes

Paris-Sulphur Springs District lay speaking classes will be held at Wesley UMC in Greenville, Tx, 5302 Business Hwy 69S, on March 27^th and April 10^th, both Saturdays. The two-day classes will be held each day from 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. A Service of Commitment will be held at 3 p.m. on April 10.

Classes offered will include the Adult Basic Course, taught by Jack Harris, and Accountable Discipleship, facilitated by Chet Hilyer. The deadline for registration is February 24^th. Again, although that is today, registration is still possible after the deadline by getting the form in the mail, contacting Melba P. Harris (info on flyer), and obtaining books from Cokesbury stores or Upper Room.  The conference registration form and class flyer can be found at www.ntcumc.org (follow the Laity/Lay Speaker links), and www.danroark.com/multimedia.html.

Peace be with you.

Dallas-Denton District Lay Speaking Classes

Christ United Methodist Church, Farmers Branch, will be hosting Dallas-Denton District Lay Speaking Ministries (LSM) classes on March 13^th and 20^th. The two day classes will be held on both Saturdays from 8:30 – 4:30, with a commitment service following classes on the final day. Designed as Lay Speaking classes, they are open to anyone wanting to further their spiritual journey.

The classes to be offered in March are the Adult Basic class – the first class required to become a lay speaker, Storytelling, Interpret to Others Our Methodist Heritage, and Accountable Disciples. The latter three classes are advanced lay speaking classes. While anyone is welcome to take the courses, only lay speakers receive lay speaking credit.

Sherry Nash, North Texas Conference LSM Training Coordinator, and Mac Deflethson will lead the Adult Basic Class. The Methodist Heritage class will be lead by John Bodnar. Susan Anderson and Sandy Swann will lead Accountable Disciples. Osten Aune and Jan Patterson will lead the Storytelling class.

The North Texas Conference LSM registration form and Dallas Denton District class flyer can be found at www.ntumc.org (follow the Laity/Lay Speaker links) or www.danroark.com/multimedia.html. While the registration deadline of February 22 has passed, it is still possible to register by contacting Becky Maddox (info on class flyer) and letting her know you want to take the class. You will, however, be responsible for obtaining books for the class from Cokesbury stores or the Upper Room.

Peace be with you.

Sustenance for the Mind and Soul

The Perkins Theological School for the Laity, Sustenance for the Mind and Soul, will be held this year on March 4-6. Lay Speakers who attend the school receive advanced lay speaker course credit. Two-day classes will be held on Thursday and Friday with one-day classes held on Saturday. The two-day courses include Methodism and Holiness: An Introduction (Ted A. Campbell, Associate Professor of Church History), Listening to the Inner Teacher: The Labyrinth and Christian Discernment (Susanne Johnson, Associate Professor of Christian Education), Wisdom for the Journey: The Spiritual Exercise of Ignatius of Loyola (Frederick W. Schmidt, Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality, Director of Spiritual Life and Formation), No Rising Tide: Theology, Economics, and the Future (Joerg Rieger, Wendland-Cook Professor of Constructive Theology), and Rereading Paul’s Letter to the Romans (Sze-kar Wan, Professor of New Testament).

Saturday one-day courses include: The Faith We Sing: Forming Faith in the 21^st Century Through Congregational Song ( C. Michael Hawn, Director of Sacred Music Program, Professor of Church Music), A Sermon in Song: Felix Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” and Biblical Interpretation (John C. Holbert, Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics), and “One, Two, Three Strikes You’re Out”: Reflections on Baseball and Human Frailty.

The School for the Laity begins on Thursday with a welcoming and opening worship and The Shack panel discussion. The afternoon ends with two class sessions divided by a short break. On Friday morning at 9 a.m. the two-day classes continue. The luncheon features a lecture by Joerg Rieger – Beyond the Spirit of Empire: Does Christianity Still Have the Power to Make a Difference in the World? Evening worship at 5 p.m. follows the conclusion of the two-day classes and precedes the dinner with a lecture by John C. Holbert. Saturday one-day classes begin with morning worship at 8:15 a.m. The Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award Luncheon is at noon and the classes conclude at 4:45 p.m.

The School for the Laity is always informative and spiritually fulfilling. This is my sixth year and some who will be present have attended for over twenty years. The school is a wonderful way to meet Christians from all over the country, coming together for prayer, study, and spiritual nourishment. More information and registration links can be found at www.smu.edu/Perkins/PublicPrograms/LaySchools/Dallas/March2010.aspx. I hope to see you there.

Peace be with you.

New Year – January Classes

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas season and are heading into the new year on a positive note. As I said on my Think On These Things blog, I am still recovering from having three teenagers home for the holidays, which made working difficult. Thankfully, they are back in school and I am beginning to get back into my “regular” routine. Lay Speaking events and activities are lining up quickly for 2010.

First up is the Prepare to Teach class to be held on Saturday, January 23, at New Covenant UMC in Sunneyvale, Tx, 3032 Beltline Rd. The class will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. The cost for the class is $10, with a sandwich lunch available for $7. The registration deadline is January 18.

Prepare to Teach is a North Texas Conference (NTC) class and is required, along with the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) class Lay Speakers Teach Adults, to become an Accredited Lay Speaking Ministries (LSM) Course Instructor in the NTC. The class will be taught by NTC LSM Training Coordinator, Sherry Nash, and Vic Sassone. Forms are available on the conference website and following the laity/lay speaking links. The course is for anyone who wants to improve their skills as facilitators of adult learning, including Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, and those who preach.

 Peace be with you.

The Duties of a Lay Speaker

A reader reached my blog by searching with the question, “what are the duties of a lay speaker?” Which let’s me know what people want to know outside of the ongoing information I am already including. And it is a good question – particularly for someone who is considering or is interested in, becoming a Lay Speaker.

The duties of a lay speaker are many and varied, and include most volunteer opportunities within the church. A person can become a lay speaker in order to pursue a particular mission to which he/she feels called. Or a person can become a lay speaker to better ascertain the area of work within the church to which they are best suited, or being called toward.

In the Lay Speakers Adult Basic Course, the members of the class are required to fill out a spiritual gifts inventory. Various inventory forms can be found online. By looking at a spiritual gifts inventory form, one can get a idea of the width and breadth of ministry choices available to lay speakers. Any member of the church is welcome and encouraged to take a spiritual gifts inventory and volunteer within their home church, as well as taking lay speaker classes – whether to further their own knowledge and spiritual journey or to become a lay speaker. Lay speakers are those members who have been called to serve the church in an increased capacity as part of their personal ministry.

While local lay speakers, having taken the Adult Basic Course, perform their duties within their local church, Certified Lay Speakers are able to perform their duties elsewhere within their conference. Certified lay speakers are required to take advanced lay speaking courses. While the minimum number of advanced courses a certified lay speaker is required to take is one course every three years, most lay speakers take classes more often. Additional classes are available that also qualify for Lay Speaking Ministry (LSM) advanced credit.

A church member interested in lay speaking may also check out the Lay Speaker’s Annual Report Form, which can be found at www.danroark.com/multimedia and www.layspeakers.org/LSM , among other places. That will give them an idea of the duties and activities lay speakers are required to report each year to the charge conference. Once again, however, many other duties/activities fit under the report form categories.

For example, there is a line for “Additional opportunities for leading, caring, and communication ministries participated in by the lay speaker (describe opportunity and your part in it).” I always continue on the back or on a separate page, because this is where a good part of my duties are listed. What I do not list there will be listed in answer to Part 8: “In what activities have you engaged and/or what books have you read and used during the past year to help you develop your devotional life; improve your understanding of the Bible: improve your understanding of The United Methodist Church; and improve your skills in leading, caring, and communicating?”

That should give you an idea of the many possible duties of a lay speaker. As for why a person should or would become a lay speaker – that is for another time.

Peace be with you.

New Dallas-Denton District LSM Website

The Dallas-Denton District Lay Speakers’ website has been revamped, upgraded and is in the process of being updated with new features and content. Please feel free to check it out and leave comments. I will be contributing articles and so forth – the link is also in my blogroll.

Peace be with you.

The Lay Speaker Class and Luke

I was co-teaching Cultivate Christian Community, a lay speaking class, with John Bodnar a couple of weeks ago at Northgate UMC in Irving. Nine people registered, but a couple had to drop out due to a death in the family. Seven is still a good-sized class. Cultivate Christian Community is about small groups in churches.

At one point we were discussing people in our churches who were selfless volunteers. I briefly told them about the late Luke Bradley, a man who volunteered selflessly around our church. He had his own keys to the church and worked on just about anything there was to be worked on. Luke would come in about 9 a.m. during the week, stopping at each of the staff offices, wanting to know if there was anything they needed done. If he did not have a particular project he would wander around the church making sure everything was working right – from the bathrooms to classroom lights to the A/C unit to just about anything you could think of.

I continued by telling the group that in our Disciple class last year, without warning, one of the ceiling fans which had been silently still, was suddenly rotating at top speed. It did it several time throughout the year. The first time it happened we decided that it must be Luke, just saying “hey.” I commented that I thought it would be just like Luke to offset a few things around the church. “They’ll remember me now,” I could hear him saying. Not out of spite or self-importance, but just as a little joke – to say “hi.”

The discussion wrapped up and I continued my presentation. Just about twenty minutes later, one of the lights in the room flickered on and off. It flickered on and off again a little while later.

“It must be Luke!” One of the woman in the class cried.

Later on in the day, the light once again flashed on and off.

“Okay, Luke, knock it off,” I exclaimed. It was more of a reaction than anything else. To which another woman in the class replied.

“Well, you brought him here!”

Well, come to find out the church had been having problems with the ballast in that particular florescent light. Which I had figured was probably the case. But I knew one thing. If that had been our church – and Luke had been alive – no one would have known about the problem with the ballast because Luke would already have fixed it.

I also knew one more thing. More people now know about Luke and his selfless volunteering and dedication to his church and Christ. Which is a good thing. Luke was one of the best disciples I have ever known.

 Peace be with you.

Upcoming Classes in North Texas Conference

There are two classes coming up within the North Texas Conference. They are Preparing Sacred Space – Visio Divina and the From Visual Arts to Vital Worship workshop. Although neither course qualifies for Lay Speaker credit, they may benefit an individual Lay Speaker’s particular ministry to which he/she is called.

Preparing Sacred Space – Visio Divina will be presented by Martha Jacobson & Kelly Williams. The workshop will explore personal spiritual development through sacred space design as well some practical aspects. This event will challenge and interest folks just starting out and those that have more experience. It will be held at Spring Valley UMC, 7700 Spring Valley Road in Dallas on October 8 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The cost is $20 and includes lunch. The reservation deadline is Monday, October 5. The flyer with more information can be found at www.danroark.com/multimedia.html. Martha Jacobson is a friend of mine and this will be a very informative, interesting, and inspirational course.

From Visual Arts to Vital Worship workshop will be presented by Mimi Nimocks. This workshop will explore ways to plan and design visual elements in the Worship Service. You will receive multiple examples of worship settings and altars that employ objects to preach the Scripture and point to the divine. The workshop will spur your imagination and offer you practical helps and resources you will be eager to try right away. Part of the afternoon will consist of lab time—an opportunity to put your learning into practice! The workshop will be held at First United Methodist Church in Frisco, 7659 Preston Road in Frisco on Saturday, November 7 from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The cost will be $15 and includes lunch. Registration can be paid at the door or online. The flyer with more information can be found at www.danroark.com/multimedia.html.

 Peace be with you.