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.

Are All Lay Readers Lay Speakers?

Recently a reader found my blog by searching with that question. And it’s not a silly question. It can be confusing – I was confused at first. The answer, though, is no. You do not have to be a lay speaker to be a lay reader. But that does not mean that one can automatically assume that a lay reader is not a lay speaker. I am a certified lay speaker and I am a lay reader at my home church, Christ UMC, Farmers Branch, Texas. However, lay speakers do not have to be certified to be a lay reader in their home church.

Now that you are completely confused, I’ll begin with the basics. For those readers who already know the basics, please scan on past it. All members of the church who are not clergy are members of the laity. Everyone other than clergy is a lay member. Simply put, if you are a member of the church and not clergy, and you do the readings during a worship service, you are a lay reader.

There is a lay leader who, according to the Book of Discipline, “shall function as the primary lay representative of the laity in that local church.” The lay leader is elected by the charge conference of the local church. In short, the lay leaders responsibilities include fostering awareness of the role of laity, meeting regularly with the pastor, membership church committees having to do with church leadership, continuing involvement in study and training opportunities, assisting in advising the church council of opportunities available (as it pertains to laity), and informing the laity of training opportunities provided by the annual conference. “The lay leader is encouraged to become a certified lay speaker.” – full text found on pg. 165 of the Book of Discipline.

Now we come to lay speakers, of which there are two types – lay speakers and certified lay speakers. After taking the Adult Basic Lay Speaker course, you would be a lay speaker, able to perform duties as a lay speaker in your home church. You would be required to take refresher courses and are welcome to take other courses. If you take an advanced lay speaking course and would like to, you become a certified lay speaker. As a certified lay speaker, you are able to perform duties as a lay speaker within your conference as called upon to do so. You are required to take an advanced class or equivalent (as designated by the conference) every three years. Certified lay speakers are encouraged, however, to take classes more often.

Should you be a lay speaker? That’s a subject for another post.

Peace be with you.

Dallas South District Fast Track Training Classes

The Dallas South District Lay Speaking Ministries of the North Texas Conference is holding Fast Track Training Classes at College Mound United Methodist Church in Terrell, Texas on October 3^rd, 17^th, and 31^st. I just received this notice in the past couple of days. The deadline for registration is September 19 and the deadline for ordering books is September 21.

When I have taken lay speaking classes on Sunday, it has been for four Sundays, not three. I noticed the week open between the 3^rd and the 17^th. It could well be three Sundays if enough time is spent on each Sunday. However, do not be surprised if it is corrected to the four Sundays in a row. Also keep in mind that you may be able to register after the 19^th of September, but you will be responsible for obtaining your own course books from Cokesbury. Additionally, since the Basic Course curriculum has been updated, certified lay speakers may take the course for the next couple of years and receive advanced course credit. For more on the new curriculum, see my May 10, 2009 post.

The classes offered will be the Youth/Adult Basic Course and the advanced course, Understanding The Methodist Church (Polity Church Governance). The training flyer may be found at www.danroark.com/multimedia.html. The new conference registration form can also be found there for use in registering.

Peace be with you.

Update for Dallas Northeast District LSM Classes

The Lay Speaking Ministry classes that were to be held in the Dallas Northeast District in September in Royce City, and that I announced in my July 28 post, have been cancelled. They are, however, having classes in October at Custer Road UMC  in Plano, Tx. The classes will be begin on Saturday, October 17, and conclude on Saturday, October 24.

The classes offered are: the Adult Basic Course (Instructor: Dennis Allen), Lay Speakers Tell Stories (Instructor: Traphene Hickman, Master Story Teller), Lay Speakers Interpret to Others Our Methodist Heritage (Instructor: Rev. Kathryn Strempke, Senior Pastor, Wylie UMC), and Lay Pastoral Care Giving (Instructor: John Barham, Director of North Texas Conference Lay Speaking Ministries).

September 30 is the deadline for registration. The information flyer and registration form may be found at www.danroark.com/multimedia.html.

Peace be with you.

Update for Theology the Basics Course

Registration for the Theology the Basics course to be held by the North Texas Conference Lay Speaking Ministries in November at the North Texas Conference Ministry Center is now open. The basic information can be found in my September 8 post. The complete registration information is in the registration form to be found at www.danroark.com/multimedia.html or at www.ntcumc.org by following the Laity links. It will be a very enjoyable and informative class.

Peace be with you.

New Lay Speaker’s Annual Report Form

The new Lay Speaker’s Annual Report form becomes effective this month and is to be used for lay speakers to make their annual report to their church’s Charge Conference in the coming months. Although other annual report forms can be found on the internet and would probably not be refused, effort should be made to use the new form.

According to the Book of Discipline, lay speakers are required to submit an annual report to the Charge Conference each year, whether applying to begin as a lay speaker or requesting renewal as a lay speaker or certified lay speaker. For those readers who may not know, a lay speaker may perform his/her duties in their local church. Certified lay speakers may perform duties at churches throughout their conference.

The new annual report form may be found at www.danroark.com/multimedia.html. The old form has not been updated at the conference website, www.ntcumc.org, but it should be soon.

Peace be with you.