– Kim R. Smith, Sound District Lay Leader
Looking out of my office window, I see everything blooming. Flower petals cover my lawn from a front that moved through last night and forced them to let loose the branches they called home. The trees and bushes my husband had cut back and pruned are bursting with new life. Spring is a time of growth in so many ways.
Often, those of us who have grown up in the church can unintentionally stop growing. We think because we have been going to Sunday School, Bible studies, and Worship…we’re good. We begin to go through spiritual motions and might have roots, but we aren’t exhibiting new growth.
I remember the first course I reluctantly enrolled in through Lay Servant Ministries with the NCCUMC. I was complying instead of engaging. Then something happened. Someone in the class explained something in a way that I had never considered before, and my heart became curious. One class led to another… and then another.
Confident as I can be at times, I’ve never been comfortable praying in public. After a Discipleship Ministries course, I feel much more equipped and secure. There is no longer a need to squirm and avoid eye contact when someone asks the group, “Can someone close us with prayer?”
Most of us in the Sound District have experienced what I can only call trauma over the past year. We found ourselves defending faith and a denomination we have, at times, probably taken a bit for granted. Many of us have found ourselves in new roles with new hearts trying to find our way with God in this new faith journey. One course in Spiritual Gifts can help a group floundering in chaos find a way to work together for His glory. Beauty happens when we use our unique gifts in our work. Do you know your spiritual gift might be…or that of your fellow church members?
This is the perfect time to nourish our well-grounded roots! We owe it to each other and our God… to GROW so we can confidently be SENT. God doesn’t call us to hear the word and then sit on it, keeping the good news only for ourselves and those beside us in the pews. He calls us to GO… Are you sure you are as equipped as you would like for your heart but also for the road ahead and the hearts you will meet along the way? We all want to give our best. Lay Servant Ministries can help take your deep roots to beautiful new growth.
Consider the possibility that your heart might be able to grow even more. Open your mind to the potential of a strengthened and re-energized soul. What if you could learn something or experience something in a new way that helped you… but also helped your congregation and your neighborhood?
Please consider exploring all the opportunities to learn, to re-dip, to explore and to grow, that are offered through Lay Servant Ministries at this link Laity Ministries | North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church (nccumc.org). Choose what works best for you. If you like classes in person, choose a Saturday course and attend. If you would prefer an online class over several days, those are available as well. There are even courses via ZOOM that allow you to complete them in one day without ever leaving your home. There is something for every heart, so bring a friend to join you, OR sign up your Sunday School Class or Men’s or Women’s group. GROW TOGETHER.
Proverbs 18:15 “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.”