And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life….” John 6:35 NKJV
Time to make bread again…pulled the jar of sourdough starter out of the refrigerator this morning. The top was flat…. just like I have been trying to find the right words to share in this newsletter. When I placed the jar of starter on the window sill in the sun, I could see tiny bubbles moving slowly. I added the “food” (sugar, potato flakes and slightly warm water) to start more active growth again.
Like the sourdough starter, things have been moving slowly behind the scenes to create more classes to assist lay people with spiritual growth and help to better understand responsibilities as followers of Christ.
The 2021 Lay Servant Ministries of Course Descriptions and Equipping Resources catalog cover states-
“Lay ministry is the work of mission or ministry to which each believer is called. As
Christians we are called to this ministry or priesthood – not just clergy. Each of us has a
responsibility to proclaim the Good News and reach out to others in love.”
Have been preparing for the meeting of the Sound District Lay Servant Ministry Board to plan courses to offer for the coming months. This week the youth lesson from umcdiscipleship.org discussed that evangelism in our culture can seem akin to trying to sell a product to others…..that thought stuck in my brain because sometimes when speak about Lay Servant Ministry feel like trying to “sell” the LSM classes. The reality is when speaking about LSM it is an invitation….evangelism is more about inviting others to experience the joy of life with God and with a community of others as the youth lesson continues. Needless to say we spent several minutes discussing what the word evangelism means. (There is a LSM class on evangelism.)
I invite you to pray for the Sound District LSM Board for guidance and discernment as we meet to consider and plan for classes to offer in the upcoming months…..whether to offer Zoom classes or in-person classes or even hybrid classes.
You are also invited to check out other classes being offered across the Conference-
https://nccumc.org/leadership/laity/lay-servant-ministries/
If you feel called to more service than being a Certified Lay Servant or Certified Lay Speaker, you are invited to consider becoming a Certified Lay Minister. Our Annual Conference has a training program that is a cohort that meets several times for a year to assist you with the process. For more information, register at this link for the Day of Discovery-
A closing thought-
Are you taking responsibility and inviting others to share the Bread of Life?
Continued blessings,
Roxie
If you are interested in becoming a Certified Lay Servant or Certified Lay Speaker or would just like to take a course that would show ways that you can serve please contact:
Roxie Cauley at roxiemc51@yahoo.com Or Jackie Attaway at jattaway@ec.rr.com
If you would like to view past editions of SOUNDS: From Jackie and Roxie, follow this link: https://sounddistrictnc.org/category/lay-servant-ministries/