Lay Speaking Ministries
in the Saginaw Bay District

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Class Schedule

The Saginaw Bay District offers basic and advanced LSM courses in the spring, fall and winter. We also offer a Youth Lay Speaking weekend each year. Courses are announced through the district newsletter, and The Proclamation, the district LSM newsletter. Course locations vary in an attempt to offer courses throughout the district. Class format usually consists of either six 2.5-hour sessions or three 5-hour sessions (with a lunch break) spread over five weeks. Commissioning takes place during the last class session.

As these are lay leadership development courses, they may be taken either for credit within the Lay Speaking Ministries certification curriculum, or for personal growth. The cost is $35 for the basic course and $45 for the advanced courses. This cost includes the necessary textbooks, study guides, mailing costs, and a portion of the course consumables. Lay speakers from other districts are welcome.

These courses are available to you for leadership development, whether or not you choose to enroll as a lay speaker. We do encourage enrollment in the program, as leadership development is best facilitated by continued interaction with leaders from other congregations. Becoming a certified lay speaker does not guarantee that you will have to stand in the pulpit. That is a decision made jointly between you and your pastor.

We have been asked whether non-United Methodists can take these courses. The answer is ‘yes.’ However, since active membership in a United Methodist congregation is a requirement of the Discipline for lay speakers, we cannot recognize non-United Methodists as either local or certified lay speakers. Likewise, anyone who would like to expand their  knowledge in a particular ministry area is welcome to audit an advanced course.

The Fall 2008 Leadership Development Weekend will be     8:30am-5:00pm Saturday September 27th and     2:30pm-5:00pm Sunday, September 29th     at Gladwin First UMC. The courses offered are:     * Basic Lay Speaking Ministries     * Servant Leadership     * Discovering Our Spiritual Gifts Registration deadline is September 15, 2008. Download the registration form:   pdf format, Word format

Contact Ralph Czerepinski, Registrar, 989-832-3604 for further information.

View here or here to see pictures of recent youth weekends.

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