The Washington Region will hold its Lay Servant Academy on August 3-4, 2024. Classes may be taken at any BWC District Lay Servant Academy or online at BeADisciple.com. For additional information on lay servant classes, download the Lay Servant Ministries Catalog. 
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Basic Lay Servant Course
This course will help laity explore and discover their unique call to serve God, neighbor, and the greater church. It is foundational for all courses in lay servant ministries and must be taken by everyone seeking certification as a lay servant, lay speaker, or lay minister. Required pre-reading text: Lay Servant Ministries Basic Course • Participant’s Book, ISBN 13: 9780881776263  ​• 10 slots per class.

Instructor: Rev. Gerald Elston
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Called to Preach (Advanced Course)
Called to Preach is designed for those who have not completed formal preaching training, for pastors seeking a basic refresher course, and for others who are called upon to preach in a pastor’s absence. Called to Preach is the required preaching course in the lay speaker track of study. Required pre-reading text: From Pew to Pulpit and also watch these videos  ​• 10 slots per class.

Instructor: Rev. Michael Parker, II
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Living Our United Methodist Belief (Advanced Course)
This course will explore the special gifts of theology, witness, and organization that The United Methodist Church brings to the church universal, how we got where we are today, and how our distinctive emphases are still needed in the 21st-century church. Required pre-reading text: Living Our Beliefs: The United Methodist Way and also read Richey Four Languages (from Early American Methodism by Russell Richey)  ​• 10 slots per class.

Instructor: Rev. Ian Collier
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Ministry with the Forgotten: Dementia through a Spiritual Lens (Advanced Course)
This course seeks to equip individuals to serve persons living with dementia and lead ministries that serve those with dementia and Alzheimer’s – and the people who care for them. Required pre-reading text: Ministry with the Forgotten: Dementia through a Spiritual Lens ​• 10 slots per class.

Instructor: Rev. Christine Kumar
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General Information
~ The course will be held in-person at First UMC of Hyattsville (6201 Belcrest Rd, Hyattsville, MD 20782).
~ No absences are permitted for 2-day classes.
~ Cost: $40 per class. This does not include the required text.
~ Registration: Online only.  Space is limited, register today!
~ Registration deadline is July 31, 2024.
~ Light refreshments provided for breakfast on August 3.  Lunch on your own on both days.

Class Schedule (10-hour course)
~Saturday, August 3, 9am–5pm
~Sunday, August 4, 2-5pm

 Questions About Registration?
Contact Sophie Amer at 410-309-3493.

Questions About Classes?
Contact Lay Servant Directors Pamela Plummer Matthews at 240-498-4520 or Carol Travis at 301-908-6501.