English LSM: UM Heritage 2026: Living Our United Methodist Beliefs

LAY SERVANT MINISTRIES ADVANCED COURSE: UM HERITAGE LIVING OUR UNITED METHODIST BELIEFS
Tuesdays, January 13, 20, 27, February 3, 10, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM California (PST)
Tuesdays, January 13, 20, 27, February 3, 10, 2026, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM Hawaii (HST)
Zoom Online Platform

REGISTER NOW AT THIS LINK

Cost & Deadlines: $30.00 and you must provide your own book (see below). Please note the deadline to register is Sunday, January 11, 2026. The class size will max at 30 participants and registration will close if that number is reached before the registration deadline.

About the Class:

• Living Our Beliefs: 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.
• The instructor is Rev. Richard C. Garner.  Rev. Garner is a retired elder appointed as an interim local church pastor, and former district superintendent with decades of experience in the United Methodist Church.
• Attendance is required at all sessions for credit.
• All those seeking certification as a Certified Lay Servant or Certified Lay Speaker, and those needing continuing education for Certified Lay Servant status, are invited to attend. The BASIC class and one Advanced Class is required to successfully apply for Certified Lay Servant status.
  • About Certified Lay Servant (CLS) status: After you take the Basic Lay Servant Class, you have 3 years to take an advanced class to qualify you as a Certified Lay Servant. If you want to continue on to being a Certified Lay Speaker, you will need to take the following six advanced classes: Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts, UM Heritage, UM Polity, a Preaching class, a Prayer class, and a Worship class. For more information about Lay Servant Ministries, click here.
• Provide your own book: Living Our Beliefs: The United Methodist Way by Kenneth L. Carder (Amazon, Cokesbury, Upper Room)
• Technical requirements for Zoom participants: To participate in Zoom  meetings, participants must have a reliable Internet connection, and a  laptop, tablet, or smartphone device that can download and install the  Zoom app. A web or phone camera and a microphone are highly recommended,  although some users may call in via phone if a mic is not available. 
• Zoom information is included in your confirmation email and submission message.

For questions or more information please contact your Lay Servant Ministries Director in your District.  You can find that information on the website, www.calpacumc.org/lsm or contact Cathy Wilson, Associate Director for Lay and Clergy Credentialing and Development at cwilson@calpacumc.org.

REGISTER NOW AT THIS LINK