Youth lay speakers get preaching gig

Ethan is a senior at Mineral Wells High School and a member of First United Methodist Church of Mineral Wells where he has had a few occasions to preach in the informal 8:30 a.m. Sunday worship service.

Carly Payne, a junior at Glen Rose High School and a member of Glen Rose United Methodist Church, knows God is leading her to ministry, but she hasn’t yet decided what that might be. She comes from a family deeply involved in both ordained and lay ministry. Her grandfather is the late Rev. Jack Payne who served as superintendent in the Weatherford and Temple districts in the early 1980s, and her grandmother, Lillie Payne, is much loved in the Central Texas Conference for her nurturing ministries and leadership over the years.

Ethan and Carly were drawn to the 2009 Exploration event last November in Dallas where youth and young adults who sense a call to ministry had an opportunity to learn more about discerning God’s call, where that might lead them, and the process leading to ordained ministry.

“There is no question for me,” Ethan said. “I want to be an elder. I want to preach and lead in the church.” On the other hand, Carly was fascinated with Exploration’s program on ministry of the deacon. “There are so many areas of ministry in which to serve as a deacon. It’s something I will need to explore more,” she said.

A month after Exploration — in mid-December — they had an opportunity to take the lay speaking course for youth in the Weatherford District. Ethan, who currently serves as president of the CTC Student Leadership Team, jumped at the chance to improve his speaking and preaching skills, and Carly signed up as one more way to discern her gifts and where God might be leading her. She serves as president of the Weatherford District SLT.

Recognizing the gifts of these two young leaders in the church, Weatherford District Superintendent Ginger Bassford invited them to serve as interim preachers at Temple Hall United Methodist Church in February during the absence of the Rev. Helen Jones, pastor. Carly, who will practice her preaching skills with her Glen Rose congregation on Jan. 31, will preach Feb. 14 and Feb. 28 at Temple Hall. Ethan will preach at the Feb. 21 worship service.

Melissa Osborne of Gorham, director of the Central Texas Conference Lay Speaker Ministry, taught the lay speaker course for members of the Weatherford District Student Leadership Team and will lead in the 7^th Annual Meeting of CTC Lay Speakers Feb. 26, 27, 28 at Glen Lake Camp & Retreat Center in Glen Rose.

“The lay speaker training for youth in the Weatherford District was a first,” said Osborne, who believes it would be a beneficial leadership opportunity for students in all the districts. “They bring a totally different perspective about the church and God than what this 42-year-old has,” she said. “And that’s a good thing.”

The Lay Speaker Ministry has offered training for youth at the annual training program in the past, but the program was not successful, she said. “The difference in the training I did for the Weatherford District SLT was using the adult rather than the youth training curriculum,” Osborne said. “The youth training book is too dumbed down,” she said, noting that the Weatherford District youth were fully capable and appropriately challenged by the adult material. Others in the Weatherford District youth lay speaker training were Miller Jarrell, Abel Betancourt, Kadee Shadden, Marianne Brown, Johnathen Sutton, Daniel Stephens and Jefferey Stephens.

The classes offered at the annual training event Feb. 26-28 will be based on which of the courses listed below get the most interest level during the registration process.

Registrants have the opportunity to make three selections from the following courses: 

• Lay Speakers Cultivate Christian Community

• Internet as Ministry

• Immigration Ministry

• A Ministry of Caring

• Lay Speakers can lead in Evangelism

• Lay Speakers Preach

• Lay Speakers Lead Bible Study

• Lay Speakers Lead in Prayer

• Lay Speakers Discover Spiritual Gifts

• Dancing with Words

• Lay Speakers Grow Spiritually Through Daily Discipline

 

• Certified Lay Ministry Part 1     A minimum two-year study program

• Certified Lay Ministry Part 2

For more details on each course and to download the register form, please visit http://www.ctcumc.org/pages/detail/933 or contact Melissa Osborne at oz2@txol.net.