Lay Servant Ministries Upcoming Opportunities
Growing the Beloved Community
Growing the Beloved Community is a new curriculum that is being offered through Portico as an Advanced Course for Lay Speakers, Lay Servants, and Certified Lay Ministers. This 8-session course earns 1 CEU and is approved by the Susquehanna Conference Committee on Lay Servant Ministries.
The course is designed to be used by individuals or small groups by watching each video presentation and following the directions to interact with each other and the downloadable Participant’s Guide. Other instructors can use the videos for their own preparation and teach using the Participant’s Guide.
To earn 1 CEU, the required reading is to choose one of the following books:
1. John Lewis’s - Across That Bridge (session 1)
2. Tod Bolsinger’s - Tempered Resilience (session 4)
To find this course, log in and register on Portico. Once registered, click on the Catalog tab, then scroll down the page to the individual courses. Growing the Beloved Community is listed there. Click on the icon to enroll in the course.
If you have questions, please contact Ron Swift - rswift@susumc.org
GROW! - Living as Spiritual Transformational Leaders
GROW! is designed to meet the criteria for use by Lay Servant Ministries as well as within the life of leadership in a local church. It specifically addresses best practices for leading in liminal spaces – caught between what used to work and what we don’t know will work yet.
The focus for the first four sessions is on the development of personal leadership practices. The second four sessions look more closely at personal leadership within community.
Questions? Alyson McCabe, Leadership Development Coordinator
Summer 2026 GROW! - Mondays in July & August - Learn More | Register
2026 Certified Lay Minister Retreat
Led by Rev. Beth Jones, this retreat for Certified Lay Ministers (CLMs) provides 24 hours of worship, learning, reflection, fellowship and rest in the beauty of God's creation. Together, you'll explore the barriers to self-care, discover lessons from the natural world, and develop healthy rhythms for sustainable ministry.
September 18-19, 2026
Friday, 4:00 p.m. to Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
Wesley Forest Camp & Retreat Center
58 Wesley Forest Lane
Weikert, PA 17885
$70 per person
Scholarships are available upon request
District Lay Servant Courses
Freedom Trail
-Spring/Summer Courses (Structuring a Sermon; Our United Methodist Heritage; Leading Worship; and Offering Pastoral Care in Times of Grief)
Mountain Valley
-Discovering Spiritual Gifts & Basic Course (Flyer-PDF)
-Living Our United Methodist Beliefs (Register - Order the Book - View Flyer)
-Called to Preach (Saturdays in August)
-Leading Worship (Saturdays in September)
-Aging and Ministry in the 21st Century (Saturdays in October)
North Central Rivers
-Basic & Advance Classes
-Disciple Fast Track - Old Testament Bible Study
Northern Wilds
No Classes at this time
River Valley
-Summer 2026 GROW! (see GROW! section above)
-Bus Trip to Museum of the Bible & National Mall (October 2, 2026)
Lay Servant Ministries
- Upcoming Opportunities
- Laity Sunday
Questions?
Joyce Davis
Conference Lay Leader
Christina McDermott
Associate Conference Lay Leader
Ron Swift
Director of Lay Servant Ministries
District Lay Leaders
Sheryl Hart
Freedom Trail
Ruth Hocker
Mountain Valley
John Clary
North Central Rivers
Candice Chase
Northern Wilds
Eugene Emerick
River Valley
District Lay Servant Ministry Committee Chairs
Alice Brady
Freedom Trail
Ruth Hocker & Rick Conklin
Mountain Valley
John Clary
North Central Rivers
Gail Vaughn & Cathy Dawes
Northern Wilds
VACANT
River Valley