Lay Servant Ministry - Commonwealth East

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Advanced Lay Servant Ministry course: Climate justice 

Friday-Sunday Sept. 15-17, 2023 at Rolling Ridge Conference and Retreat Center, North Andover, MA

In Loving People and Planet in God’s Name, Global Ministries EarthKeepers Bob Downs and Crys Zinkiewicz equip and empower lay participants to engage people in their local churches in creation care and environmental justice. This course is open to all districts.

Lay participants will understand this work as the appropriate response of disciples of Jesus Christ to the realities of climate change. Using the new revised second edition of the United Women in Faith book, Climate Justice: A Call to Hope and Action, edited by Pat Watkins, this course helps local churches grow deeper in their faith through the caring creation of practical and context-specific plans that mitigate the effects of reckless human consumption.

This course will be offered in a retreat format; we will have down time for walking in the woods, walking the labyrinths, sitting by the lake, and even kayaking or canoeing. If you want to attend, please fill out the registration form and follow the directions there.

Course materials

You will also need to purchase the course book, Climate Justice: A Call to Hope and Action, edited by Pat Watkins. It is available from United Women in Faith here. It is also offered in electronic form on Amazon, and is available for free on Amazon in Kindle Unlimited, if you have that subscription. Please read the book before attending the retreat! Links to other reading  will be sent upon receipt of registration form. 

Cost

$350 including double room and all meals and supplies

Registration

Download and complete the registration form 

Registration forms must be received by Aug. 15, 2023 

Any questions, contact Bonnie-jean Rowe at bjmrowe@verizon.net


Advanced Lay Servant Ministry course: Leading Public Prayer (Zoom)

Instructor: Bonnie-jean Rowe, Conference Director of LSM/CLM

Dates: 5 Tuesdays, Oct 24, 31, Nov 7, 14, 21, 2023

Time: 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Location: Zoom (link will be sent prior to class)

Course description: Leading Public Prayer offers a model of profound and accessible congregational prayer. At once inspirational and practical, it will empower and equip laypeople and clergy alike to offer heartfelt, informed, thoughtful, and appropriate prayers on behalf of the people of God. It will lead you to consider what public prayer is and offers practical guidelines for avoiding common pitfalls. It explores prayers as an integral part of worship and discusses the kind of language we need to address God.

Course materials:  Shaping the Prayers of the People: The Art of Intercession by Samuel Wells and Abigail Kocher;  Purchase the text prior to the first class.  Available in paperback or ebook at Cokesbury.com and on Amazon.

Preparation:  Read chapters 1 and 2 before the first class.

Cost: $20 (does not include text)

Registration and payment: Click here.

Registration Deadline: October 23, 2023

Questions?: Contact Bonnie-jean Rowe