Friends of the Shenandoah River District, it’s already May, and summer is around the corner. I want to start this month off with a congratulations to the two Certified Lay Speakers who gave their sermons in front of the Lay Servant Committee. David Naser and David Gordon, congratulations again. You are a blessing to our district.
The Lay Servant Committee has come together to set up a day when Lay Servants who have completed all 8 classes and would like to become a Certified Lay Speaker can give their sermon before the committee and an audience. The first date is Sunday, June 7, 2026, at St. James in Mt. Crawford, VA, at 2 PM. We have three that are ready, and we could include one more on this date. If you’re interested in presenting your sermon, please send me all your lay training reports and a recommendation from your pastor. I can schedule you for June 7 or our next one in October. Pastors, please check with anyone in your congregation who is ready for their next steps, and ask them to reach out to me by phone or email.
Our next Lay Servant Training Day is Saturday, September 26, 2026. I will share the location in the coming months. I do know that we will be offering the Basic course, so if you know anyone in your congregation or laity who would like to start their journey in Lay Servant ministries, please share this with them.
In closing this month’s entry, I have a Q&A for you all.
After taking the basic course, what should you do?
Begin preparing your Lay Servant Report for the district so you can start tracking and uploading it in Unity.
In the coming months, we will have a tutorial to help you all upload your reports in Unity.
Have a blessed May, and God Bless.
Raini Newman