Testimonials

The call portion is what benefited me the most. It was very helpful to craft a statement because I had to examine how God has been moving me through this process.... It is a great exercise to write about one's calling.

This is an amazing course, made all the richer by the instructors and the fellow students. The affirmations of my fellow students and the course instructors have not only encouraged me, but strengthened my calling. I will be ever grateful for this course.

I have been serving the Methodist Church as a District Superintendent’s Assignee for about 3 years, and last July went to licensing school and am now enrolled in Course of Study for local pastors in the United Methodist Church.

The Lay Academy prepared me well with the beginning skills and the history of the church to take my studies to the next level. I want to thank the Lay Academy for the preparation, guidance, the opportunity for group participation, and the grace I experienced

Pastor Ellis’s encouragement and the encouragement of all the instructors helped me find the courage to pursue God’s calling in my life.

I absolutely believe The Academy gave me the tools and the confidence to be a pastor. The topics and teaching were geared toward preparing me and others to be of greater service to the church.

I was blessed with two great instructors: Dr. Carl Ellis and pastor Jada Hodgson. They are exceptional and knowledgeable leaders who provided us the knowledge and skills needed to pastor a church.

And I was blessed with a small group of fellow students who were committed to Christian service.

I really enjoyed the class setting. It was a safe environment [and] I appreciate the fact that we were encouraged to learn from one another. I was stretched and challenged and grew because of it. I feel I am more myself than I have ever been.

I am a preacher’s kid, and have been in the United Methodist church for over 60 years. Despite this experience, this course has been invaluable to me, not just for preparing me to fill a small membership church need, but rounding out my Christian education in general, and my Methodist upbringing as well.

For me this class has established a bible study routine, encouraged me to use new bible references and other relevant texts and disciplined my thinking. I would wholeheartedly recommend this class to any United Methodist lay person.

It was exciting for me to find that my gifts matched my calling. I was also surprised to learn the strength of some of those gifts.

Dr. Ellis was very involved in the course and very helpful, beyond what I would normally expect. I liked the small size of the class. It made interaction with everyone deeper and easier.