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.

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.

For me the most important thing was confidence. I can see things that God has done over the years that were preparing me for this time of answering his call.

I liked the way that the course prepared us for the meeting with our district superintendent. At least for me, I had no idea what to expect from a meeting with her. It took a lot of pressure off me knowing that I was well prepared before I got there.

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.

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.

This course has caused me to stretch my spiritual muscles to complete the assignments. It was a challenge sometimes and I spent A LOT of time praying. But it merely "whet my appetite" for the next phase of the training. I can't wait to get started.

During this course I was able to define my call and develop a spiritual resume.

I learned that when I was initially called by God to do something He had for me to do, I reacted like Moses. I could give God countless reasons why I couldn’t do whatever He was calling me to do.

As time passed, I moved from the Moses call to the Abraham call. I had finally reached a place in my journey where I stopped fighting God and told Him I would go wherever He wanted me to go and do whatever He wanted me to do.