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Lake North Lay Academy Fall 2026

Location: Euclid Avenue UMC, 405 S. Euclid Ave., Oak Park

2026 Fall Ln Lay Academy Graphic

 

SATURDAYS, Nov. 7 and 14
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Euclid Avenue UMC
405 S. Euclid Ave., Oak Park 

All class times must be attended to receive course credit.

Online registration

Cost: $40

Cost includes catered lunches, breakfast, and beverages.
Each student will need to purchase their own book.

Download the Flyer


Did you ever wonder about Lay Servant Ministry and Lay Academy?

Please join an informational zoom meeting hosted by the Lay Academy planning committee on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. There will be a short presentation on Lay Servant ministries followed by a question-and-answer session. Please contact Jim Hagedorn for more information and the meeting link.


Class Options: (one course per academy)

  • Basic Course

    This course is foundational for all courses in Lay Servant Ministries. Participants are encouraged to discover and employ personal spiritual gifts as God intended and to consider the importance of exercising servant leadership, developing future leaders, remaining rooted in consistent spiritual practices, and being part of a group that holds members accountable in their discipleship.
    Instructor: Shaun Barton
    Book: Lay Servant Ministries Basic Course Participant's Book by Sandy Zeigler Jackson and Brian Jackson

  • Life Together in the United Methodist Connection (United Methodist Polity)  

    This course gives participants an overview of the structure and organization of The United Methodist Church.
    Instructor: Peggy Hansen, CLM
    Book: The Method of Our Mission by Laceye C. Warner

  • Fresh Expressions
    Beginning where discipleship always starts (relationships), participants will grasp how genuine, authentic gatherings meet people where they are and can become means of grace for both those disconnected from church and those who long to see others made whole by grace.
    Instructor: Rev. Clayton Edwards and Pastor David Profitt
    Book: Fresh Expressions: A New Kind of Methodist Church for People Not in Church by Kenneth H. Carter Jr. and Audrey Warren

  • Embracing Personal Prayer
    In this class, we will examine each's own prayer life and discover tools to help in the process of entering personal prayer. Methods such as fasting, listening, using Scripture, hymns, journaling and intercessory prayer can help all grow in prayer in practical ways.
    Instructor: Jim Hagedorn
    Book: Lord, Teach Us to Pray by Margie Burger

  • Ministry with the Forgotten: Dementia Through Spiritual Lens:
    This course is designed to help laity and clergy deepen their understanding of persons living with dementia and help all maintain their identity and worth as beloved children of God. God. Confronting the deep personal and theological questions created by loving people with dementia, Carder calls the church to a deeper discipleship defined by the quality of our caring and receiving relationships. Participants will discover what it means to carry each other’s memories, joys, and diminishments together in community. Through loving practices that nurture and incorporate persons with Alzheimer’s and dementia into the church’s life and ministry, we experience a spiritual wholeness rooted in God’s grace beyond our own strengths and capacities.
    Instructor: Deaconess Martha Lundgren
    Book: Ministry with the Forgotten: Dementia through a Spiritual Lens by Kenneth L. Carder

Questions? Contact:  Shaun Barton

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