We now have a Lay Preaching Advocate, Maggie Kirkbride, who is an Assembly Accredited Lay Preacher with the URC. The role of a Lay Preaching Advocate is to encourage all participants in worship to access training to ensure the worship presented is of a quality and standard for the URC.
The picture above shows the three ways that worship participation can be achieved in Wales. Formal training for accreditation can be accessed through the Lay Preaching Advocate or the Synod Training Officer or you may only wish to take a small part in the worship; bible reading, prayers or participating in a joint drama/talk/presentation during the service. However you can, and should, access some training to enable your participation to be within the expectations of the URC.
Accreditation as a Locally Recognised Worship Leader who can work within their local area, or as an Assembly Accredited Lay Preacher who can work throughout the Synod and the wider URC is detailed here.
The National Synod of Wales, as the wider URC, is relying more and more on the Lay Ministry to deliver services. On any given Sunday most of our churches will have a lay person either fully delivering or in part delivering a service. It is important that those taking part can participate in training to help them in whatever task they undertake for that service. The URC have three Resources for Learning Centres in the UK – Northern College, known as Luther King Centre, based in Manchester, Westminster College, part of Cambridge University, based in the centre of Cambridge and The Scottish College based in Glasgow. These colleges offer study courses both online and in person/residential as well as Lay Preacher Conference weekends once a year.
In Wales we hold a yearly Lay Ministry weekend, currently at Llandrindod Wells, in November which seeks to bring together lay ministry people to learn, challenge and socialise.
There is also a monthly zoom meeting held in the evening for any lay ministry participants to chat and discuss elements of lay ministry that pique their interest.
To access any of the details for training, Synod activities or just to chat through your own call or possibilities then email lpa.urcwales@urc.org.uk and we can get the conversation started.
God works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform.