LAY SERVANT MINISTRIES ADVANCED COURSE:  Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts
Tuesdays, March 10, 17, 24, 31, 2026 & April 7, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM California (PDT)
Tuesdays, March 10, 17, 24, 31, 2006 & April 7, 2026, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Hawaii (HST)
Wednesdays, March 11, 18, 25, 2026 & April 1, 8, 2026, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Guam (ChST)

Zoom Online Platform
Register now at this link.

Cost & Deadlines: $30.00 and you must provide your own book (see below). Please note the deadline to register is Monday, March 9, 2026. The class size will max at 30 participants and registration will close if that number is reached before the registration deadline.

About the Class:

• This course helps participants understand spiritual gifts and how the church can use them to fulfill its mission and ministry. Participants will also learn what it means to be a spiritual leader and will be equipped to lead others in exploring and using their spiritual gifts.
• The instructor is Ana Goar Johnson, an active member of Crenshaw United Methodist Church in Los Angeles for more than ten years. She currently serves as the West District Lay Leader and is a Certified Lay Speaker. Ana holds both a Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Business with an emphasis in Marketing.  She is adept at improving processes, supporting strategic initiatives, and fostering strong relationships. Her background spans in several industries- healthcare revenue cycle management, secondary mortgage lending, banking, nutraceutical, hospitality, and construction. Ana serves her church and district in multiple leadership roles, including the Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC), the West District Committee on Ordained Ministry (DCOM), the Conference Laity Council, the West District Location & Building Committee, and the DPAS Committee, among others. Ana is also deeply committed to community advocacy. She serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Orange County, walking alongside vulnerable children and youth in the foster care and juvenile systems. Her work reflects her tender desire to be a voice for those who are too often unheard and to bring compassionate care to young people navigating high‑trauma experiences. Her spiritual gifts—intercessory prayer, administration, and faith—beautifully shape her leadership, teaching, and ministry. Ana is a lifelong learner with a genuine love for her family and a heart for serving others in the way Christ served. She continues to share, with warmth and authenticity, the many ways God has moved in her life.
• Attendance is required at all sessions for credit.
• All those seeking certification as a Certified Lay Servant or Certified Lay Speaker, and those needing continuing education for Certified Lay Servant status, are invited to attend. The BASIC class and one Advanced Class are required to successfully apply for Certified Lay Servant status.
  • About Certified Lay Servant (CLS) status: After you take the Basic Lay Servant Class, you have 3 years to take an advanced class to qualify you as a Certified Lay Servant. If you want to continue on to being a Certified Lay Speaker, you will need to take the following six advanced classes: Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts, UM Heritage, UM Polity, a Preaching class, a Prayer class, and a Worship class. For more information about Lay Servant Ministries, click here.
• Provide your own book:  For the Common Good: Discovering and Using Your Spiritual Gifts by Christine Harman (Amazon, Upper Room)
• Technical requirements for Zoom participants: To participate in Zoom meetings, participants must have a reliable Internet connection, and a laptop, tablet, or smartphone device that can download and install the Zoom app. A web or phone camera and a microphone are highly recommended, although some users may call in via phone if a mic is not available. 
• Zoom information is included in your confirmation email and submission message.

For more information about this course, contact Cathy Wilson in Connectional Ministries at cwilson@calpacumc.org.