Reporting provided by Ervin Aguilon, LPA, North Hills Hispanic Mission

Spanish Lay Servant Ministry (LSM) classes officially began on the evening of Monday, April 7 with the LSM Basic Course/Curso Basico. The grand launch of this Spanish-language program took place at North Hills Hispanic Mission UMC, with some conference leaders in attendance, including DS Luis Garcia, Pastor Adrian Gracia, Leah Gallardo, and Cathy Wilson. Students joined from various churches such as Huntington Park UMC and El Getsemaní in Santa Ana, along with virtual participants via Zoom, including CalPac Executive Director of Connectional Ministries Erin Hawkins and Melissa Basch, Conference Director of LSM. The evening featured delicious tacos, snacks, and a time of fellowship and rejoicing. 

A total of 36 students are officially registered for the first class, with four of the five Cal-Pac districts represented. The basic course will wrap up May 4, and the second course, Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts/Descubriendo mis Dones Espirituales, will start May 12. The spiritual gifts LSM course will also be offered in English starting April 24.

The Spanish LSM classes represent a continuing effort to offer Lay Servant leadership courses in the languages that represent our conference, join current Tongan classes (next courses starting May 5 and May 6, in partnership with the California-Nevada Conference), and upcoming courses offered in Khmer.

You can find out more about LSM offerings in all of these languages and English on the LSM website.