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Education for Ministry by Deborah Hudson For the last 5 years, I have participated in an adult education program called Education for Ministry or EFM. It's been the cornerstone of my spiritual journey. EFM nurtures my head, my heart, my hands. In my EFM group, we use our heads to investigate and appreciate scripture, church history, and theology. With our hearts, we take that knowledge and applying it to our own lives, listen for God's call to us. From our discussions and reflections, we identify our own gifts and discern our individual ministries - and support each other as we take our ministries in hand. All of us are called to ministry at baptism, and we want to respond, but many of us don't know where to start or how to keep going. Few of us have the education, training, and encouragement to fulfill our potential for ministry. Education for Ministry (EFM) is designed to give us basic knowledge and confidence to engage in the ministry we share in the Body of Christ for the world. EFM is there to help us live out our baptism. What is EFM? EFM is a serious course of training for lay ministry that was developed at the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. EFM is a small group program; each group has 6-12 students and a mentor. EFM is demanding. It requires roughly 1-3 hours of preparation each week, and the weekly meetings of the group typically last 2 _ to 3 hours for 34 weeks a year. EFM is a four-year cycle of study, and participants commit to one year at a time. At the core of EFM is a program known as theological reflection, a process that brings scripture and theology into daily life. Starting with anything from a member's experience waiting for a bus to a comic strip from the morning paper, the group relates it to scripture and tradition, cultural norms and individual beliefs. Through this program, we gain insights into our lives and our own individual ministries. In our group, we also share spiritual autobiographies, explore what a life in Christ means, develop an understanding of our own theology and, of course, explore our ministries. What will you get from EFM? I can only speak for myself. I joined EFM five years ago, I took a deep breath and figuring even if I didn't finish the whole course, I would learn about the Old Testament the first year. After the first year, it was easier to continue. And even after I graduated, I stayed on as a mentor, or group facilitator. For me, EFM changes your life in an enduring and continuing way. I moved from wanting to "know about" God to finding ways through discussion, meditation, prayer and scripture to a personal relationship with God. My understanding of and reaction to my own experiences are fundamentally changed thanks to EFM. Here are some things that other EFM members have said about our experience: "It is had to communicate spiritual concepts to things we consider non-religious; it breaks social codes. But that's what we do at EFM." "We get different perspectives on self, EFM material, and life. The discipline of EFM, knowing that the group counts on each person doing their preparation and fully participating, motivates us." "Our group provides a forum for out-of-the-box thinking." What EFM is not. EFM is not Bible study, though you will read all of Scripture and commentaries on what you have read. EFM is not lectures. There is no professor, no teacher, no expert on Scripture (there is a trained mentor, who facilitates the work of the group as needed). EFM is "adult" education: each student is responsible for doing his/her own homework and coming to class prepared to share and to participate in worship, discussion, theological reflection, and prayer. Are you interested? EFM can provide CEU credits, grants a diploma upon completion of the course, and is sponsored by the Diocese of Los Angeles. Tuition is $325/year, and there are a limited number of reduced tuition positions in each group, depending on group size. Are you interested? Called? Contact one of the persons listed for more information: The Rev. Hartshorn Murphy at (310) 395-0977; email Hartshorn@saint-augustine.org. or Deborah Hudson (her number can be found in the parish directory). To read more about the EFM program and philosophy, visit http://www.sewanee.edu/EFM/EFMhome.html There will be a brief informational meeting on Sunday, June 6th from 12:15-12:55 p.m. to answer questions for those considering joining an EFM group we hope to begin in the fall. Join us. Listen, ask, explore. There is no obligation, only exploration.
Copyright © 2004 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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