Ever since ARM received the Lay Witness Mission program from the General Board of Discipleship in 2004 we have been providing Lay Witness team member training to enlarge the pool of witnesses available to coordinators leading missions.  

Ava Williams, an ARM advisory council member, is the Conference Director of Lay Speaking for the Illinois Great Rivers (IGR) annual conference.  She came up with the idea of providing Lay Witness team member training as an advanced lay speaker training course.  Frank and Peggi Billman from the ARM office and Jack and Tina Stodgell, LWM coordinators, drove to southern Illinois to provide this training.

Also attending that training was Sandy Jackson, head of Lay Speaking Ministries for the General Board of Discipleship.  Ava’s training session was a pilot project that Sandy was observing before she advertises this training nationally as an approved advanced course for lay speakers across the country.  Sandy has invited Frank Billman to come to Philadelphia in January to participate in a national meeting of Conference Directors of Lay Speaking where he will share about this new offering of Lay Witness team training for Lay Speakers.  

Testimonies from those attending the training were positive and encouraging:

“I came here thinking I would get a little out of this – then the Holy Spirit took over and what a wonderful weekend. Sharing our lives was great and amazing how so many times we were struggling or experiencing the same things as others. We were able to share our lives knowing it was God who brought us together. God is good!”

“I met God AGAIN & AGAIN and AGAIN – fell in love with Jesus all over.”

“My heart was touched & moved, & I believe God is going to use this Lay Witness Mission ministry in our Parish to bring spiritual revival & renewal. God bless you!”

Ava has another Lay Witness team member training scheduled for Lay Speakers in the IGR annual conference to be held in Bloomington, IL April 23-24.

Spiritual leadership can be wearying.  Couples involved in ministry need times away for intentional renewal and refreshment.  But where can you find a renewal event that is not cost prohibitive or does not involve a significant sacrifice of time?

The ARM Minister and Spouse Retreat is one such opportunity.  In Isaiah 43:20, God promises to “give water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink…”  The experience of hosting thirteen of these retreats gives us the confidence to say that God faithfully fulfills that promise at this renewal event.

Taking place the week immediately following Easter, the event begins on Tuesday afternoon and ends on Friday at noon.  Sessions are filled with worship through song, prayer, interaction and sharing from couples seasoned in navigating the challenges of marriage and ministry.  Sessions address the topics of renewing our relationship with Christ, rekindling the spark in marriage relationships and in reclaiming God’s power source to minister in the character of Christ.

For a registration fee of $199, couples are treated to three nights at a hotel that includes a hot breakfast.  Catered lunches and dinners are also provided as well a gift certificate to a local restaurant for a “date night” during the event.

Are you a married couple involved in ministry desperate for some time away?  This retreat would be a great opportunity for renewal.

Perhaps you know a ministry couple who needs a break.  Purchase a registration as a gift.  Because attendees travel to and from the retreat at their own expense, and because childcare is not provided at the retreat, making arrangements for those expenses would multiply the blessing.

Registration is limited to the first 24 couples on a first-come, first served basis.  After 24 couples are registered, ARM creates a waiting list with the understanding that couples in ministry often have unexpected emergencies that require cancellation.

More information, including a downloadable brochure can be found by clicking here.