IN LAYMAN'S TERMS

Gratitude part 3 — Thanks ... In Jesus‘ Name

Todd concludes a special three-part series on showing gratitude to God during the week of Thanksgiving 2021 with a study of how Jesus gave thanks.

Unlike many of us, Jesus didn't just give thanks for what already had happened, but He also thanked God prior to performing miracles and before willingly dying for humankind — lessons in showing great faith that God would provide what was needed.

Gratitude part 2 — King David‘s Guide to Giving Thanks: the Psalms

Our special three-part series on giving thanks to God continues with an examination of how King David showed his gratitude toward God:

• Looking back at what God already had done for him and the Israelite people.
• Praising the traits and truths of God.
• Understanding God listens to our prayers.
• Having faith that God will answer.

Gratitude part 1 — Giving Thanks in Good Times & Bad

In a special three-part series the week of Thanksgiving 2021, Todd studies how to show gratitude to God. The series starts with lessons from the prophet Daniel, who showed that we should give thanks to God when things are going really well for us, but also when times are tough.

CLM Part 3 — Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries

Todd continues his series on certified lay ministry with an interview with the Rev. Dr. Carl Ellis. Besides being a retired elder serving two rural churches in southeast Kansas, Carl is the founder and leader of The Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries. In this episode, Carl shares his views on lay ministry and provides an update on changes regarding the academy — plus a special online workshop planned for late February.

CLMs Part 2 — Teaching & Preaching

We continue a short series on certified lay ministries and certified lay servants with a look at how one CLM, Bryan Hankins, serves two churches in the Omaha area as an associate pastor. Learn about his passion for teaching, how he works with the appointed pastor, and about an exciting multi-language effort for the Lay Servants Ministry Basic course within the Great Plains Conference.

CLMs Part 1 — Leading the Local Church

We start a short series of episodes examining certified lay ministers (CLMs) and the role they play in the local church, how they are trained, and why more people may want to prayerfully consider exploring becoming a CLM. In this episode, host Todd Seifert talks with Jada Hodgson, a CLM serving as pastor at Plum Creek United Methodist Church near Paola, Kansas. It is believed that Jada was the first CLM in the United Methodist denomination.

Seeking Justice as Christians

The “In Layman’s Terms” podcast concludes its series on re-emerging from our in-home exiles with a look at how we can reshape our communities to more closely resemble the Kingdom of God. A key part of that effort likely is justice ministries.

Host Todd Seifert, conference communications director, interviews the Rev. Sarah Marsh, the new coordinator for mercy and justice ministries. They talk about the difference between mercy ministries and justice ministries, and they discuss the partnership the conference has with two organizations that are building grassroots community organizing efforts across Kansas and Nebraska.

Lydia Patterson Institute

In this special video episode of "In Layman's Terms," host Todd Seifert talks with Dr. Socorro de Anda and Rev. Larry Moffet about the Lydia Patterson Institute. LPI is a ministry of education and discipleship for kids along the border of El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. Download the episode.

• You can learn more about LPI by going to its website: https://lpi-elpaso.org/.
• Watch a video of this interview.
• Listen to more "In Layman's Terms" episodes at https://toddseifert.com/podcast/.

Keeping What Works

The re-engagement series continues with an interview with the Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede, lead pastor at St. Paul United Methodist Church in the Benson neighborhood of north Omaha. She and Todd talk about the things St. Paul tried as a means of staying connected to its community and parishioners and how some of those efforts are now so ingrained into the church that they will remain long after the pandemic is over.

In this episode, Stephanie references several videos you may want to check out for yourselves:

• Pianoside Church.
• The online children's Christmas pageant.
• Provide a devotion or sermon by phone.

Reading the Bible

We continue our look at re-engaging our faith by examining how we read the Bible. In this episode, Rev. Jeff Goetzinger from the Hutchinson area and Todd talk about their different strategies for reading through the Bible in 365 days.