Their efforts were recognised through a graduation service held on 10 August 2019
A part of Pastor George Kumi's (North England Conference Ministerial director) ministerial portfolio, is the responsibility to see that Lay Preachers are equipped adequately with the skills for preaching.
For this course he enlisted pastors who were willing and able to teach aspects of preaching to those who enlisted on the Lay Preachers' training.
Others working as part of the team included Pastors, Appiah, Bruce, Herbert, Brooks, Majaducon, Nicholson, McIntosh, and Palmer who taught various aspects of preaching to the students.
As the students attended each class, they gleaned information on subjects such as; 'How to organise a sermon', 'How to select a theme', 'How to choose and interpret a text' and many other subjects.
The students took the course seriously and this was demonstrated by how they compiled and preached their various examination sermons. What must not be overlooked was the encouraging way they gave their fellow classmates feedback about the sermons they preached as part of the course.
Their efforts were recognised through a graduation service held on 10 August 2019 at the Yardley Adventist church. This was a joyful celebration where Pastor Steve Palmer, the host pastor declared before the church in his inimitable, but amusing style, "I love preaching."
Ann-Marie Herbert blessed the awaiting congregation with a melodious meditational, using the powerful song, 'Were it not for grace'. Dr Patrick Herbert followed and preached the graduation sermon, entitled, 'Who is He?' ‒ a sermon embodying some of the techniques and styles taught within the class. Pastor George Kumi then led the way in conferring the graduation certificates on the successful students.
A reminder to all those who accept the responsibility to preach, comes from E G White, where she says:
"We are never to forget that Christ teaches through His servants. There may be conversions without the instrumentality of a sermon. Where persons are so situated that they are deprived of every means of grace, they are wrought upon by the Spirit of God and convinced of the truth through reading the word: but God's appointed means of saving souls is through 'the foolishness of preaching." – E G White, Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 300.