CONGRATULATIONS WCM LICENSED LAY MINISTRY CLASS!

[Chronicle, June 8, 2023]  On Saturday, June 3, 2023, the Waiolaihui'ia Center for Ministry's (WCM) first Licensed Lay Ministry class celebrated their completion at a special ceremony and service held at the Church of the Holy Apostles in Hilo.  Nine of the class's eleven students from four of the main islands, were present for this event.  Congratulations to the following:

• Lisa DeLong – Catechist, St. Christopher’s​
• Evette Tampos – Catechist, Holy Apostles
• Soane Lino – Preacher, St. Clement’s
• Joy Martinez – Preacher, Cathedral of St. Andrew’s
• Carlton Pang – Preacher, St. Mary’s
• Mary Carpenter – Worship Leader, St. Clement’s
• Maria Jampolsky – Worship Leader, Holy Apostles
• Mary Ann Lentz – Worship Leader, St. Christopher
• Frankie Pang – Worship Leader, St. James’
• Roth Puahala – Worship Leader, Cathedral of St. Andrew’s
• Katy Shroder – Worship Leader, Holy Innocence

​"It was a very touching and historic ceremony," said the Rev. Haaheo Guanson, Dean of Waiolaihui'ia. Collaborating with the Rev. Katlin McCallister of Holy Apostles, who led the classes for ten months, they mapped out the course and arranged for guest speakers from around the Diocese to join in. 

Further below, the Rev. Katlin McCallister shares the journey of the inaugural class, and the process to become licensed laity. Those who feel called are encouraged to inquire.

What are Licensed Lay Ministries?

Certain roles in churches are filled by laypeople who have been licensed by the Bishop to function in these capacities. The ministries that need a license are specified by the canons (church laws) of the Episcopal Church; they are the following:
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• Eucharistic Minister
• Eucharistic Visitor
• Worship Leader
• Preacher
• Catechist
• Pastoral Leader

The Diocese of Hawai‘i has specified the training requirements for a number of these roles.

Requirements for licensing are outlined by the Commission on Ministry and then forwarded to Bishop Fitzpatrick for approval. Currently, the ministries of Eucharistic Minister, Eucharistic Visitor, Lay Preacher, Worship Leader, and Catechist are being licensed.

Licenses are issued by the Bishop. Licenses expire the third year and are renewed on the First Sunday of Advent. (Taken from the Diocesan website HERE.)

"This picture shows what I experienced from our Waiolaihui'ia LLM course. It's a tool for helping our clergy when they're sick, on leave, etc., to keep our ship for the church floating.  The big Katea represents the clergy and their responsibilities and the Hama for the LLM and when there's no Hama, the Katea will sink." -Soane Lino

Becoming Licensed Laity in the Diocese
By The Rev. Katlin McCallister

​This training grew out of the Insight Space initiative of our Diocese. There’s been a clear need across the Diocese to lift up and empower laity in their gifts for teaching, preaching, and leading.

Over the summer of 2022 Dean Guanson and I put our heads together to come up with a year of training at the introductory level that would include both spiritual formation and specific ministry skills.  We offered an informational session in August 2022, that was attended by about 25 interested laity.  Of that initial interest, 11 people decided to follow through with the course.

September through December of the course was focused on discernment and Episcopal formation for lay leadership.  January through May 2023, was focused on license-specific training for Catechists, Preachers, and Worship Leaders, and offered intersectional education across license tracks. The foundation of the course was drawn from content offered by the Iona Collaborative of Seminary of the Southwest.  This is the same content that Waiolaihui'ia uses to train students on the ordination track of education; the material was tailored to train laity in the license tracks that they were pursuing.

Over the course of ten months, the class gathered entirely by Zoom. We had class session for four hours on the first Saturday of each month, and small groups in between each monthly class with homework. Over the course, guest speakers included the Rev. Haaheo Guanson, the Rev. Canon Sandy Graham, the Rev. Christopher Golding, the Rev. Kaleo Patterson, and Joe Kuhio Lewis, President for the Council of Native Hawaiian Affairs.

The next instructor for this course will be the Rev. Andrew Arakawa, and the coursework will begin in January 2023, as all of Waiolaihui'ia programs are moving to a calendar year. Once the students complete the coursework, they have to apply for licensure through the Commission on Ministry for recommendation of the Bishop’s approval.  Once licensed, the minister serves under the direction of the clergy or lay leader of their supporting parish, and their license is good for two years of service. After two years, the minister is required to complete continuing education in order to renew their license.

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Sybil Nishioka, Editor
Photos: Evette Tampos