2026| Learning on the Way
🌟 You’re Not Alone in Lay Worship Leadership
Being a Licensed Lay Worship Leader is a meaningful and rewarding ministry—but it can also feel isolating. After years of intensive study in a close-knit learning group, stepping into diverse congregations on your own can be disorienting. Where do you go for connection, inspiration, and continued growth?
These small groups are designed to bridge that gap.
They offer a supportive space to reconnect with colleagues across the country, team up with experienced mentors, and continue developing your worship leadership skills. You’ll explore new dimensions of your faith, engage with current challenges facing the church, and sharpen your spiritual and liturgical practice.
And yes—these groups count toward your Continuing Education requirements.
Whether you're seeking community, creative renewal, or deeper theological engagement, these groups are here to support your journey.
Join a group. Find your people. Deepen your ministry. Earn your CE credits.
(Select one of the Groups) - *If you would like to attend more than one, you will have to register and pay for another session*
Group #1 - Generative AI and Liturgy (90 min sessions)
Group Leader: Christine Smaller
This three-session online Learning on the Way course is
for Licensed Lay Worship Leaders who want to think carefully about artificial
intelligence without losing sight of what really matters in worship.
By the end, each participant will have a draft personal
guideline for AI and liturgy, a working document they can revise over time. It
will set out, in clear and practical terms, where they do not wish to use AI in
worship and where they may choose to explore careful, creative uses, for
example idea generation, help with clearer wording or other languages, or
visual aids that support their own work. The guideline will grow out of their
theology and context, keep trust and spiritual and liturgical formation in
view, honour commitments to justice and inclusion, and encourage open, honest
communication with their congregations around AI use.
- Monday March 23, 2026 at 4:30pm-6:00pm ET
- Monday April 20, 2026 at 4:30pm-6:00pm ET
- Monday May 11, 2026 at 4:30pm - 6:00pm ET
Group #2 - Preparing for Worship in Lent: Bless, Brake, Share for LLWL's
Group Leader: Sandra Litt
These
sessions will use the UCC Lenten Devotional booklet, Bless, Break, Share
as the basis for preparing worship during Lent. By the end of this course,
participants will have chosen scriptures and themes, stories and
illustrations, prayers and music that can be used in developing worship
services.
There will be 3 sessions, each session is 90 min focusing on specific chapters of the Lenten booklet. For those individuals registering for this session you can receive a promo code to get 15% at checkout at ucrdstore.ca for Bless, Break, Share.
- Session #1: Invitation and Longing, Ch. 1-3 - Wed Jan 28, 2026 at 7pm -8:30pm ET
- Session #2: Blessings and Brokenness, Ch. 4-5 - Wed Feb 18, 2026 7pm-8:30pm ET
- Session #3: Love, Justice & Solidarity, Ch. 6-7 - Wed March 18, 2026 7pm-8:30pm ET
Group #3 - Different Ways of Leading Worship
Group Leader: Sandra Litt
This 3-session webinar will
focus on some of the more challenging situations that LLWLs encounter as they
lead worship in a variety of congregations.
- Session #1: Leading worship in small congregations - Wed April 22, 2026 at 7pm-8:30pm ET
- Session #2: Leading worship with children - Wed May 20, 2026 at 7pm-8:30pm ET
- Session #3: Leading worship in times of transition - Wed June 17, 2026 7pm-8:30pm ET
