On May 8-10-21, 2026, twelve lay leaders from North America gathered at Church of the Trinity MCC, Sarasota, FL, USA, for the fifteenth North American (NA) LEAD retreat, pursuing a certificate in the UFMCC Laity Empowered for Active Discipleship (LEAD) Program.

The most recent LEAD participants spent Friday morning through Sunday afternoon learning leadership skills that are required components for the LEAD curriculum. Toward the end of the retreat, the participants spent time discerning their call to lay ministry, choosing between several ministry tracks, including Administrative LEADership, Spiritual LEADership, Community Outreach LEADERSHIP, Governance LEADership, Congregational Engagement LEADERship and Gereralist LEADership. The retreat participants ended the retreat by sharing their call to lay ministry at the closing ceremony.  It is anticipated that the participants will complete their certificate requirements within 12-18 months.

The participants at this most recent LEAD retreat included: 

• Humberto Cruz Guadarrama, Resurrection MCC, Houston, Texas, USA
• Anjanette Daugherty, SunCoast MCC, Venice, Florida, USA
• Claudia Hayes, MCC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
• Kevin Lewis, Open Arms MCC, Pahoa, Hawaii, USA and MCC Good Shepherd, Sydney, AUS
• Ed March, King of Peace MCC, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
• Art Mata, MCC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
• Dorian Mayorga-Kennedy, MCC Tampa, Tampa, Florida, USA
• Sara Osborn, MCC of Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
• Wil Renner, MCC of Topeka, Topeka, Kansas, USA
• Brenda Slabaugh, MCC of Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
• Amy Snider, Church of the Trinity MCC, Sarasota, Florida, USA
• Christine Willingham, Mountain Spirit MCC, Asheville, North Carolina, USA

The faculty for the NA LEAD 15 retreat was comprised of the NA LEAD Core Team Members: Elder Velma Garcia, Barry Hundley, Elder Nancy Maxwell, and Marie Tasker ,with special guest facilitators, Rev. Elder Lillie Brock, who presented the Change Cycle within the context of the new spiritual landscape and JT Priar (NA LEAD 13), who presented on Young Adult Ministries.

The NA Core Team members express their gratitude to the congregants of Church of the Trinity MCC Hospitality Team, who provided the lunches and dinners for the retreat, as well as the congregants who hosted the retreat participants in their homes, served breakfast and provided transportation to and from the retreat.

A special thanks goes to Rev. Elder Lillie Brock, Senior Pastor of Church of the Trinity, as well as Laticia Williams, Church of the Trinity Housing Liaison and a NA LEAD 6 graduate, and Rev. Collis Laton, building and classroom logistics. Church of the Trinity MCC also has the most LEAD graduates of any MCC congregation, several of whom supported the NA LEAD 15 participants by sharing their call to lay ministry during the retreat and attending the retreat’s closing ceremony.

For more information regarding our LEAD program, please visit: https://insidemcc.org/lead-program/