Four people received certificates recently at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in downtown Rome after completing four years of study in Education for Ministry.

Education for Ministry is a course administered by the School of Theology of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. The EfM program does not evaluate or recommend individuals for ordination, but is a study of the Anglican tradition that includes the Bible, church history, theological reflections, sharing of personal spiritual journeys, prayer and thought-provoking discussions. Students meet in small groups.

The St. Peter’s EfM students were Wade Carpenter, Tom Dasher, David Hicks and Bryant Steele. Randy Warley was a mentor and Betsy Awsumb was an assistant mentor.

EfM was founded on the idea that Christians need a theological education to support their faith and express that faith in day-to-day events. Lay persons face the difficult and often subtle task of interpreting the richness of the church’s faith in a complex and confusing world. As the emphasis on lay ministry has grown, EfM has come to play an important role by providing a program that develops an informed and knowledgeable laity.

Though EfM is a four-year program, students commit for just one year at a time. The four new graduates completed the program in consecutive years.

The St. Peters EfM seminar group meets for nine months on Sunday afternoons at the church. A new first-year class will begin in September. Tuition includes all reading materials. Detailed information, including sample lessons, is available at the EfM website www.sewanee.edu/EfM. Anyone interested in enrolling in the St. Peter’s class may send an email to wrwarley@comcast.net.