The teachings of the Catholic Church aren’t “kid stuff,” said Ray Postel, and it’s important for adults — especially those active in lay ministry — to develop an adult understanding of the faith. For Postel, a parishioner at St. Pascal on the Northwest Side, that was a main benefit of Called and Gifted, a two-year lay ministry formation program for those who serve their parishes or faith communities sponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago. For Jennifer Pepping, who coordinates adult faith formation at St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Mundelein, going through Called and Gifted helped give her a better grounding in the faith so that she could better share it. The Called and Gifted program is celebrating its 30th year, with a banquet planned for Dec. 4. More than 1,600 people who have graduated since its inception in 1979 are still active in ministering to parish communities, mostly as volunteers. Since it started, the program has grown from one to two years, with nearly a full year spent studying the Old and New Testaments. Students also study ecclesiology, Catholic doctrine and sacramental theology. Retreats and formation sessions focus on topics such as spirituality, communication and the church and culture. Cost of the program is shared between the students and their sponsoring parishes, and students are expected to continue to minister in their sponsoring parishes for two years following completion of the program. Classes generally are offered at three sites: St. Xavier University, Gordon Tech High School and University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. Postel, an extraordinary minister of Communion, minister of care, lector and member of the Holy Name Society and Respect Life committee at St. Pascal, said he probably would not have enrolled on his own, but a friend of his who doesn’t drive wanted to enroll, so he agreed to enroll with him. “It was a call by the Holy Spirit to help my friend do something he wouldn’t have been able to do on his own,” Postel said, “It opened for me a view of how truly universal the church is. I don’t mean that just in the sense of geography. I mean in the experience of life.” The incoming Called and Gifted class will begin with a retreat in September. For more information, visit www.usml.edu/LayMinistry/CalledandGifted/.