![]() Laity Sunday is a time to recognize the work and mission of all laity - not only within the walls of the church but in everyday lives. The January issue of The Methodist Layman enthusiastically reports the aim of Laymen's Day as ".to emphasize the place that lay members have in the total life and work of the church." Once the factions of the Methodist Episcopal Church merged in 1939, the joint General Board of Lay Activities approved Laymen's Day and designated February 23, 1941, as the first United Methodist Church observance. Within two years, the success of the celebration hastened to make Laymen's Day an annual observance. the third Sunday in May Anniversary Day, commemorating the constitution of the Board of Lay Activities by the General Conference, the same to be designated as "Laymen's Day," and strict observance of this day by a lay program in every church, which shall set forth adequately the place of lay activities in the Church and be of inspirational value to the laymen for larger service in the kingdom. The September 1928 issue of The Methodist Layman reports. (Reflecting the times, these early celebrations focused only on the ministry of men.) By 1930 the Evangelical Church had begun celebrating the work of laity at the culmination of each annual men’s retreat. The first recorded observance of "Laymen's Day" was in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in 1929. ![]() Today, lay people are the front line of daily ministry at the workplace, in the home and within the community.Īrchives suggest the earliest plans for a Laity Sunday beginning in 1928. In the early days of American Methodism, the laity served and maintained congregations between visits of the circuit riders. ![]() Methodism, in all its roots, has a long history celebrating and recognizing the ministry of the laity.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |