Laity Sunday is Oct. 18 and honors lay leadership across the Michigan Conference. Also, applications for Laity Grants of up to $500 — funding training and resources for lay members — are due Oct. 1.
Laity Sunday, one of the five Awareness Sundays in The United Methodist Church, offers an opportunity to recognize and honor the faithfulness, leadership, and service of laypersons who help build and sustain the life and mission of their local churches.
This year, Laity Sunday falls on October 18. If that date doesn’t align with your church’s calendar, choose a date that works better for you. The theme is Be Grounded in Love (Ephesians 3:17), which echoes the Michigan Conference’s theme this year, Love Boldly. There is no designated offering for Laity Sunday.
Bookmark this web page. Discipleship Ministries will soon release promotional materials for Laity Sunday 2026 that you can use in your church newsletters and bulletins.
To support the work of the laity in the Michigan Conference, the Board of Laity (BOL) launched a grant program that has operated for the past five years. Grants of up to $500 are awarded annually to provide resources and leadership training for lay members when local churches or United Methodist-affiliated ministry partners, such as campus ministries, cannot fund these efforts.
Grant applications are due by October 1, 2026, and must be submitted by a lay member. Work under the grants must be completed by March 1, 2027, and reports of completed actions must be submitted to the Board of Laity Grants Task Force by March 31, 2027.
Apply for a Laity Grant today.
Some specific possibilities to consider include:
Michigan Conference ABAR Education & Training Program
ABAR resources for small groups/churches
General Commission on Religion & Race resources
Discipleship Ministries eLearning course
United Women in Faith resources
UMC Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation booklets
Amplify Media subscription
Lay Servant Ministries courses
United Methodist Church of the Resurrection’s Leadership Institute
Small group study materials
What ideas do you have for continued education or resources for laity in your local church or ministry setting? If you lack the funds and a grant would make an opportunity within reach, the Michigan Conference Board of Laity aims to help cultivate, support, and expand your skills by providing you with valuable resources!
Just this past year, seven grants were awarded, totaling $3,000 to support a variety of programs and projects throughout the Michigan Conference. For inspiration, here are four examples:
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- Clare UMC for updating outdated media, enabling streaming of its services to reach a broader audience.
- Central Bay District for leadership training registration fees and textbooks for participants in Lay Servant Ministries classes.
- Redford: Aldersgate UMC for an Amplify Media subscription, leadership development resources, and to attend the Grant Writing 101 and GrantStation Workshop, sponsored by the Michigan Conference.
- Gladstone: Memorial UMC for Bible study curricula, including Adam Hamilton’s “The Lord’s Prayer” and Laceye Warner’s “Knowing Who We Are: The Wesleyan Way of Grace.”
Apply for a Laity Grant today.
Last Updated on September 21, 2026