Lay Speaking
What is Lay Speaking Ministries?
Lay speaking ministry is a United Methodist system for lay leadership development. The basic and advanced courses are designed to help persons develop their skills in leadership, communication, and care-giving. Participating in this training as it is offered helps you build relationships with other lay leaders. In this way you increase opportunity for yourself and for your congregation to be in ministry with others, your credibility as a leader is enhanced.
According to the Discipline, a lay speaker is a professing member of a local church or charge conference who is "ready and desirous to serve the Church and who is well informed on and committed to the Scriptures and the doctrine, heritage, organization and life of The United Methodist Church." A lay speaker "has received specific training to develop skills in witnessing to the Christian faith through spoken communication, church and community leadership, and care-giving ministries" (para.266).
From Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation, 2008
Click here to view Lay Speaking classes and events in the New York Annual Conference >>
Lay Speakers in Mission: Safe Water for Haiti
The Lay Speakers of the NYAC raised $7,234.15 as part of a national Lay Speaking Ministries project that collected over $57,000. Those funds were all matched, praise God!! That means that 1,140 water filtration systems will be supplied to families in need of safe water in Haiti. Most of these have already been shipped and are awaiting VIM team visits to assist in their installation. Thanks to all who assisted in this project.
Annual Report
Download the Lay Speaker Annual Report for 2011. PDF file. Word file.
Please visit the GBOD site for more information on lay speaking.
District Directors of Lay Speaking Ministry
| Catskill Hudson | Margaret Howe | (845) 943-8962 | |
| Eugene Knoth | (845) 688-5901 | Knothheat@yahoo.com | |
| Connecticut | Mary Brevigleiri | (860) 307-4611 | mbrevigleiri@perrytechnology.com |
| Long Island East | Susan Johns Greenfield | (516) 659-3402 | |
| Rev. Gertude Nation | (631) 261-1303 | geedezz1@aol.com | |
| Long Island West | Marie A. Davis | (917) 439-7387 | roses4him777@yahoo.com |
| Metropolitan | Rev. Estella Abel | (914) 309-7080 | vonerabel@yahoo.com |
| New York/ Connecticut | Elaine Winward | (845) 661-6331 | ewinward@optonline.net |
| Conference Director | Peter O’Neill | poppao@optonline.net | |
| Conference Lay Leader | Renata Smith | (914) 664-2622 | Renata10553@yahoo.com |
| Conference Director of Connectional Ministries |
Ann Pearson | (914) 615-2230 | apearson@NYAC.com |