Imagining a Church Yet to Be: Local Leaders Reflect on Global Gathering
Bishop Dan Schwerin and four leaders from the Northern Illinois-Wisconsin Episcopal Area joined United Methodists from around the world to imagine the fut…
Laity Sunday is one of five Awareness Special Sundays that highlight ministries and causes important to the entire United Methodist Church. On this day, we celebrate the vital role of lay people—the everyday members who live out their faith and serve in their local churches and communities.
Laity Sunday celebrates the people of God and the Spirit working through them (all of them). As God’s people grow in grace, they gather with others and connect with the saving love of Jesus Christ. So, on Laity Sunday, we continue to lift up God’s call to follow the way of Jesus and lead others to him – especially as we consider what it means to be chosen and grounded in God’s love –love that calls us to bless the world with our light and witness.
October 18, 2026
The theme for Laity Sunday 2026 comes from Ephesians 3:17 - Together by Grace: Be Grounded in Love.
This year, the emphasis is on being chosen, love-grounded people of God who are:
- imitators of God’s grace,
- favored to favor,
- blessed to bless,
- called to be examples and bring light to life (vice versa)
- as grateful witnesses to God’s grace for all.
Discipleship Ministries has created Laity Sunday resources for you to use in your congregations.
Encourage and recognize lay leadership in your congregation, participating in worship, or sharing your own gifts in service to your community. Whether you serve in the church or in your daily vocation, you are part of God’s ongoing mission. Laity Sunday is your day to reflect, celebrate, and recommit to that calling.