MYAKKA CITY — When Rocky Walker, a member of Myakka City United Methodist Church here, was appointed last year director of the Sarasota District’s Lay Speaking Ministry, he said he found frustration among the 65 local church and certified lay speakers.

"Some…were not being utilized in their local churches," he said. "They weren’t able to use the skills and training they had received."

To give the lay speakers opportunities to use their skills, a committee of district lay speakers decided to coordinate a quarterly service led by lay speakers.

The first service, held June 1999 at the Myakka City church, was a test, according to Walker. "We wanted to see how it would go."

Although a few lay speakers and members of the church attended the service, Walker said the lay speakers "were absolutely ecstatic that something was being done."

An individual or group of lay speakers coordinates each service. They volunteer the use of their church as the site, and a coordinator chooses the speaker or speakers for the service and invites a choir or group to provide musical leadership. All of the district’s lay speakers are invited to the event 30 days before the service.

The service’s format is up to the person or committee planning the event. Most have been traditional, Walker said, though several services have featured contemporary praise choruses.

Since the first service, attendance and interest have grown. "The district superintendent is thrilled. The pastors are very interested. When I’ve explained it to other district directors, there’s a lot of oohs and ahs and, ‘Why didn’t we think of that?’ " Walker said.

Walker says he is still evaluating the effectiveness of the services and the response to them. "It’s in its infancy, and I see nothing but good things coming out of it," he said. "It seems to be growing, so there’s no reason to stop it now."

By June, however, he expects the services to be firmly entrenched and hopes to start publicizing them regularly through the district’s pastors and newspaper. Until then, he is pleased with the impact they are having on lay speakers.