Save the Date

Episcopal Lay Preachers Virtual Conference

October 30–31, 2026

Mark your calendar.

This fall, lay preachers from across the Church will gather once again for two days of inspiration, learning, and connection at our annual Lay Preachers Virtual Conference.

Whether you preach regularly in your parish, serve occasionally when called upon, or are discerning a call to proclaim, this conference is designed to strengthen and encourage you in your ministry.

Together, we will:

• Deepen our skills in sermon preparation and delivery
• Engage theological reflection rooted in Anglican tradition
• Share practical tools for faithful proclamation
• Build community with lay preachers across dioceses and contexts

No travel required — join from wherever you are and be part of a growing movement of lay people who are truly Called to Proclaim.

More details and registration information will be available soon. For now, save the date: October 30–31, 2026.

Past Offerings

An Online Webinar for Lay Preachers

Webinar Details

• Date: Tuesday, January 27
• Time: 7:00–8:30 PM (Eastern Time)
• Format: Live, online webinar
• Cost: Free
• Registration: Register here >

Lent invites the Church into a season of reflection, repentance, and renewal, but preparing to preach during this sacred time can feel daunting. Preaching Lent: Themes, Practices, and Pathways offers lay preachers space to step back from the weekly lectionary and explore the deeper rhythms, questions, and movements that shape the Lenten journey.

This 90-minute webinar will feature brief presentations from experienced preachers and teachers, each offering a non-lectionary-specific approach to preparing sermons for Lent. Rather than focusing on individual readings, presenters will explore themes, practices, and theological frameworks that can guide preaching throughout the season from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week and toward Easter.

Each presenter will speak for 10–12 minutes, followed by time for questions and conversation. This webinar also serves as a foundation for future small-group opportunities, where participants will be invited to join regional exegesis groups to engage the lectionary more deeply with trained facilitators.

What We’ll Explore

Presenters will each choose one approach and share how they would use it to prepare a Lenten sermon. Topics may include:

• The history and purpose of Lent: Why the Church keeps this season and what it means today
• The Paschal cycle: Where Lent leads us as we journey toward Holy Week and Easter
• Deepening Lenten practice: Traditional disciplines and emerging spiritual practices
• Encounters along the way: Jesus’s interactions with others throughout the Lenten lectionary
• Finding meaningful paths through Lent: Grace, redemption, discipleship, and hope
• The role of the collects as a thematic guide across lectionary years
• Lent as a journey toward Baptism and renewal of baptismal vows

Presenters

• Mark Conrad is a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lancaster, OH. He has been a licensed lay worship leader since 2016 and a licensed lay preacher since 2018. With the permission of Bishop Breidenthal, he led Morning Prayer and preached at Trinity Episcopal Church in McArthur, OH, two Sundays each month, from 2018 until 2022, when family obligations necessitated stepping back from that role. He is currently the Senior Warden at St. John’s and leads Morning Prayer Tuesday through Friday at 8:30 AM, and occasionally gets to preach at one of the four churches in the four church collaboration, which includes St. John’s Lancaster, St. Paul’s Logan, St. Paul’s Chillicothe, and St. Philip’s Circleville. He is one of the lay preacher trainers for the Diocese of Southern Ohio. He is also involved in the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), co-leading NAMI Fairfield County. He retired in 2021 from the Information Technology Department of Fairfield County. He is married and has two adult daughters.
• Ms. Deborah Stokes-Wayne, MSSA, LISW retired in 2005 as Social Work Administrator, Division of Maternal and Child Health, Ohio Department of Health.  Following retirement she worked briefly as the Social Service Director for New Story of Ohio, a group home for teenage youth and as the Clinical Director for Minerva Park Behavioral Health, a residential and Intensive Outpatient Facility for Drug and Alcohol Addiction. Deborah is a member of St. Philip Episcopal Church, Columbus, Ohio where she is completing her second term as Senior Warden. Through the Diocese of Southern Ohio, Deborah is currently a Lay Licensed Preacher since 2010, previous Chair of the Dismantling Racism Training Committee and Senior Deputy to General  Convention. Deborah received her Master’s degree in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
• Canon Karen Olsen serves as the Canon for Vitality in the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota and is in her 25th year working in the Bishop’s office, having served in three episcopates.  She works closely with faith communities in leadership transitions, guides congregations in discerning their vitality and their vision, serves as the Secretary of Convention, leads Vestry Retreats and Mutual Ministry Reviews, facilitates conversations in discernment principles, co-teaches the Lay Preacher Training program, engages in conflict mediation and due to her longevity spends a lot of time “doing other duties as assigned.” Karen has a bachelor’s degree from Luther College and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in vocal performance.  She has a diverse work background having taught at the college level, served as a campaign manager for a US Senate race, administered in a parish office, and worked in church publishing. Karen credits much of her work ethic to having been raised on a dairy farm in Wisconsin.
• Jeremy David Clos brings a rich interdisciplinary background to conversations about preaching, shaped by more than 25 years in the performing arts and a deep commitment to theological formation. After a long and successful career in theater arts, including leadership in youth conservatory programs and extensive work in costume design, most recently at Raleigh Little Theatre, Jeremy discerned a vocational shift during the COVID-19 pandemic and returned to academia to focus on theology and Christian formation. Jeremy graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Religious Studies from North Carolina State University in 2021, where his studies emphasized biblical interpretation, the history of Christianity, and the relationship between religion and society. He is also a graduate of Education for Ministry through the University of the South in Sewanee and currently serves as an Education for Ministry mentor. He is also currently enrolled in a certificate program in Youth and Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Jeremy serves as Lay Associate for Christian Formation at Church of the Nativity in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he participates regularly in the parish preaching rota, offers children’s homilies, and collaborates in liturgical planning and catechetical development. Jeremy enjoys traveling with his wife, Ashley, and spending time with his nieces, nephews, and godchildren.
• Anne Stokes is a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Mobile, AL. A member of the first Episcopal Preaching Foundation’s Lay Preacher Training Initiative, she was licensed in 2023 and preaches monthly. Additionally she produces bulletins for all services, is a chorister and choir librarian, and serves as Clerk of the Vestry. She is licensed to administer the reserved sacrament and occasionally leads Morning Prayer. She served as an EFM mentor in several parishes over 25 years, and has served on Music & Liturgy commissions in two dioceses. When not at church Anne volunteers as a docent at the Mobile Museum of Art, sings with the Mobile Vocal Arts Ensemble, and reads just about everything that comes her way. She is retired from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where she served as Campus Event Services Manager and Director of International Student Programming. She enjoys time with her four children, their spouses, her four grandchildren, and a 16 year-old Chihuahua, Blanche.

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is designed especially for lay preachers in the Episcopal Church, whether you are newly licensed or deeply experienced. Clergy and others involved in preaching and formation are also welcome.