RAYAC in Action
Lydia Owens, St. John AME Church, 9th Episcopal district
The Richard Allen Youth Council (RAYC) was founded in Memphis, Tennessee, during the 150th celebration of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
The primary goal of the RAYC was to coordinate and unify the total program which the local church offered its youth.
The RAYAC Today
Richard Allen Young Adult Council (RAYAC) was born at the 45th Quadrennial Session of the AME Church, and is an outgrowth of the Richard Allen Youth Council (RAYC). The RAYAC no longer serves as an overseeing body of other youth organizations, it is now a group for young adults between the ages of 21-39. The goal of the RAYAC is to retain young adults to the Lord, the church, and to lead young adults to use their gifts and talents in the service of the Lord.
The St. John RAYAC Ministry attended its first event of 2023 on January 27th. The event occurred on the campus of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. Sister Shay Williams, RAYAC coordinator and several other members set-up an information station for the Religion Fair. The Religion Fair was established to provide the students with an opportunity to experience the varied congregations and religious offerings in the Huntsville-Madison County area. All denominations were invited to participate.
Sister Shay reported having engaged with many students while at the fair. Several students shared an interest in visiting St. John during worship services on Sunday mornings. She assured those wanting to attend that transportation could be provided if needed.
Sister Williams has announced that the second RAYAC event will occur on February 18th. The ministry is planning an outing to Stars and Strikes, a local entertainment venue, for some good food, fun and fellowship. Thought has gone into planning activities to get to know one another better since this will be the first time since the pandemic when persons have had an opportunity for face-to-face engagement.
Other future events or goals planned by the ministry will be to re-establish the partnership between Alabama A&M University and St. John AME Church. Sister Williams would love to get back to the time when the church hosted the AAMU Day of Worship on the campus. This will enable the college students to once again be involved in worship in their own environment.
