BATON ROUGE - Earlier Sunday, Saint Mark United Methodist Church had a special service known as a Laity service.

Usually during these services, the Reverend takes the day off and they bring in a guest speaker, but that wasn’t the focal point of the service. Sunday, they honored four members of their church who have reached 100 years of age or are nearing it.

They honored Mildred E. Bowie, 107, Vertlee Washington, 103, Charlotte Burkhalter, 93, and retired Reverend Bertland Griffin, 89. These four members received multiple gifts and a big round of applause for their long life in Christ.

“Service was beautiful today. I wasn't expecting all of this honoring, but it was beautiful," Mrs. Washington said.

This service left Mrs. Bowie speechless yet filled with emotions.

“I'm at a loss for words. I'm overwhelmed. Everything was so beautiful,” Bowie said.

Laity Sunday is actually next Sunday, October 15, but because they were honoring these members today, the church decided to combine the two events into one service.

The four lifelong members of the church were given gifts as a thank-you for all they have done and all the lives they have touched. Saint Mark United Methodist Church opens its doors for service at 10 a.m. every Sunday morning.