Silence filled the Vessel of Praise church in Lansing Sunday morning as 14-year-old Joshua Clayton clutched a microphone, pausing before greeting the congregation before him.

The signs of anxiety were apparent. The eighth grader's voice wavered as he began.

"How is everyone doing today?" the teenage preacher asked. When his question was answered with muddled responses, he repeated his question with more confidence.

"I said, how is everyone doing today?"

Joshua was speaking for the second time that morning, after preaching at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Lansing earlier that day.

He was a keynote speaker for Lansing's 21st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day luncheon Monday at the Lansing Center. He flew in early from Houston with his father to preach at area churches before the event.

He was the first ever youth speaker at the event, said Paul Elam, chairperson of the Greater Lansing Area Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission.

"One of our fellow commissioners was in a conference down South, and they brought Joshua in to be a motivational speaker," Elam said. "The speech he gave was pretty inspiring, and we called him to see if he would help out because our day has a lot of youth in the audience — and for 20 years we hadn't had a message for the students."

Joshua said King's legacy has affected his life in immense ways.

"I'm trying to carry on his message because not only am I an African American person, but I'm a boy," Joshua said. "I'm a young man, and I try to challenge adults sometimes. Even people in small packages can make big differences."

Joshua began working with the ministries in his church at a young age.

"We've always taken Josh to church with us," said Joshua's father, Craig Clayton Sr. "There have always been children services, and Josh would sit with me (at the regular church service)."

Joshua shied away from the children's services because they only colored pictures, his father said. His son soon wanted to become more involved in the church.

"Joshua wanted to know," he said. "He wanted to get involved to help young people."

At 10, with the permission of the pastor, Joshua entered a 14-week training program to become a counselor in their Baptist church.

From then, Joshua's interest in relaying spiritual advice flourished. He would often participate in discussions with other ministers, Craig Clayton Sr. said.

"It's just grown from there," he said.

Joshua began to preach last year, making his debut at the Vessel of Praise church in Lansing. He said he's interested in working with youth, both now and in the future.

"Younger people look through a different lens," he said. "When they talk to adults, they're different, but when they speak one on one with another child they feel comfortable. I feel comfortable. Hopefully, they feel comfortable with me, too."

Joshua said the importance of service is something he emphasizes in his work and is another reason to acknowledge King's work.

"I try not only to commemorate Martin Luther King but also acknowledge his steps of service," he said. "No one can compare to the steps he made — not only did he impact the African American community, but he impacted the world.

"I don't think we should have a day off. We should have a day on, when we can visit our history museums to learn, not chilling at home playing PS2 and Xbox."