Healthy, Vital, Sustainable Congregations and Leaders are supported by the following grant programs:
The Congregational Vitality Grant is focused on supporting congregations trying to live into something that is very new to them, and seeks to engage their church with a way, place, people, or ministry that they have never engaged before. Congregations are invited to dream new dreams, imagine new ways, and begin new initiatives that lead to the development, redevelopment, and renewal of congregational life.
The Coaching for Sessions and Leader Grant is aligned with the vision of building healthy, vital, and sustainable leaders. Grant funds may be used for intentional coaching support for a Session and Leader. Up to three (3) church Sessions and their leader may be eligible to apply. The grant monies provide for 6 team-coaching opportunities for the Session and 6 leader opportunities, from a certified coach from our Synod’s Coaching Network. The coach comes alongside the leader and session to assist in clarifying a vision, goals and implementation that they identify.
2022 Congregational Vitality Highlights
Saturday Morning Café, Trinity Emmanuel
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The purpose of the Saturday Morning Café is to provide a safe welcoming location for eating and socializing for individuals in the neighborhood surrounding neighborhood Trinity Emmanuel Church. It demonstrates Christians in action practicing as a Matthew 25 Church. A free breakfast will be provided two times a month in the church fellowship hall on the first and last Saturdays of the month–chosen because the first Saturday seemed easy to remember and the last because individuals’ finances are often light at the end of the month. As a means to support one another and explore new ways of being Church together the Café will be staffed entirely by volunteers from Trinity Emmanuel, other churches, and service organizations.
Connecting People to Christ, Lyndonville
Connecting People to Christ has several facets and involves purchasing Chromebooks and providing instructions on using them as needed. It entails enabling seniors to access livestreamed worship services, the website, and use email or online giving so they are linked back into the life of the church. Youth can connect by using them for confirmation class or for research projects. Bible Study classes can use the books to access Bibles and information. We can connect with the other churches in our Harvest Neighborhood to do youth activities, or if we act as a satellite location for youth workshops on the presbytery level, we will have chrome books available for those events.
Antiracist Practices for Faithful Leadership, Third
Our congregation is predominantly white, and mostly middle- to upper-class with a broad spectrum of comfort and facility with antiracist principles and vocabulary, including the leaders of our Antiracism Team who have had differing levels of understanding and experience, and none of them have had training in facilitating discussions about race. Recent reading, researching, and getting involved in antiracist action and advocacy, have occurred in preparation for a more formal, strategic direction. To that end Third Church would like to purchase a training resource from Next Church, Antiracist Practices for Faithful Leadership, for our Antiracism Team leadership and our pastoral leadership. We expect the training will better equip this team to guide the congregation to fruitful action as we seek to fulfill our Matthew 25 commitment.
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration Series, Medina
