By The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs
Episcopal institutions can now apply for the next round of the Episcopal Evangelism Grants Program, designed to fund local and regional evangelism efforts in the Episcopal Church. The application deadline is October 1.
“At its best, evangelism is a response to the deepest needs of our neighbors and communities,” said the Rev. Devon Anderson, chair of Executive Council’s Episcopal Evangelism Grants Committee. “We aim to catalyze initiatives and experiments that can teach us more about how to spread the gospel in all of The Episcopal Church’s diverse contexts.”
The grant program, which began in 2017 as a result of the 2015 General Convention’s increased investment in evangelism galvanized by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, awards up to $2,000 for an individual congregation and up to $8,000 for multi-church, diocesan and regional collaborations.
The grants committee, said Anderson, is seeking proposals that will:
- Create and spread resources that equip Episcopalians and churches to become evangelists and to share and receive faith stories in daily life.
- Create opportunities for people who are not part of a faith community to build their own loving, liberating, life-giving relationships with God in Christ.
- Aim for lasting, broad impact.
- Employ innovation and creativity.
- Promote churchwide learning, understanding and practical application.
“Recently, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry challenged the staff of The Episcopal Church and the members of Executive Council when he exhorted us to remember that our job is to ‘equip the Church to be the Jesus Movement in the world.’ That equipping is what this program aims to do,” said Jerusalem Greer, staff officer for evangelism for The Episcopal Church, who serves on the Episcopal Church’s Evangelism Initiatives Team.
Congregations, dioceses, provinces, schools, monastic communities, and other Episcopal organizations are eligible to apply. Regional collaborative partnerships with non-Episcopal entities are welcome as long as an Episcopal entity is the project leader, active manager, and reporting agent. Groups receiving grants are expected to make significant financial contributions toward their projects, and to report what they have learned to the wider church. Projects associated with seminaries and formation programs are encouraged to explore funding through the Episcopal Evangelism Society.
The Episcopal Evangelism Grants program is coordinated by the Executive Council Joint Standing Committee on Mission Within The Episcopal Church in collaboration with the staff team. The Grants Committee will make its recommendations to Executive Council in December, and funds will be distributed in early 2020.
The grant application, criteria, and additional information is available on The Episcopal Church website. The application deadline is October 1, 2019 at 11 pm Eastern.