Grants Awarded to ELCA Ministries

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Thirty ministry projects of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will share $700,000 in grants awarded by Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL) and Lutheran Brotherhood (LB), as part of the agencies' churchwide grant awards program for 2000.
AAL is a fraternal benefit organization based in Appleton, Wis., and Lutheran Brotherhood is a fraternal benefit society based in Minneapolis. This is the first year in which the two organizations made their awards together, said Tammy Jackson, associate director, ELCA Department for Synodical Relations. Jackson oversees the churchwide grant program for the ELCA.
"We are very grateful to both organizations for all the support they continue to provide for the mission and ministry of the ELCA," Jackson said. "A variety of ministries is made possible through the churchwide grant program funded jointly by AAL and LB. Most of the projects receiving awards this year focus on leadership development and multicultural ministries."
Proposals for grants were considered from several ELCA churchwide units and awarded as follows:
+ "Focus Group with Stakeholders in Youth and Family Ministry to Propose Relational Distance Learning for Youth and Family Ministry Leaders of Underserved Congregations in the ELCA," Division for Congregational Ministries, $20,000: The project aims to help the ELCA reach people underserved because of geography or economics.
+ "Guide to Effective Synodical Church in Society Work," Division for Church in Society, $8,400: The division will create a resource for synods outlining stages of organization to address social concerns.
+ "After Pastors," Division for Ministry, $12,000: The grant will be used to conduct a national gathering which will offer support for interim ministers or pastors who follow a pastor who left a congregation following allegations of sexual misconduct.
+ "American Indian and Alaska Native Family Summer Camp," Commission for Multicultural Ministries, $25,000: The educational event for American Indian and Alaska Native families focuses on health and wellness, civil rights and career choices.
+ "Arab and Middle Eastern Workshop to Develop Leadership," Commission for Multicultural Ministries, $8,000: This three-day workshop will help Arab and Middle Eastern Americans prepare for leadership in their congregations and ministries.
+ "Asian Lay Leader Training," Commission for Multicultural Ministries, $15,750: The program will help Asian Americans become prepared to develop synodically authorized worshiping communities.
+ "Assistants and Associates to Bishops Gathering 2001," Department for Synodical Relations, $50,000: The department will host a gathering that will offer support and a chance to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as many new bishops are elected.
+ "Breaking the Bonds of Internalized Oppression," Commission for Multicultural Ministries, $40,000: Participants in this two-part education and training workshop will learn about the impact of racism on individuals, society and the church.
+ "Candidacy Formation Events -- A Pilot Project," Division for Ministry, $20,000: The project extends the benefits of the annual diaconal ministry formation events held each summer at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. This will be accomplished by developing and testing a model of a formation event which could include candidates for all ministries, both lay and ordained.
+ "Congregationally Based Immigration Services Pilot Project," Division for Outreach, $22,660: The division will equip four Lutheran churches to develop a viable congregationally based immigration service center as an extension of their outreach ministry in their communities.
+ "Consultation on Indonesian Ministry," Commission for Multicultural Ministries and Division for Outreach, $7,000: The grant will help establish a network for Indonesian Lutherans in the United States.
+ "Creating a Process for Connecting Faith and the Practice of Law," Division for Church in Society, $4,000: A planning group will be formed to design a process to join lawyers, judges and legal scholars with pastors, theologians and others to deepen their understanding of the theological and ethical meaning of vocation in the practice of law.
+ "Ecunet Seminar Series," Department for Communication, $12,000: The project will attract new members to the ELCA's conferencing system, LutherLink, through a fraternal-sponsored seminar series of leading experts in various aspects of congregational ministry.
+ "ELCA Churchwide Offices -- A Well Workplace," Division for Ministry and Department for Human Resources, $15,000: The grant will implement a process for certification of the ELCA churchwide offices as a "well workplace."
+ "ELCA Prayer Network and Synodical Prayer Leadership Training," Division for Congregational Ministries, $20,000: The grant will help establish a network of ELCA congregations committed to prayer.
+ "First Call Theological Education (FCTE) Coordination Summit," Division for Ministry, $20,500: Key planners and coordinators of FCTE programs across the ELCA will meet to learn from each other, learn what ecumenical partners are doing and learn how churchwide units can support their efforts.
+ "Global Mission Village -- Bringing Mission to Life with Youth," Division for Global Mission, Division for Higher Education and Schools and Division for Congregational Ministries, $20,000: The units will offer a retreat experience for youth and their adult leaders. It will blend the expertise in language and culture of Concordia Language Villages with current projects and programs of the sponsoring units. This project is also sponsored by Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., and the Concordia Language Villages.
+ "Latino Leadership Training," Commission for Multicultural Ministries, $24,000: The grant will fund a gathering of primarily ordained ELCA Latino leaders for the purpose of gaining greater appreciation of their unique cultural perspectives.
+ "Living Faithfully in a Violent World," Division for Congregational Ministries, Division for Church in Society, Commission for Women, Division for Higher Education and Schools and Women of the ELCA, $20,000: Training events will focus on how congregations can respond to acts of violence in their communities. Events will be gospel oriented, dealing with faith stories and theological issues as they relate to violence and anti-violence. Discussions will include prevention and intervention as community ministry.
+ "Lutheran Vespers Gift Subscriptions for Missionaries," Department for Communication and Division for Global Mission, $11,800: The units will send cassette copies of the "Lutheran Vespers" (LV) radio program to ELCA short-term and long-term missionaries at no cost to the recipients. LV will place ELCA missionaries on the subscription list for one year, mailing four programs to them monthly.
+ "New Church, Young Church -- Latino Young Adult Training Event," Division for Congregational Ministries, $24,000: The division will form a speakers/trainers network to respond to the growing need in synods and in their communities for youth lay leadership development.
+ "Parish Nurse Recognition and Support," Division for Church in Society, $4,200: Funds will be used to gain support for more than 800 parish nurses of the ELCA. There will be an ELCA presence at the Health Ministries Association and at the Granger Westberg Symposium. A process and plan will be developed to recognize formally the role of parish nurses in congregations.
+ "Rural Crisis Emergency Fund," Division for Church in Society, $100,000: Funds will be used to address the crisis in rural America. Four primary areas of concern are direct relief, care for clergy, advocacy and development.
+ "Social Ministry