News Release from the Ministry Council of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church: Lilly Grant Awarded
The Ministry Council of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church has been awarded a grant of $1.25 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Louisa Woosley Preaching Initiative.
The program, which will be directed by the Pastoral Development Ministry Team, is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Compelling Preaching Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to foster and support preaching that inspires, encourages, and guides people to come to know and love God and to live out their Christian faith more fully.
The Louisa Woosley Preaching Initiative is a five-year program aimed at helping pastors to improve their preaching skills and deepen their understanding of what makes preaching compelling for diverse audiences. Over the next five years, the initiative will include two preaching conferences, two spiritual retreats, quarterly online cohort preaching groups, a preaching track to be held concurrently with the Program of Alternate Studies Summer Extension Session to include both ordained pastors and candidates for the ministry, and technology grants available to participating pastors.
Edith Busbee Old, Director of Ministries of the Ministry Council said, “Pastoral Development Ministry Team Leader Rev. Dr. Pam Phillips-Burk assembled a strong team to carefully and creatively craft the award-winning grant proposal and we are excited, humbled, and greatly heartened at the level of support and trust that Lilly Endowment is placing in our effort to produce quality outcomes. The grant will directly support the Ministry Council’s outcomes identified in our recent strategic visioning to develop leaders, support churches, and ensure an effective Ministry Council by promoting our work to secure additional funding.”
The Ministry Council of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church is one of 81 organizations receiving grants through this competitive round of the Compelling Preaching Initiative. Reflecting the diversity of Christianity in the United States, the organizations are affiliated with mainline Protestant, evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, Anabaptist and Pentecostal faith communities. Many of the organizations are rooted in the Black Church and in Hispanic and Asian American Christian traditions.
“Throughout history, preachers often have needed to adapt their preaching practices to engage new generations of hearers more effectively,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “We are pleased that the organizations receiving grants in this initiative will help pastors and others in ministry engage in the kinds of preaching needed today to ensure that the gospel message is heard and accessible for all audiences.”
Lilly Endowment launched the Compelling Preaching Initiative in 2022 because of its interest in supporting projects that help to nurture the religious lives of individuals and families and foster the growth and vitality of Christian congregations in the United States.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.
About the Ministry Council
The Ministry Council is the Cumberland Presbyterian denomination’s ministry programming division. Together, the Ministry Council and its Ministry Teams create resources to assist individuals on their spiritual journey and congregations in their varied ministries. Resources cover a wide spectrum including Christian education, leadership development and special programs. The Ministry Council helps individuals and congregations to be actively engaged in vital missions work in the United States and around the world; assists presbyterial committees on the ministry or preparation for the ministry, individuals exploring a Call to ministry, and provides a support network for active and retired ministers. The Ministry Council publishes print and electronic media offering a place for Cumberland Presbyterians to ponder, weigh in on and affirm beliefs, concerns, and love for the denomination and for all people we’re called to serve.
