October 1, 2024
The Ministry Council of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church has received a $1,250,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish Worship Adventure, a multifaceted program that will include events and resources to inspire and encourage worship education and children’s inclusion in corporate worship in new and exciting ways.
The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative, a national initiative designed to help Christian congregations more fully and intentionally engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices.
Worship Adventure will be an avenue for us to offer resources and support to our pastors and congregations as we model and teach our youngest Cumberland Presbyterians lifelong worship and prayer practices. It will offer the church an opportunity to walk alongside the children as they learn how important their participation and leadership are in their congregation.
“What an amazing opportunity we have been given to turn what have been programming dreams into reality for Cumberland Presbyterian children and families. Worship Adventure hopes to engage children and parents, pastors and church leaders with new resources and events focused on prayer and worship practices that encourage children to feel more comfortable with their place in worship settings” said Jodi Rush, Coordinator of Children and Family Ministry for the Ministry Council’s Discipleship Ministry Team.
The Ministry Council of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church is one of 91 organizations funded through the latest round of the initiative. They represent and serve congregations in a broad spectrum of Christian traditions, including Catholic, mainline Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, Anabaptist and Pentecostal faith communities. Several organizations are rooted in Black Church and Hispanic and Asian American Christian traditions.
“Congregational worship and prayer play a critical role in the spiritual growth of children and offer settings for children to acquire the language of faith, learn their faith traditions and experience the love of God as part of a supportive community,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These programs will help congregations give greater attention to children and how they can more intentionally nurture the faith of children, as well as adults, through worship and prayer.”
About Lilly Endowment Inc
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic 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. The 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.
For more information contact:
Edith Old
(901) 276-4572, ext. 228
Or
Jodi Rush
(615) 415-9735
