The Foundation for Evangelism is pleased to announce that 31 grants have been awarded in its inaugural Equipping the Local Church Grants 2022 cycle. The grants total $230,000, with each of the 31 recipients receiving either $5,000, $7,500 or $10,000 depending on the proposed initiatives. The proposals were individually assessed by a review board and confirmed by the Foundation’s board of trustees.
Grant recipients were from 4 Wesleyan-tradition denominations: The African Methodist Episcopal Church, The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, The Church of the Nazarene, and The United Methodist Church. They came from 15 different states across the country. 100% of the applicants were new to the Foundation, although several were connected to Denman Evangelism Award recipients, Conference, or District leadership.
“It is exciting to see the passion and partnership present in these local church grant initiatives! The Foundation for Evangelism looks forward to being a resource in partnership with these churches and organizations as they implement their projects throughout the coming year,” said Rev. Dr. Heather Lear, Vice President for Grant Administration.
The recipient churches and organizations are:
$5,000 Category
80-Twenty UMC – Online Community Growth – Missouri
Cotton Hill UMC – Sangamon River District Digital Discipleship Ministry – Illinois
Emerson United Methodist – Bartow Agape Network -Georgia
Ford Street UMC – Coffee Shop Ministry – Indiana
Girard UMC – Messy Church Fresh Expressions – Pennsylvania
Living Hope Church of the Nazarene – Fresh Expressions at Portofino Apartments – Florida
Madras Church (UMC) – Minorities Engagement and Empowerment – Georgia
Mission 210 Church Plant – Florida
Mt. Carmel UMC – New Beginnings Dinner Church to Go North Carolina
New Hope Church of the Nazarene – Faith in Action / Fe en Accion – Missouri
Patton UMC – Patton Sunday Supper – North Carolina
Prairie River Parish (Lacon/Sparland) UMC – Illinois
Scenic Church of the Nazarene – Foster Parent Respite Care – Missouri
Snow Hill – Iotla UMC Charge – The Gospel in Black and White – North Carolina
Wesley Chapel UMC – Satisfy Your Hunger – Virginia
Wesley UMC – Cooling Center & Community Outreach Initiative – Arizona
$7,500 Category
Magnolia Avenue UMC – Rebuild and Restore Magnolia Avenue – Tennessee
Samaritan UMC – Project Better Together Dinner Church – Missouri
$10,000 Category
Alabama-West Florida Conference UMC – Fresh Expressions – Innovative Outreach Cohort – Alabama
Baltimore District, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church – JOURNEY: Spirituality, Story and Transformation – Maryland
Churches in Action (Church of the Nazarene) – Communities on Mission Training – Arizona
DuBois Lakeside UMC – Lakeside “Unwritten” Initiative – Pennsylvania
Eureka First Church of the Nazarene – Followers of the Way – California
Grace African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church – Discipleship Training and Mentoring Program – North Carolina
About Face Outreach Consultants (UMC) – Higher Power Church – Pennsylvania
Nashville District, the African Methodist Episcopal Church – District Evangelism Events – Tennessee
Smoky Mountain District UMC – Re(Discover) Evangelism – North Carolina
Southside Community Center (Church of the Nazarene) – Evergreen Process Expansion – Illinois
Storm Lake UMC – Youth Evangelism Among South Sudanese – Iowa
The Living Well Mission (UMC) – Snack Shack – New York
Trinity UMC – Neighborhood Ministry – Georgia
About The Equipping the Local Church Grant
The Foundation for Evangelism’s Equipping the Local Church Grant has categories for $5,000, $7,500, and $10,000 awarded to small and medium church congregations, or clusters of churches working together, in a Wesleyan-tradition denomination. Selected applicants must show how the grant can launch an experiment or initiative to share the Gospel, tell their faith stories, and invite others into a relationship with Jesus.
About The Foundation for Evangelism
The Foundation for Evangelism is a Wesleyan-tradition grant-making organization located at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. Chartered in 1949 by Dr. Harry Denman, then the General Secretary of the Board of Evangelism of the Methodist Church, and a group of visionary laymen, it was designed to “diffuse the blessing of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Today, we carry out that vision by providing grants that can be a catalyst to equip disciples to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. We focus our grant-making in three specific areas: Raising Up Gospel Leaders, Equipping the Local Church, and Engaging the Ministry of the Laity.