Twelve ministries to receive grants for projects serving young people
6/5/1998 News media contact: Linda Green · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn by United Methodist News Service
Twelve United Methodist ministries in the United States and Africa have been awarded $41,190 in mini-grants to support cutting-edge ministries with young people
The mini-grants use funds from the churchwide Shared Mission Focus on Young People initiative. The one-time grants, ranging from $2,500 to $5,000, will assist local churches, annual conferences in the United States and Central Conferences abroad, cooperative parishes, ecumenical shared ministries and United Methodist organizations working with churches in programs for youth and young adults.
The Shared Mission Focus on Young People is a four-year, $3 million initiative mandated by the 1996 General Conference. It is an effort by the United Methodist Church to reorder its priorities and concentrate on the needs of people ages 12 to 30. The emphasis aims to enable young people to become full participants in the denomination's life and work. A 19-member team, comprising youth and young adults from the United States, Africa, the Philippines and Sweden, has been charged with moving the United Methodist Church toward a vision and commitment to young people.
Mini-grant recipients are:
· Liberia Annual Conference, $5,000, to support the Promoting Reconciliation Among Youths (PRAY) project; and
· East Africa Annual Conference (Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Sudan), $5,000, to support the Youth Carpentry Workshop.
The remaining 10 mini-grants were given to ministries in the United States. They are:
· Native American International Caucus, $3,500, to support the convening of workshops and a panel of young people to discuss critical issues during the Native American Family Camp in July;
· Church of the Cross, Kettering, Ohio, $1,300, to support a puppet and clowning ministry that will provide workshops around the West Ohio Annual Conference addressing the concerns of young people;
· Indian River United Methodist Church, Indian River, Mich., $2,500, to support staffing expenses and registration fees connected with an ecumenical nature camp for youth that will provide opportunities for spiritual growth and dialogue on teen-related issues, with Native Americans being the primary group served;
· Christ United Methodist Church of the Deaf, Baltimore, $2,890, to help cover the cost for blind and deaf young people in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference to attend a church-sponsored camp July 12-15, focusing on spiritual growth and relationship building;
· Paducah/McCracken United Methodist Mission, Paducah, Ky., $4,000, to provide resources for an interracial forum, as part of a series of ecumenical dialogue sessions for young people from 15 United Methodist churches, the local African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church;
· Korean United Methodist Church, Austin, Texas, $3,000, to buy a computer for a new project serving local Korean college students and focusing on Bible study, discussion on critical topics and community building;
· University United Methodist Church, Irvine, Calif., $3,500, for "College Outreach," a ministry that will provide a diverse group of college students with a safe place to gather for spiritual development, fellowship and educational opportunities;
· Spencer Memorial United Methodist Church, Charlotte, N.C., $4,000 to support "Passing the Torch," a summer project focusing on training future staff and leaders from among the local Southeast Asian youth;
· Oklahoma Metro Churches, Oklahoma City, $4,000, to support a project serving Native American young people in four United Methodist churches, with a focus on community building, spiritual growth, and a special Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference event; and
· St. Francis of the Foothills United Methodist Church, Tucson, Ariz., $2,500, for start-up funds for "Interfaith Cafe and Gallery," an ecumenical project that will provide job skills, art ventures and spiritual discovery to diverse young people from area high schools.
"I am extremely excited about the mini-grants because they are touching the lives of young people throughout the world," said the Rev. Lillian Smith, co-leader of the Shared Mission Focus on Young People team. "They will provide congregations and other United Methodist ministries the opportunity to more effectively respond to youth and young adults in positive ways."
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