This is a corrected version of the press release; Grant recipients Spiritually Homeless – LGBTQ+ is in Crestview, Florida in the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, and CCC – Evangelism 101 is also in the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast.      

At its February 2020 meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church ratified awards of more than $66,000 in Evangelism Grant funding to sixteen Episcopal communities.

“The projects we were able to fund are remarkable for the ways in which they respond to the needs of specific communities across the church,” said the Rev. Devon Anderson, chair of the Executive Council Episcopal Evangelism Committee. “Thanks to these ideas that are full of sheer grit and creativity, Episcopalians across the church will soon have more resources to help them reach out, tell stories, and invite their neighbors.”

The Episcopal Evangelism Grants program, designed to fund local and regional evangelism efforts, began in 2017 as a result of the 2015 General Convention’s increased investment in evangelism galvanized by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Grants provide up to $2,000 for an individual congregation and up to $8,000 for multi-church, diocesan and regional collaborations.

Projects funded by the evangelism grant program include a Diocese of Central Pennsylvania online learning platform that will train Episcopalians in the art of “collaborative, innovative evangelism,” an effort to develop liturgies for home and dinner church gatherings in the Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan, and an effort spearheaded by Province IV to expand the Episcopal Church’s evangelism at the Wild Goose Festival, to be held in July in North Carolina. Find a complete list of grants on the Episcopal Church website here.

“One of the things I love most about the grantees this cycle is how personal each project is to the context where it will be carried out,” said Jerusalem Greer, staff officer for evangelism on the Presiding Bishop’s staff. “No two projects are the same, because no two communities are the same. At its best, Episcopal evangelism is highly contextual, and so our team cannot wait to see how the good news of God in Christ is spread through these innovative and unique projects.”

Recipients
The 16 Evangelism Grants are:

• That Deacon on Youtube; Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles: $1,200.
• The Church that Children Built; Clarence, New York: $1,000       
• Connecting the Episcopal Church to the Millennial Generation; Episcopal Diocese of Olympia: $2,000.
• Barrier Free Labyrinth – Peace Pole & Outdoor Library; Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan: $2,000.       
• A Solitary Place; Episcopal Diocese of Rio Grande: $5,000.   
• Big Bend Episcopal Mission; Episcopal Diocese of Rio Grande: $8,000.
• St. Mary’s in the Mountains Episcopal Church; The Episcopal Church in Vermont: $8,000.        
• The Hive; Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania: $2,000.    
• Spiritually Homeless – LGBTQ+; Crestview, Florida; Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast:  $2,000.  
• Rhythms of Grace; Episcopal Diocese of Missouri: $2,000.        
• Plainsong Farm & Ministry; Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan: $2,000.       
• Thriving in Christ; The Episcopal Church in Central Pennsylvania: $5,800.       
• The Episcopal Tent at the Wild Goose; Province IV: $8,000.  
• Festival of Saints and Stories; The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire: $8,000.       
• The People’s Summer; Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania: $5,200.       
• CCC – Evangelism 101; Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast: $2,000.

The committee received 74 applications from across the church, Anderson said, and requests far exceeded the funding allocated in the budget. The next application cycle will open this spring, and each diocese or organization whose application was not funded in this cycle has been invited to reapply. In advance of the 2020 grant deadline, the Executive Council Episcopal Evangelism Grants Committee will offer a webinar and other support to potential applicants, she said.

Members of the Executive Council Episcopal Evangelism Grants Committee include:

• The Rev. Devon Anderson, chair, Episcopal Church in Minnesota
• Ms. Julia Ayala Harris, Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma
• The Rev. Canon Lydia Kelsey Bucklin, Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan
• Rev. Daryl Lobban, Episcopal Diocese of Washington
• Canon Brendan O’Sullivan-Hale, Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis
• Mr. Hugo Olaiz, Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio
• Ms. Mary Parmer, Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee
• The Rev. Carrie Schofield Broadbent, Episcopal Diocese of Central New York
• The Rev. Kammy Young, Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast
• Presiding Bishop’s staff: Ms. Ann Hercules, Ms. Jerusalem Greer