Lilly Endowment awards $3M in grants to IWU ministry programs
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Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded two grants totaling more than $3.2 million to Indiana Wesleyan University to support initiatives designed to strengthen ministry work with children. Both programs are operated through IWU’s School of Theology and Ministry.
The first grant, totaling approximately $998,000, will fund the Christian Parenting and Caregiving Program. The School of Theology and Ministry will work with churches and families in Grant County to identify ways of doing spiritual formation with children within the home.
“We want to see families operate from the understanding that faith isn’t something that we ‘do’ on Sundays; rather, it’s who we are—and that the person of Jesus Christ affects every single part of our lives and completely changes the way we interact with others,” said Amanda Drury, professor of practical theology at IWU.
The second grant, totaling $2,2 million, will fund the school’s efforts to oversee the Strengthening Ministry with Children Coordination Program. The program assists other Lilly Endowment grant recipients of child-focused ministry programs.
IWU says the coordination program will work alongside each grantee’s program in order to help them achieve goals, address challenges, and disseminate research, resources, and stories.
“We are absolutely thrilled that we get to be a part of amplifying other’s voices,” said Drury, “and are eager to facilitate conversations