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.
For more information about grants from The Foundation for Evangelism, visit our Grants page.
