The Foundation for Evangelism has chosen 50 churches and organizations to receive an Equipping the Local Church grant. A total of $350,000 will be distributed through $5,000, $7,500 and $10,000 micro-grants to small and medium sized Wesleyan tradition* churches and church-based organizations. The focus of the grant is to launch an experiment or initiative to share the Gospel, tell their faith stories, and invite others into a relationship with Jesus alongside a local faith community. The recipients are from 9 Wesleyan-tradition denominations across 24 states. Proposed projects range from children’s after school programs to experiments with local community participation.
- Small-Medium Church Grants
- Abundant Life African Methodist Episcopal Church – Dallas, Texas
- Agape Fellowship Church of the Nazarene – New Igeria, Louisiana
- Aldersgate United Methodist Church – Olathe, Kansas
- Aldersgate United Methodist Church – Augusta, Georgia
- Bad Axe Church of the Nazarene – Bad Axe, Michigan
- Bethel Korean United Methodist Church – Santa Clara, California
- Bremen United Methodist Church – Bremen, Ohio
- Brighton Rock African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church – Portsmouth, Virginia
- Canadian Hills Church of the Nazarene – Yukon, Oklahoma
- Ceili Community (UMC) – Wheatland, Oklahoma
- Committee on Native American Ministry of the Minnesota Annual Conference of the UMC
- Community Cup Church of the Nazarene – Kankakee, Illinois
- Converted Heart Christian Methodist Episcopal Church – Silver Spring, Maryland
- Cooks Hill Community Church (Free Methodist) – Centralia, Washington
- Cross Keys United Methodist Sunday School – Williamstown, New Jersey
- CrossRoads Cowboy Church Natural Dam (Church of the Nazarene) – Natural Dam, Arkansas
- Daniel Payne Outreach Ministries (AMEC) – Nashville, Tennessee
- Deland Church of the Nazarene – Deland, Florida
- DRC-Rwandan PAC of the South Austin Church of the Nazarene – Austin, Texas
- Easter Hill United Methodist Church – Richmond, California
- Ebenezer Church of the Nazarene – Aiken, South Carolina
- Embrace – A Center for Community (UMC) – Waynesboro, Virginia
- First United Methodist Church – Johnson City, Tennessee
- Fleming Island United Methodist Church – Fleming Island, Florida
- Forest Chapel United Methodist Church – Cincinnati, Ohio
- Four Winds NYC (Wesleyan Church) – New York, New York
- Goodsell United Methodist Church – West Point, Georgia
- Grace United Methodist Church – Jackson, Tennessee
- Hartsville District Cooperative Parish – Hartsville, South Carolina
- Hemenway United Methodist Church – Evanston, Illinois
- Heritage United Methodist Church – Madison, Alabama
- Midtown Church (Assembly of God) – Kansas City, Missouri
- Mosaic Church of Detroit (Wesleyan Church) – Detroit, Michigan
- Mosaic United Methodist Church – Wilmington, North Carolina
- Mount Hermon United Methodist Church – Mount Jackson, Virginia
- Mount Hope United Methodist Church – Lansing, Michigan
- Mt. Harmony United Methodist Church – Wellersburg, Pennsylvania
- Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church – Pittsboro, North Carolina
- Rebirth Christian Methodist Episcopal Church – Florissant, Missouri
- Russell Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church – Durham, North Carolina
- Smith Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church – Anniston, Alabama
- St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church – Nashville, Tennessee
- Tehachapi Valley United Methodist Church – Tehachapi, California
- Tempe First United Methodist Church – Tempe, Arizona
- The Gathering at Washington Street (UMC) – Petersburg, Virginia
- The Mosaic Center (UMC) – Evans, Georgia
- The Way (UMC) – Pace, Florida
- West Ohio Conference of the UMC
- Word on the Street (UMC) – Huntersville, North Carolina
- Zion Grove African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church – Eagle Springs, North Carolina
Other 2023 grants:
Evangelism for the Non-Evangelists Online Course co-sponsor
Engaging the Ministry of the Laity Grants
- Laity Evangelism Summit
- Harry Denman Evangelism Awards
- Fresh Expressions House of Studies (Year 3) at United Theological Seminary – Adventurers Leadership Academy
Raising Up Gospel Leader Grants
- E. Stanley Jones Professors of Evangelism (global)
- Harry Denman Doctoral Fellowships
- Dr. Alma Tinoco Ruiz, Lecturer in Homiletics and Evangelism, and Director of the Hispanic House of Studies at Duke Divinity School
- Sponsor Exponential Church Planting Conference – event
- Sponsor Nazarene Theological Seminary Breakfast at Church of the Nazarene General Assembly – event
*We define Wesleyan-tradition as based on the ministry movement begun in the 18th century by John and Charles Wesley
EDIT: A previous version of this story listed 51 grant recipients. That number has been reduced to 50 due to one recipient withdrawing their application.
