17 Equipping the Local Church Grants Awarded in 2026
In June The Foundation for Evangelism awarded 17 grants to small or medium-sized Wesleyan-tradition* churches or church-based organizations. A total of $112,500 was distributed through $5,000, $7,500, and $10,000 grants. The recipients are from 7 Wesleyan-tradition denominations across 11 states: The Foundation for Evangelism’s Equipping the Local Church Grants support local churches with up to […]
Cohort Grants Are a Lifeline for Churches
Barby Bowser, Communications director, recently sat in on one of the check-ins with 2025 Local Church Cohort grant recipients. “You threw us a lifeline – we really needed it!” This was just one comment during a recent check-in with seven churches who had been part of the Thriving Congregations Local Church Cohorts. These churches received […]
Evangelism is Essential to the Church’s Identity
Do you hate losing things? For the Revd. Dr. Quavon Z. Newton, it’s a perennial issue, one that disrupts the routine. He confessed this to the students, faculty and guests at the 2026 Wallace Chappell Lecture, and a glance around The Aymer Auditorium at Hood Theological Seminary confirmed that they could relate. But as much […]
Missouri Youth Leader Makes Space for Youth to Experience Jesus
Kris O’Neal received 2025 The Foundation for Evangelism Laity Award from the Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church for his outstanding commitment to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ through authentic relationships and transformative ministry with youth. “Kris has been instrumental in the growth and vitality of our Limitless youth program,” said Rev. Paul Klepees, […]
Spring Cohort Concludes with 19 Churches Awarded Evangelism Grant
The Foundation for Evangelism is pleased to announce that 19 churches were awarded a grant following the conclusion of the Spring 2025 Thriving Congregations Local Church Cohort. These grant recipients were part of a larger group of 31 churches from 5 Wesleyan-tradition denominations across 21 U.S. states who applied to participate in the Foundation’s training […]
Local Church Cohort Includes Deaf Church in Evangelism Training
Rev. Dr. Tom Hudspeth and his church members are used to navigating a world made for hearing people. They are part of SEEDS (Serving Educating Evangelizing Deaf Seekers) Deaf Mission Church UMC, a new congregation born out of a 25-year ministry and fellowship for d/Deaf individuals at Lovers Lane and Walnut Hill United Methodist Churches […]
Student and Father’s Ministry Enlivened by Evangelism Course
A required course in evangelism for a student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, has sparked a dialogue not only with his peers but with his father! Sam is from Chennai, India, and is studying in the U.S. for his ministry degree. In a video he recorded for The Foundation for Evangelism, he shared […]
Sharing the Good News in the “Right Way”
The Methodist missionary, E. Stanley Jones, traveled to India in the early 1900s and wrote several books on the experience. In one of those books, he recounts sharing the gospel message with an attorney, who afterwards thanked him and said that few missionaries bothered to share the message of Jesus with members of the upper […]
Developing Indigenous Evangelism Training in Myanmar
Through the So That the World May Know Jesus grant from the H. Eddie and Mary Nell Fox Endowment for Evangelism, The Foundation for Evangelism has been working with church leaders in The Methodist Church (Lower Myanmar) to develop an evangelism curriculum specific to their culture and context – The Indigenous Evangelism Project. Christians are […]
Foundation President Leads Seminar with Church Leaders in Hawai’i
On August 17, twenty lay and clergy leaders from across the Hawai’i District of The United Methodist Church gathered at First United Methodist Church of Honolulu. They were there to hear about how to share their faith with the people they live, work, and “do life” with. The Foundation for Evangelism’s president, Rev. Dr. Jack […]