Disciple: New, Notable & Newsworthy

Diocese Receives Lilly Endowment Grant for Intergenerational Worship and Formation

The Diocese of North Carolina has received a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to equip congregational leaders with the imagination, connections, skills and resources they need to strengthen worship and prayer practices that attend to and respect how children experience God and express their faith.

The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative, a national initiative designed to help Christian congregations more fully and intentionally engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices. This grant will enable the diocese to reconceive the way it supports congregations around children’s and family formation.

Rather than continue to offer primarily diocesan-wide programming, the diocese will spark congregational imagination around intergenerational worship and its connection to holistic Christian formation; curate connections among congregations; and equip and empower congregational leaders to design and lead inclusive and sensory-rich worship rooted in The Episcopal Church’s rich liturgical traditions

Over five years, diocesan strategies will include congregational coaching to assess how children are involved in corporate worship and prayer; mini-grants to design and test experiments to engage children more intentionally; regional and diocesan-wide gatherings to build formation communities of practice; learning opportunities to help congregational leaders gain skills to sustain intergenerational worship and formation approaches; and hiring a missioner for children’s and family ministry to direct this grant, facilitate relationships with congregations and build a culture of learning.

The hope is that this project will help each participating congregation strengthen its culture of nurturing discipleship, clarify formational goals and more intentionally connect intergenerational worship design to formational practices.

“We are overjoyed to receive this investment in the future of our children and our church,” said Bishop Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, assistant bishop and supervisor of the grant’s implementation. “The grant will enable us to accelerate our work in reimagining ways for churches of all sizes to enrich the experience of all age groups in the formative power of worship. We are deeply grateful to Lilly Endowment for entrusting us with the stewardship of these resources.”

The diocese is one of 91 organizations funded through the latest round of the Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. Participating organizations represent and serve congregations in a broad spectrum of Christian traditions, including Catholic, mainline Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, Anabaptist and Pentecostal faith communities. Several organizations are rooted in Black Church and Hispanic and Asian American Christian tradition

“Congregational worship and prayer play a critical role in the spiritual growth of children and offer settings for children to acquire the language of faith, learn their faith traditions and experience the love of God as part of a supportive community,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These programs will help congregations give greater attention to children and how they can more intentionally nurture the faith of children, as well as adults, through worship and prayer.”

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. The principal aim of the endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.

Episcopal Farmworker Ministry Welcomes Mauricio Chenlo as New Executive Director

The Episcopal Farmworker Ministry (EFwM) is excited to announce the appointment of Mauricio Chenlo as the ministry’s executive director. EFwM is supported by the Episcopal Dioceses of East Carolina and North Carolina and is headquartered in Dunn, North Carolina.

With his years of experience working with refugees, immigrants and Indigenous people of Latin America, Chenlo brings many talents to the community. His desire to take this position focuses on making a local impact. Chenlo has an impressive track record of fundraising, managing budgets, interacting with staff/workers, monitoring ministry progress, designing strategic plans, complying with relevant regulations, and creating a healthy, productive work culture.

Chenlo has an established record as a peacemaking educator, mediator, project manager and community builder. He holds a Master of Peace Studies (Anabaptist Mennonite Seminary) and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in social ethics and biblical theology (Instituto Bilbico, Buenos Aires). He is fluent in English and Spanish and has vast international experience working with diverse teams to reach common goals.

EFwM responds to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of farmworkers and actively supports opportunities for them to become self-directive. They seek to minister to farmworkers in three principal ways: through direct services; through the development and support of programs that work towards the empowerment of farmworkers; and by encouraging leadership development, advocacy and education aimed toward a systemic change of agricultural policy.

Submit Your Earth Day Award Nominations by December 31

In the midst of the flurry of holiday activity, don’t forget to take a moment to submit your nomination for the annual Earth Day Award!

First introduced in 2023, the Earth Day Award is an offering from the Chartered Committee on Environmental Ministry. It is intended to celebrate good and positive ways that Creation Care is being implemented across the diocese. The Earth Day Award may go to a person, project, event, congregation or partnership—anything may be nominated if it contributes and brings hope to the planet and its inhabitants. Nominations may be submitted by anyone aware of a noteworthy Creation Care effort.

The deadline for nominations is December 31, and the award will be presented on Earth Day 2025. Submit nominations via an email describing the nominated person, project, event or collaboration to the Rev. Jill Staton-Bullard, chair of the Chartered Committee on Environmental Ministry, at [email protected].

Advocacy Day 2025 Postcard Campaign

Churches and individuals across the Diocese of North Carolina were invited to “give up their silence” and take part in a postcard campaign as part of Advocacy Day 2024. The goal was to give every person who wanted to add their voice to those attending Advocacy Day the chance to do so. More than 500 postcards were completed and taken to Advocacy Day 2024, and it made a difference. As was shared after, “Your voices mattered. Time and again, we heard from legislators and their staff members how much it meant to receive handwritten, personal messages from their constituents. These were not copy-and-paste scripts; each was written from the heart, and those personal words resonated.” (Disciple, Summer 2024)

Planning for Advocacy Day 2025 is underway, and you are once again invited to be a part of it.

As has been done in years past, representatives from various diocesan advocacy ministries and committees, including gun violence prevention, creation care, affordable housing and more, will meet with elected officials in the North Carolina General Assembly. The meetings will not be held with an expectation that advocates will impose religious beliefs on elected officials or ask officials to make decisions that prioritize one religion over another. Instead, the focus will be on advocacy issues as witness to deeply held faith values within the Episcopal tradition and our own diocesan priorities and on building relationships with those who might hold different priorities.

The planning team invites every person who wishes to share a message with elected representatives to do so via the Advocacy Day 2025 postcard campaign.

You can do it as an individual, or you can do it as a congregation. Here’s how it works:

• Individuals or churches can take part. One great idea is to plan the writing of postcards during a post-service coffee hour one Sunday!
• You can order postcards in bulk or download them for individual use. There is no cost to churches to order postcards; the only cost to congregations is the postage to return postcards to Diocesan House (if you don’t want to return them in person).
• Share your message with your elected representatives about your issues of concern.
• Return the postcards to Diocesan House by March 1.
• The Advocacy Day planning team will take your messages with them to the General Assembly on Advocacy Day in March!

Bulk orders must be placed by December 15. Even if your church is not yet sure about how you’ll take part in the campaign but think you might want to, we encourage you to place your order. Postcards should arrive in churches in early January.

Place your order at bit.ly/2025Postcards.

Supporting Lay Preachers

Are you a lay preacher in your congregation? Come spend time with your fellow lay preachers!
The diocese hosts a lay preacher fellowship meeting on the third Monday of each month, 6-7 p.m., for learning and support. Join the monthly gathering to deepen your practice and for continuing education. Contact the Rev. Canon Earnest Graham or Jenny Beaumont for the Zoom link.

Meet Interns Elizabeth Kane and Christina Charles

The diocese is excited to introduce two new interns: Elizabeth Kane in the youth department and Christina Charles from the Johnson Service Corps.

Kane is a passionate and experienced user experience designer and project manager. She began her journey in the Diocese of North Carolina, attending diocesan events in middle school and transitioning into DYC (formerly CCY) during high school. Kane recently earned her Bachelor of Science in computer graphic technology from North Carolina A&T and is now pursuing her master’s in project management with a concentration in design innovation at Duke University.

Kane’s professional experience spans various nonprofit organizations where she has rebranded foundations, managed marketing materials and organized significant events. Her dedication to human-computer interaction and making design more accessible and inclusive drives her work. Kane is excited to be back working with the youth department in the diocese, contributing her skills and passion to support the community.

[Image: Elizabeth Kane and Christina Charles]

For the 2024-25 academic year, Charles will work with our African American Burial Grounds Initiative in partnership with the Rev. Canon Lindsey Ardrey through the reparations and restitution ministry. Alongside this work, she will also provide administrative support for the Rev. Canon Kathy Walker and our Black ministries.

Charles went to school for public policy and Africana studies, where she fell in love with the concept of using history to drive a way forward. She hopes to bring this love to her work on the African American Burial Grounds Initiative. In her free time she enjoys reading (primarily non-fiction, but horror on occasion), writing and going on hikes with her dog, Bagel.

Register for ‘About the Second Amendment’ Conversation

The Second Amendment and the “right to keep and bear arms” are two of the most commonly cited arguments in any conversation concerning gun safety and ownership. But the citation, and the Second Amendment itself, is often misused and misunderstood.

On Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 7 p.m., Professors Joseph Blocher and Darrell Miller, authors of The Positive Second Amendment and co-founders of the Duke Center for Firearms Law, will take us through the origins of the Second Amendment, as well as its journey through the courts and public perception to where we are today. Nonpolitical, balanced and fact-based, this webinar will help attendees to understand what the Second Amendment is and is not, the intentions and factors that went into its creation, and how and why it has changed over the centuries. Informational and educational, this presentation is appropriate for anyone with an interest in American history, conversations about gun safety or the facts about this key amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Register at bit.ly/GVPConvo-SA25.

Join the January Pilgrimage to St. Mark’s, Wilson

There is nothing quite so sacred or moving as walking on the path and in the footsteps of those whom history has not treated with dignity and grace. As an important part of our mission strategy, we have a huge opportunity to educate ourselves about what has happened in this diocese and in North Carolina concerning race and the lack of social justice.

On January 11, 2025, from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., we will journey to St. Mark’s, Wilson, to learn more about their history and explore Wilson’s African American history, Freeman Round House and African American History Museum, and the Tobacco Factory. Our day will end with a closing Eucharist.

Lunch will be provided. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to St. Mark’s, Wilson.

Register at bit.ly/StMarksPilgrimage. The $15 fee is payable at registration. There is space for 60 participants.

2025 Dismantling Racism Dates Announced

“Introduction to Dismantling Racism: Reclaiming Our Baptismal Promise” is an interactive workshop offered via Zoom. It is designed to deepen spiritual commitment to dismantling racism as participants in the Jesus Movement. Through presentations, prayer, story sharing, videos and small group discussion, participants explore how the sin of racism impacts all lives.

2025 training dates are now available. All class times are 5-8 p.m. on the first day and 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on the second:

• January 31-February 1
• March 21-22
• June 20-21
• July 25-26
• August 8-9
• September 26-27

Classes fill quickly, so you are encouraged to register early for the dates that work for you. Remember, too, this course fulfills anti-racism training requirements for clergy and other church leaders. For more information, contact Jenny Beaumont, missioner for adult and lifelong formation. Learn more and register.

Sacred Ground: Films and Readings about Faith, Race and Justice

Since its launch five years ago, Sacred Ground, The Episcopal Church’s 11-part, film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith, has impacted and educated people through thousands of study circles across the church.

The first diocesan offering of 2025 will take place Tuesdays starting February 4, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., via Zoom. Opportunities to take part in Sacred Ground facilitator training will take place following the course’s conclusion. Register here.

‘Bearing Witness’: A Journey with Holy Land Christians

“Bearing Witness” is a free video-based study program from the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ). “Bearing Witness” shares the stories of people living in Palestine and Israel and the remarkable ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem that bring hope and healing in this volatile part of the world.

The Diocese of North Carolina is offering its second chance to experience this extraordinary curriculum, either for its own sake or with an eye toward facilitating the class in your own congregation or ministry.

The five-week course will take place Mondays, 12-1:30 p.m., starting January 6, 2025, via Zoom. The facilitator training will follow the course’s conclusion with a one-time session on February 20.

This is a particularly timely offering for those who want to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the dynamics, gifts and challenges of belonging to a land that is shared by many faiths, ethnicities and nationalities. It is a way of first listening, praying and discerning how God might be calling us to be in solidarity with our siblings in Jerusalem, Gaza, the Galilee, the West Bank and the entire area where Jesus lived, taught, and gave himself up to the glory of God and for the sake of creating beloved community on earth. It models what it means to walk in love in one of the hardest regions on earth and recalibrates our hearts and our ministries in the process.

Register here. For more information, visit afedj.org/bearingwitness/overview or contact [email protected].

Tune in to the ‘Seekin’ Deacon’ Podcast

The Rev. Cuyler O’Connor, deacon at El Buen Pastor, Durham, invites you to enjoy his new podcast, “Seekin’ Deacon.” The first four-part series explores the spiritual journey of the Rev. Jemonde Taylor, rector of St. Ambrose, Raleigh, and the newly released three-part series features the Rev. Canon Franklin Morales, canon missioner for Latino/Hispanic ministries for the Diocese of North Carolina, and his journey.

The podcast can be found on all platforms. Just search under “Seekin’ Deacon,” and listen!

Absalom Jones

Save the date for the Annual Celebration of Blessed Absalom Jones. The 2025 service will take place on February 15 in the chapel at Saint Augustine’s University. Service details are still in development, so keep an eye on diocesan communication channels for more information as the date draws closer.

Give the Gift of the Disciple

As you enjoy this issue, do you know that you can give a subscription to the Disciple as a gift? It’s true! The cost is only $12 for a full year (four issues). Simply visit the subscription link at bit.ly/DiscipleGift.

And if you picked up this copy from somewhere other than your mailbox, you can give yourself the gift, too. Visit bit.ly/SubscribeDisciple to purchase a subscription for yourself, complete with the option to auto-renew.

Either way, you will make the holidays happier and start the new year knowing you helped to share stories of inspiration from across the Diocese of North Carolina!

Subscribe to the quarterly Disciple magazine (digital or print) for more news like this.

• Category: North Carolina Disciple