(Minneapolis) \u2013\u00a0Augsburg University has received a\u00a0 $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help expand the\u00a0work of the Riverside Innovation Hub within the university\u2019s Christensen Center for Vocation (CCV).<\/p>\n
The program is funded through the Lilly Endowment\u2019s Thriving Congregations Initiative. The aim of the national initiative is to strengthen Christian congregations so they can help people deepen their relationships with God, build strong relationships with each other, and contribute to the flourishing of local communities and the world.<\/p>\n
Lilly Endowment is making nearly $93 million in grants through the initiative. The grants will support organizations such as the Christensen Center for Vocation as they work directly with congregations and help them gain clarity about their values and missions, explore and understand better the communities in which they serve, and draw upon their theological traditions as they adapt ministries to meet changing needs.<\/p>\n
The Christensen Center plays an integral role in stewarding the university\u2019s commitment to, and exploration of vocation, the unique way God calls and equips us\u2014as individuals and as communities\u2014to work towards a better world for and with our neighbors. The Thriving Congregations Initiative grant will enable Augsburg\u2019s CCV to expand and solidify the future of this work with congregations. We will walk with our partners through two consecutive two-year learning communities consisting of leadership teams from twelve congregations. Our hope is to develop an ecumenical network of twenty-four congregations over five years who are becoming more deeply engaged in the proclamation of Christ\u2019s good news in transformative ways in their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Christensen Center for Vocation is creating an innovative model for how a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America can be a learning partner with local congregations and ministry leaders for the sake of the world,\u201d said Paul Pribbenow, Augsburg\u2019s president. \u201cThese partnerships will create exciting learning opportunities for our students, staff, and faculty, who wrestle with what it means to live faithfully in the church and in the world in the midst of the various challenges our communities are facing: COVID-19, growing economic inequality, climate change, and the prevalence of racist systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Augsburg University is one of 92 organizations taking part in the initiative. They represent and serve churches in a broad spectrum of Christian traditions, including Anabaptist, Baptist, Episcopal, evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Reformed, Restoration, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox, as well as congregations that describe themselves as non-denominational. Several organizations serve congregations in Black, Hispanic and Asian-American traditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the midst of a rapidly changing world, Christian congregations are grappling with how they can best carry forward their ministries,\u201d said Christopher Coble, Lilly Endowment\u2019s vice president for religion. \u201cThese grants will help congregations assess their ministries and draw on practices in their theological traditions to address new challenges and better nurture the spiritual vitality of the people they serve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lilly Endowment launched the Thriving Congregations Initiative in 2019 as part of its commitment to support efforts that enhance the vitality of Christian congregations.<\/p>\n
Media Contact:<\/b>\u00a0Gita Sitaramiah, Director of Public Relations and Internal Communications. 651-353-0061-cell<\/p>\n
About Lilly Endowment Inc.<\/b>
\n<\/b>Lilly Endowment Inc.<\/b>\u00a0is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a 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\u2019 wishes, the Endowment exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis and home state, Indiana. The principal aim of the Endowment\u2019s grantmaking in religion 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 their pastoral and lay leadership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(Minneapolis) \u2013\u00a0Augsburg University has received a\u00a0 $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help expand the\u00a0work of the Riverside Innovation Hub within the university\u2019s Christensen Center for Vocation (CCV). The program is funded through the Lilly Endowment\u2019s Thriving Congregations Initiative. The aim of the national initiative is to strengthen Christian congregations so they can … Continue reading “Riverside Innovation Hub’s Work With Congregations to Expand With $1 Million Grant”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[40,8],"class_list":["post-975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-awards","category-news","tag-ccv","tag-grant"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.augsburg.edu\/grants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.augsburg.edu\/grants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.augsburg.edu\/grants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.augsburg.edu\/grants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.augsburg.edu\/grants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=975"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.augsburg.edu\/grants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1044,"href":"https:\/\/sites.augsburg.edu\/grants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/975\/revisions\/1044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.augsburg.edu\/grants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.augsburg.edu\/grants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.augsburg.edu\/grants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}