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Many of you know that I love the quiet and productive solitude of a sleeping house between midnight and 2-ish. This week I have been using those fabulous wee hours of the night to finalize two grants and I ask for your prayers as they will both be submitted by the time you read this to the Lilly Endowment for their Thriving Congregations Initiative. These are 5 year grants that encourage congregations to think about the changing social and cultural context and dream big dreams, and have grand visions. The two grants are:
- Expanding the Journey to Joy: A Collaboration of Two Congregations for Recovery Housing and Spiritual Coaching - This grant would explore a partnership with The Gathering Faith Community, a Methodist congregation in Northern Anne Arundel County and expand Meredith's role to include more outreach beyond the immediate residents in the current J2J house.
- AALY (Anne Arundel Lutheran Youth) Joining Together to Create A Brave Space For LGBTQIA+ Youth and Their Allies (think all youth!) - This grant is the start of 4 AACo ELCA congregations working together to share a full time Youth Director.
We won't hear any news until the fall, with funding starting in January of 2024 if we are awarded the grants, so please pray with me for open hearts and minds for those who are on the grant committee reading all the proposals. If they are all as fabulous as our submissions, they have very difficult work ahead of them.
PS. Have you RSVP'd for Melody's ordination yet? You don't want to miss it!
God's Peace,
Pastor Sara
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