wfn.org | Religion Communication Congress 2010 Receives $200,000 Lilly Grant

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Faith communicators forum receives major Lilly Endowment grant

RCCongress 2010 will use $200,000 grant for programming

> NEW YORK?September 10, 2008

NEW YORK?Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded

$200,000 to the Religion Communication Congress 2010 for programming during the upcoming once-a-decade gathering, scheduled for April 7-10, 2010 in Chicago.

Jeanean Merkel, program chair for the event says, 
?Religion Communication Congress 2010 is an unparalleled event, bringing together people across the spectrums of faith, craft and border. While much of our media has become borderless, there still are lines that divide people of faith from understanding one another. That?s why this event is essential for us to create a communication culture of the future that embraces change and opens understanding.?

With the theme, ?Embracing Change: Communicating Faith in Today?s World,? the congress will engage people from across the broad range of faith communications in workshops, plenary presentations on the social, religious and technological changes that impact the way they tell stories of faith in tomorrow?s social and media landscape.

Now in its fifth decade, RCCongress 2010 is expected to bring together more than 1,200 faith communicators to participate in a variety of skill-building workshops, expert roundtables and presentations designed to better equip them for new communications  challenges.

?We are deeply grateful to the Lilly Endowment for this generous gift. It will enable the program planners to continue building content for workshops that will refresh skills and bring participants new understanding of other faith groups,? says Finance Chair Daniel R. Gangler.

The impressive lineup of presenters to date includes Jeffrey Cole, who has been at the forefront of media and communication technology policy issues in both the United States and internationally for more than two decades. Dr. Cole is director of the Center for the Digital Future, University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg School for Communication and a research professor; Dr. Ingrid Mattson, director of Islamic Chaplaincy and Professor at the Macdonald Center for Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT; and Jim McDonnell, a leading media advocate in Europe, will moderate a panel on the media?s role in social cohesion and acceptance of cultural and religious diversity.

Creative music artists Ken Medema and Jorge Lockward will bring their unique talents to the gathering. Medema has been listening to faith stories and giving back the words as songs for more than three decades now. Lockward will share his experience in bringing multi-cultural music expression to global gatherings.

To encourage young people from around the world to participate in RCCongress2010 organizers are offering scholarships through the Global Partners Fund (www.rccongress2010.org/globalpartners).

RCCongress 2010 is an international multi-faith forum for communication of religion. The congress is being planned and hosted by North American faith groups.

Lilly Endowment, Inc. is a private foundation that follows the wishes of its founders by supporting the causes of religion, education and community development.

For more information about RCCongress2010 visit www.rccongress2010.org.