wfn.org | Ethnic Local Church Concerns Fund

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CONTACT: Linda Green			   (10-31-33-34-71B){166}
	    Nashville, Tenn. (615)742-5470		 March 23, 1998

Discipleship board funds 
23 ethnic projects

     NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -- The churchwide Board of Discipleship has
awarded grants totaling $149,300 to United Methodist-sponsored projects
and organizations serving various minority groups.
     The General Board of Discipleship approved funding for 23 ethnic
local church concerns projects during its March 12-14 meeting here.
 	All ethnic local church concerns resources, ministries and funds
are being incorporated into the mainstream of the United Methodist
Church at all levels. The four program agencies -- the United Methodist
boards of Discipleship, Church and Society, Global Ministries and Higher
Education and Ministry -- receive ethnic funds for grant purposes.
	The United Methodist Church has provided $5.5 million to be used
over four years to fund ministries that strengthen and support ethnic
local church concerns. 
The Discipleship board's ethnic local church concerns office funds up to
$25,000 for ministries and projects that focus on one or more of the
essential services provided by the program areas of the agency. These
services include Christian education; ministries with adults, children
and youth; Quest; ministry of the laity; spiritual formation; worship;
evangelism; family ministries; lay ministries; and covenant
discipleship.
Projects that received funds are:
*	Developing House Churches, Miami -- $11,000, a part of the West
Dade Hispanic Mission, to support its program of home worship services
for Nicaraguans and other Central American immigrants in Miami;
*	Hispanic Initiative, Rockford, Ill. -- $10,000, a part of
Centennial United Methodist Church in Rockford, to help provide a
comprehensive midweek family night program and related ministries
designed to help Hispanic families with life transitions;
*	National Convocation of Korean United Methodists, Los Angeles --
$10,000, to help provide continuing education and leadership
opportunities in the Korean language for participants at the national
Convocation of Korean United Methodists in Los Angeles in May;
*	Joyful Sunday School Training, Kinnelon, N.J. -- $10,000. Funds
will be used to develop workshops to train Korean leaders in "A Joyful
Sunday School" materials;
*	Western Jurisdiction Korean Mission for the 21st Century,
Honolulu -- $10,000. Funds will be used to help support the Western
Jurisdiction's Korean Mission for the 21st Century in September, at
Christ United Methodist Church, Honolulu. The mission is designed to
help Korean-American pastors and lay leaders expand their understanding
of mission and develop mission strategies for the coming century;
*	Simbang Pinoy Contemporary Evening Service, Hacienda Heights,
Calif. -- $10,000, a part of the First Filipino-American United
Methodist Church of Hacienda Heights, to support a contemporary evening
service -- "Simbang Pinoy," which is (roughly translated) worship,
Filipino style -- to reach young adults and others;
*	Association of Hmong United Methodist Churches, St. Paul --
$8,000, to teach Hmong United Methodist churches how to follow the
United Methodist Church systems and procedures in solving problems in
their congregations;
*	Rompiendo Barreras Enrichment Program, St. Louis -- $7,000, a
program of Iglesia de la Nueva Comunidad United Methodist Church in St.
Louis that is designed to meet the needs of area Hispanics;
*	Children's Discipleship Program, Detroit -- $7,000, a part of
Buen Pastor United Methodist Church, Detroit, for a program for
underprivileged children and youth, ages 5 to 12;
*	Teaching Bilingual Programs, Rainbow Church, Commack, N.Y. --
$7,000. The Rainbow Church is using the funds to help establish a basic
language skill program for its members to improve their social
adjustment in North American society. Programs will be held in basic
English and Korean;
*	Sacred Circle of the Family, Oklahoma City -- $6,000, to help
support the 1998 National Native American Family Camp in July;
*	Venture in Intercultural Church, Bradenton, Fla. -- $6,000, a
program designed to help Hispanic individuals and families make better
adjustments to North American culture;
*	Florida Children's Program, Casselberry, Fla. -- $6,000, a part
of Community United Methodist Church, Casselberry, which is developing a
children's program to help families -- primarily Hispanic ones -- grow
toward Christian maturity;
*	Developing Family-Oriented Multiethnic Church Sunday School,
Huntsville, Ala. -- $5,000, a part of The Huntsville Korean Mission
congregation in Huntsville that is developing a Korean Sunday school
program and Bible study for Korean-speaking members;
*	Training for the 21st Century, Astoria, N.Y. -- $5,000, a
program of the Northeastern Jurisdiction Korean-American United
Methodist Church, which will hold a three-day retreat for
Korean-American clergy and their families. The retreat is designed to
explore ministry into the 21st century;
*	1998 Evangelism Conference, Wichita, Kan. -- $4,600, St. Mark
United Methodist Church, Wichita, is holding a multiethnic evangelism
conference for laity and clergy;
*	Asbury Discipleship Program, Elyria, Ohio -- $4,500, Asbury
United Methodist Church, a primarily African-American congregation in
Elyria, which will support evangelism and Christian education programs;
*	Joyful Sunday School, Livingston, N.J. -- $4,000, a part of the
Livingston Korean United Methodist Church, to offer intergenerational
programming, develop new Korean-American curriculum resources, and
establish a discipleship plan;
*	Hmong Curriculum, St. Paul -- $4,000, to develop teaching
curriculum for the Hmong Church in St. Paul and other Hmong United
Methodist churches;
*	New Hope Ministry, Milwaukee, Wis. -- $4,000, a ministry
designed to reach the Hmong people living in Milwaukee who are not
Christians;
*	Hmong Christian Resource Center, St. Paul, Minn. -- $3,500, a
part of the Hmong United Methodist Church that is organizing a resource
center that includes books and videos;
*	Project Pyramid, Pensacola, Fla. -- $3,500, a ministry of St.
Paul United Methodist Church in Pensacola, to help develop a customized
Sunday school curriculum and a scouting program for African American
children and youth of the community; and
*	Cambodian Youth Church Camp, Modesto, Calif. -- $3,200, a
three-day and three-night camp for junior high, high school, and
college-age Cambodian youth.

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