wfn.org | ELCA Awards 'In the City for Good' Grants Totaling $339,289

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

September 6, 2002

ELCA AWARDS 'IN THE CITY FOR GOOD' GRANTS TOTALING $339,289
02-213-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The "In the City for Good" Fund Team of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) awarded 36 grants totaling
$339,289 in 2002 to revitalize ELCA ministries in urban areas.  Grants
ranged from $750 for a Fine Arts Camp in Springfield, Ill., to $30,000
for an Urban Summit in Baltimore.
     The team received 82 applications, with requests for a total of
more than $1.7 million in funding.  It can allocate up to $500,000 each
year.
     This year, the team awarded grants to projects in 14 states --
Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas,
Washington and Wisconsin.
     In the City for Good was meant "to inspire transformational
ministry in urban areas," said the Rev. David D. Daubert, the program's
director and executive for renewal of congregations, ELCA Division for
Outreach.  "There are three arenas in which transformation can be looked
at: individual, congregational and the wider community," he said.
     The type of ministry that receives an In the City for Good grant
"exhibits a commitment and ability not only to alleviate circumstances
in urban communities but also to transform them into something else.
Empowerment, involvement from the community and ownership of the
outcomes by those who are connected with a project are very important,"
said Daubert.
     He added, more and more the fund team considers applications while
asking, "What are the connections to Word and Sacrament ministry?  Are
people being served here, and are their lives and the ministry of the
church being somehow made new as well?"
     The fund team consists of 15 people appointed by the ELCA
presiding bishop and the Division for Outreach.  Team members are urban
pastors and laity, churchwide representatives and representatives of
institutions and agencies of the church.
     The fund was created with money from several sources, including an
initial $1 million grant from the Lutheran Brotherhood Foundation.
Lutheran Brotherhood merged with Aid Association for Lutherans on Jan. 1
to form Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a fraternal benefit society
based in Minneapolis.
     In 1999 the ELCA awarded $347,179 in grants to 23 urban ministry
projects.  In 2000, the church gave $493,957 in grants to 38
initiatives.  Thirty-five projects received $436,465 in grants in 2001.

Below is a list of the projects funded in 2002:

1.   Elizabeth Home - Seattle
     University Lutheran Church (the Rev. Ron Moe-Lobeda)
     Requested $30,000/Funded $4,000

2.   Empowering Congregational Advocates Project - Seattle
     St. John United Lutheran Church
     (the Rev. Paul Benz and the Rev. Carol Jensen)
     Requested $7,000/Funded $5,000

3.   Camden/Cleveland Mission Outreach Project - Minneapolis
     Luther Memorial Lutheran Church (the Rev. Carol Stumme)
     Requested $20,900/Funded $10,450

4.   Oromo Lutheran Church In the City for Good - Minneapolis
     Oromo Lutheran Church (the Rev. Melkamu Negeri)
     Requested $32,450/Funded $7,800

5.   Outreach to the De-churched - Minneapolis
     Bethany Lutheran Church (the Rev. Steven Benson)
     Requested $20,000/Funded $10,000

6.   Peace Palace - Minneapolis
     Redeemer Lutheran Church (the Rev. Kelly Chatman)
     Requested $25,000/Funded $12,500

7.   Cross-Cultural Post-Modern Outreach Ministries - St. Paul, Minn.
     Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (the Rev. James Erlandson)
     Requested $35,000/Funded $8,000

8.   Joint Urban Ministries in Praise - St. Paul, Minn.
     St. Paul Reformation Lutheran Church
     (the Rev. Paul Tidemann and the Rev. Doug Mork)
     Requested $33,000/Funded $8,000

9.   Youth and Family Development Program - Dallas
     Walnut Hill Lutheran Church
     (the Rev. Gordon Roesch and the Rev. Gissela Blanco)
     Requested $30,000/Funded $15,000

10.  Bilingual Comprehensive Evangelization Program -
     Fort Worth, Texas
     San Miguel Lutheran Church (the Rev. Antonio Cotto)
     Requested $35,000/Funded $7,500

11.  Summer in the City - San Antonio
     Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (the Rev. Steve Behr)
     Requested $3,693/Funded $3,693

12.  Safe Haven After School Program - Aurora, Ill.
     San Francisco De Asis and Redeemer Lutheran Church
     (the Rev. Pedro M. Suarez)
     Requested $5,000/Funded $5,000

13.  First Slice - Chicago
     Ebenezer Lutheran Church (the Rev. Paul Koch)
     Requested $20,000/Funded $5,000

14.  Neighborhood Outreach & Hospitality - The NOAH Project - Chicago
     Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church (the Rev. Thomas Terrell)
     Requested $6,000/Funded $3,000

15.  Fine Arts Camp - Springfield, Ill.
     Faith Lutheran Church (the Rev. Glen VanderKloct)
     Requested $750/Funded $750

16.  Safezone Community Art Center Band - Milwaukee
     Divine Word Lutheran Church (the Rev. Kristine Erdmann)
     Requested $25,000/Funded $7,500

17.  Voices of the City, Kuji Cafe - Milwaukee
     Kujichagulia Lutheran Center
     (Venice Williams, Project Director)
     Requested $17,000/Funded $8,500

18.  Espiritu De Esperanza - Beloit, Wis.
     Calvary Lutheran Church (the Rev. Kurt Handrich)
     Requested $10,151/Funded $2,500

19.  Promise Kids Community Garden & Woodland Planting - Madison, Wis.
     St. Mark's Lutheran Church (the Rev. Mary Pharmer)
     Requested $3,000/Funded $1,080

20.  Brighter Day Care & Learning Center - Kentwood, Mich.
     Ascension Lutheran Church (the Rev. Marcy Miller)
     Requested $20,000/Funded $10,000

21.  Jazz for Jesus - Gary, Ind.
     Bethel Lutheran Church (the Rev. Michael Cobbler)
     Requested $3,500/Funded $3,500

22.  Peace Education & Action Center - Camden, N.J.
     Bridge of Peace Lutheran Church (the Rev. Wolfgang Herz-Lane)
     Requested $11,000/Funded $11,000

23.  Lunch Time Ministry - Hoboken, N.J.
     St. Matthew-Trinity Lutheran Parish (the Rev. Mary Forell)
     Requested $5,216/Funded $5,216

24.  Lutheran Health Ministry - Newark, N.J.
     Grace Community Lutheran Church
     (the Rev. Moacir Weirich and the Rev. Maristella Freiberg)
     Requested $20,000/Funded $16,200

25.  Inter-Congregational Latino Youth Group - Union City, N.J.
     Lutheran Church of St. Matthew (the Rev. Gus Vinajeras)
     Requested $20,000/Funded $5,000

26.  Community Outreach and Referral - West New York, N.J.
     Christ-St. John Lutheran Church (the Rev. Daniel Johansson)
     Requested $8,000/Funded $8,000

27.  Kids Express Sports and Music - Worcester, Mass.
     Concordia Lutheran Church (the Rev. Ann Burgdorf)
     Requested $26,800/Funded $8,000

28.  Tri-State Latino/Hispanic Diakonia Program - New York
     Metropolitan New York Synod (the Rev. David Anglada)
     Requested $44,150/Funded $20,000

29.  Living Out God's Word - Allentown, Pa.
     St. Martin de Porres (the Rev. Ivis La-Riviere-Mestre)
     Requested $20,000/Funded $20,000

30.  STRETCH Academy - Philadelphia
     Reformation Lutheran Church (the Rev. Gordon Simmons)
     Requested $31,970/Funded $26,000

31.  Congregational Development Using Faith Based Community
     Organizing - Baltimore
     Amazing Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church (the Rev. Karen Brau)
     Requested $30,000/Funded $20,000

32.  2003 Urban Summit - Baltimore
     Delaware-Maryland Synod (the Rev. Jerrett Hansen)
     Requested $40,000/Funded $30,000

33.  Mission Transformation Training - Baltimore
     St. John's Lutheran Church (the Rev. T. Gregory Knepp)
     Requested $2,500/Funded $1,500

34.  Holy Hip Hop - Decatur, Ga.
     St. Stephen Lutheran Church (the Rev. Clifford Bahlinger)
     Requested $9,700/Funded $7,300

35.  Messiah Korean Immigrants Social & Educational Service - Norcross,
Ga.
     Messiah Korean Lutheran Church (the Rev. Min Chan Park)
     Requested $23,500/Funded $12,300

36.  ENRICH - Tupelo, Miss.
     Christ the King Lutheran Church (the Rev. Susan Springer)
     Requested $17,500/Funded $10,000
-- -- --
     The Division for Outreach maintains information on its urban
ministry programs at http://www.elca.org/do/urban.html on the ELCA Web
site.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html