wfn.org | ABCUSA: Green Lake Conference Center Awarded Lilly Grant

["SCHRAMM, Richard" <Richard.Schramm@abc-usa.org>]

American Baptist News Service (9/30/02)--The American Baptist Assembly/Green
Lake Conference Center in Green Lake, Wis. (ABA/GLCC), will receive a $2
million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to participate in Lilly's national
"Sustaining Excellence in the Pastoral Ministry" program.

The grant is the largest single gift ABA/GLCC has received in its 58-year
history.

The program to be funded at Green Lake, the Center for Excellence in
Congregational Leadership, will be managed by ABA/Green Lake President Ken
Giacoletto.  The center will train approximately 200 pastors for six
one-week sessions over a three-year period, with intervening meetings of
small peer groups at strategic locations.  Training will emphasize integrity
and harmony in ministry and personal life, leadership visioning, change
management, team building in partnership with laity, and devotional life.  

The program will comprise an "electronically-linked" learning community,
with evaluations taking place at each session and appropriate changes in the
curriculum and teaching methods made to meet the needs of participants and
improve the program.

"We are excited about receiving this opportunity from Lilly which will allow
GLCC to step up in partnering with the local church," said Senior Vice
President Marc Dosogne,. "Church leader training has been a part of our
mission since 1944 and we are thrilled that this grant will enable us to
foster healthy churches which will directly impact people's lives."

"Many administrators and staff members contributed toward the teamwork
essential to submit a winning grant proposal," said Joe Gaunt, professional
grantwriter and a deacon at First Baptist Church of Green Bay, who devoted
more than two months to preparation of the formal application.
	
The ABA/Green Lake grant was one of 47 awarded in the Lilly program.  Also a
recipient, the American Baptist Churches USA Ministers Council will use its
$1,959,600 grant to fund its Together in Ministry project.  

02ABN141

American Baptist News Service: Office of Communication, American Baptist
Churches USA, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851; (610)768-2077; fax:
(610)768-2320; www.abc-usa.org; richard.schramm@abc-usa.org