wfn.org | ABCUSA: Wide Interest Evident for Funding Collegial Covenant Groups

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

American Baptist News Service (Valley Forge, Pa. 11/6/03)--The American
Baptist Churches USA Ministers Council has received 195 applications for
funding collegial covenant groups in 2004. That number surpasses the
organization's goal of 110 groups for 2004, the first year of group funding
in the Ministers Council's Lilly Endowment Inc.-funded project "Together in
Ministry" (TIM). 

A collegial covenant group consists of six to eight colleagues plus a
facilitator who covenant to meet together monthly for study and prayer.

Dr. Kate Harvey, TIM project director and executive director of the
Ministers Council, described the opportunity TIM has presented: "In the
magnificent providence of God the Ministers Council has been awesomely
blessed with a gift of $1,959,600 from the Lilly Endowment Inc. for the
formation of collegial covenant groups. The second blessing is that so many
ABC ministerial leaders have poured energy and creativity into joining with
colleagues to form groups for fulfillment of TIM's theme: 'I remind you to
rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my
hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of
power and of love and of self-discipline' (II Timothy 1:6-7)."

According to Harvey, "Scientific research and anecdotal evidence indicate
that intentionally joining with colleagues in the ministry on a regular
basis to pray, study and share struggles and joys provides the support and
accountability that work toward a spirit of power and of love and of
self-discipline, and mitigate incidences of burnout and misconduct."

Eight regional Ministers Councils have formed groups that number in the
double digits: Central, Great Rivers, Greater Bay Area, Indiana, Michigan,
Pacific Southwest, South and Upstate New York.

Harvey notes, "Assuming an average of seven persons per group, one might
estimate that 1,365 persons have elected to participate in collegial
covenant groups in 2004. Since there are 9,796 pastoral leaders in the
ABCUSA, as a percentage of the total approximately 14% have fulfilled the
requirements to receive the financial resources for collegial covenant
groups. Put another way, in the first year of group formation exactly the
number of groups projected for 2007, the final year of promotion and
implementation, have already been formed to begin in 2004. The 2007 covenant
group budget total is $351,000 to fund a projected 195 groups, and the
participant expense budget is $130,000. Exactly that amount would be
required to fund all the groups that have formed for 2004. The Ministers
Council's prayer is that the Lilly Endowment Inc. will authorize the
disbursement of sufficient grant moneys to fund in 2004 all the groups that
have met the requirements. We invite all American Baptists to join your
prayers with ours."

K/2003ABNS/03ABN135

American Baptist News Service: Office of Communication, American Baptist
Churches USA, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851; (800)ABC-3USA x2077
/ (610)768-2077; fax: (610)768-2320; www.abc-usa.org;
richard.schramm@abc-usa.org