Central Christian College of the Bible (CCCB) has received a grant of over $1.2 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support the launch of a multi-year collaborative effort to elevate children’s ministry programs in the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. CCCB’s “VIEW Initiative” will provide training and curriculum to children’s ministry staff and volunteers and devotional resources for parents to use at home. A partnership with Ability Ministry will allow the initiative to give particular attention to helping churches serve children and families with special needs.
CCCB’s program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s “Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative,” a national initiative designed to help Christian congregations more fully and intentionally engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices.
CCCB is one of 91 organizations funded through the latest round of the Nurturing Children initiative. These ministries represent and serve congregations in various Christian traditions, including Catholic, mainline Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, Anabaptist, and Pentecostal faith communities. Several organizations are rooted in Black Church and Hispanic and Asian-American Christian traditions.
“Thanks to the Lilly Endowment’s “Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative” and Central Christian College of the Bible, we have an incredible opportunity to develop a brand-new, three-year Children’s Ministry curriculum,” said Ryan Wolfe, Ability Ministry President. “This curriculum will place special emphasis on including children with disabilities. We are thrilled to create this much-needed resource for churches around the world.”
“Congregational worship and prayer play a critical role in the spiritual growth of children and offer settings for children to acquire the language of faith, learn their faith traditions, and experience the love of God as part of a supportive community,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s Vice President for Religion. “These programs will help congregations give greater attention to children and how they can more intentionally nurture the faith of children, as well as adults, through worship and prayer.”
With the Endowment’s generous support, CCCB will partner through its CCL Network with Ability Ministry and The Solomon Foundation to offer a comprehensive package of services and resources to help Christian Churches and their leaders raise the next generation of biblical storytellers. The initiative will focus on helping children aged 2-12 respond to God’s word in worship and prayer, with offerings for children and families with special needs.
“We are excited by this new opportunity to help churches,” says CCCB’s President, Dr. David Fincher. “VIEW will offer training and certification programs for children’s ministry staff and volunteers, curriculum and support for churches, and resources for family devotions, delivered through a mobile app. Over the next five years, we hope to serve over 300 churches and thousands of children across the country.”
Nurturing Children is the third major Lilly Endowment grant awarded to CCCB in the past two years. Prior grants for the Endowment’s “Compelling Preaching” and “Thriving Congregations” initiatives have allowed CCCB to continue building the CCL Network, which serves Christian Church leaders nationwide through cohort-based programs for preachers and congregations.
Churches and church leaders interested in participating in these initiatives may contact Micah Odor (Executive Director of the CCL Network) for more information.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.
Note: The original text for this release is available on the Central Christian College of the Bible website.
