Press Release
The CME Church Receives a Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative Grant to Launch the “Faithful Parenting” Program
Contact: Bishop Teresa E. Snorton, email: BishopSnorton@TheCMEChurch.org
August 10, 2023
The Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church has received a grant of $1.1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Faithful Parenting program. The project is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to help parents and caregivers share their faith and values with their children.
According to Bishop Teresa E. Snorton, the Grant Administrator, “we are especially excited because this will be a locally executed project that will gather parents in their Episcopal Districts to share stories and identify their parenting needs through the Listening Sessions. Then in retreat settings, the parents will be provided tools and resources the enhance family rituals based on the Christian faith and increase their confidence in sharing their faith with their children.”
Dr. Carmichael Crutchfield, General Secretary of the CME Department of Christian Education and Dr. Evelyn Parker, Professor Emerita of Practical Theology, Perkins School of Theology – Southern Methodist University and Visiting Distinguished Professor of Practical Theology, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary will serve as Project Coordinators. Under their leadership, the CME Episcopal Districts Christian Educators Coordinators will be trained to lead Listening Sessions and Retreats for parents of children ages 10-13 years old. Children in this age group are more vulnerable as they move into social contexts beyond the home. Parents need to be equipped with effective means of communicating, supporting and guiding these young adolescents in how to use faith and healthy values to inform daily living and decision-making.
The CME Church is one of 77 organizations that are receiving grants through this competitive round of the initiative. Reflecting the diversity of Christianity in the United States, the organizations are affiliated with mainline Protestant, evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox Christian and Pentecostal faith communities. Many of the organizations are rooted in Black church, Hispanic and Asian Christian traditions.
“We’ve heard from many parents who are seeking to nurture the spiritual lives of their children, especially in their daily activities, and looking to churches and other faith-based organizations for support,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These thoughtful, creative and collaborative organizations embrace the important role that families have in shaping the religious development of children and are launching programs to assist parents and caregivers with this task.”
Lilly Endowment launched the Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative in 2022 because of its interest in supporting efforts to help individuals and families from diverse Christian communities draw more fully on the wisdom of Christian practices to live out their faith fully and well passing on a vibrant faith to a new generation.
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.
