The NC Synod has received a $608,050 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish And God Said It Is Good, a program designed for children to encounter a God who delights in them and calls them good.

The 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.

Through trainings, microgrants, creative expression collaborations, and milestones, we will work with congregations to cultivate an ethos of participation that makes space for all children, including diverse, disabled, and neurodiverse beloveds. This project will help both congregations and parents to see God at work in their children both inside and outside of the church walls. The witness of Jesus in the world will be fuller with the addition of children, their gifts, and their stories.

We are even more convinced that this work matters as we accompany those, especially those in Western North Carolina, impacted by Hurricane Helene. We know that our children are asking deep questions about “Why?” and “Did God do this?” This grant will enable us to hold space with children and we will be actively incorporating trauma-informed care principles into this work.

The Rev. Dr. Timothy Smith, bishop of the North Carolina Synod ELCA, shares his hopes for the program. “The pandemic significantly diminished middle and high school youth ministries in congregations and building those back has been slow and frustrating work. Our synod understands that we need to build back from the ground up—that is, from strong children’s ministries—in order to pursue the critical calling of passing on the faith to new generations. We are immensely grateful to Lilly Endowment for providing the funds to help us make that priority of ministry with children possible.”

The North Carolina Synod is one of 91 organizations funded through the latest round of the initiative. They represent and serve congregations in a broad spectrum of 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.

“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.”

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic 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. The 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.