CAPTION: Mission Communities can apply for grants for projects aimed at children and families like Family Fun Cooking Club
£200,000 Diocese Mission and Growth Fund Launched to Reach Children and Young People
Mission Communities in Devon are being invited to apply for funding of up to £20,000 for projects aimed at making new young disciples.
The Diocese of Exeter Mission and Growth Fund will see £200,000 made available for mission to children, young people and families over the next two years.
The Bishop of Exeter, The Rt Rev’d Robert Atwell said, “Work with children, young people and families is one of the areas of church life most adversely affected by the pandemic.
Children taking part in activities at the Devon County Show
“The days of simply expecting families to come to us are a thing of the past.
“Even before Covid hit us, as a Diocese we recognised that we need to make outreach to children and families a priority.
“There is far more to our work with children and young people than money, but we believe that even a small amount of money can make a huge difference.” Rev’d James Grier, Mission Enabler
“Now the need is even greater. The impact of Covid and successive lockdowns on the emotional well-being of young people may never be fully known.
“The church needs to be there for them more than ever.”
Phase Two of the Mission and Growth Fund was originally due to launch in early 2020 but was postponed by the pandemic.
£100,000 will be made available this year and £100,000 in 2023.
Creative and Sustainable Projects
The money is intended to resource or help start new projects which will engage with children and young people churches are not currently reaching.
Bishop Robert added, “We want these grants to have an impact across the Diocese; so it is likely that smaller amounts will be made available to more mission communities rather than simply funding a few large bids.
“Projects can be as creative as you like, but they do need to be sustainable if we are going to help young people not only engage with faith, but go on to become committed disciples of Jesus Christ.”
St Pancras Church in Plymouth was one of the churches to receive funding from Phase One of the Mission and Growth Fund in 2017.
The money went towards employing Mariska Minter as the Families & Outreach Worker.
In the last five years, she has established weekly groups for young children in the church’s ‘Godly Playroom, a youth ‘Energise’ group and a parenting class.
Mariska Minter at St Pancras Church with Mission Advisor, Rev’d James Grier
She said, “We don’t just do children’s work or adults’ work; we aim a lot at doing whole family work.
“We also do a lot of reaching out into the community with things like the Food Larder and that has broken down a lot of barriers.
“It’s brought people into church who never thought about coming to church in the first place.”
Alongside the food hampers at the Food Larder, St Pancras Church run family events that draw families in from the community.
Mariska said, “People from our community who may have come into our church for one reason now come in because they see it as a place where they are going to have their family life enriched and a fun place to be with their whole family.
The aim is to encourage children and young people to engage with faith
“Building up those long-term relationships mean they build stronger relationships with church and the result has been that we have more young families coming to church on a Sunday.”
The Mission and Growth Fund is now open for applications. The closing date is 30 April 2022.
Applications will need to be made on behalf of a Mission Community rather than individual parish.
You can apply for up to £20,000 for one project, but most grants will be for smaller amounts to supplement another fund or budget.
You can find out everything you need to know about applying, including the eligibility criteria, on the Mission and Growth Fund webpage.
Guidance about submitting an application is also available here.
Rev’d James Grier, the Diocese of Exeter Mission Enabler, said, “Jesus spoke not only of the need for us to become like children but also how in welcoming children we welcome him.
“Children have always been a priority for the church and there has never been a time when it was more important for us to look afresh at how we reach out to children and young people.
“There is far more to our work with children and young people than money, but we believe that even a small amount of money can make a huge difference.
“My prayer is that this Mission and Growth fund will be a vital catalyst for work with children and young people across the Diocese.”
Go to https://exeter.anglican.org/ministry/mission-and-growth-fund for more information.
