In early October, I ventured to Indianapolis, Indiana for a diverse gathering of nonprofit leaders representing organizations that shared at least two things in common: 1) a hopeful commitment to the vitality of the wider church, and 2) our institutions had all received grant support from Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of its Thriving Congregations Initiative. I was already feeling buoyant as, a week before that gathering, I had received the exciting news that the Lilly Endowment has awarded the Montreat Conference Center a second grant of nearly $1 million to continue and expand our own Thriving Congregations initiative for another five years. Our first Lilly Endowment grant, awarded in 2019, established a partnership with The Black Mountain School of Theology & Community and launched our Thriving Congregations program. At its heart, the program envisions churches as dynamic “schools for the faithful,” where …
Press Release: Montreat Conference Center Receives a Grant to Strengthen Churches Amid Shifting Landscapes
MONTREAT, NC — Montreat Conference Center has been awarded a nearly $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of its Thriving Congregations Initiative 2025 Scaling Program to continue its work on congregational vitality. This new four-year grant will enable Montreat to work with 75 congregations, building on the success of its initial phase, which concludes this year. That phase supported 30 congregations across three cohorts. The expanded program will welcome additional congregations into the full cohort experience and establish two regional hubs to broaden the initiative’s reach and impact. “This generous support from Lilly Endowment affirms the importance of our work with congregations and provides us with the resources to deepen the impact of the program,” …