Western District Conference of Mennonite Church USA has received a $677,730 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support its new Kids Meet Christ program, encouraging congregations to reimagine worship with innovative ideas that engage and celebrate children’s faith.
The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative, a national program to help congregations engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices.
Lilly Endowment’s objective is to enhance worship and prayer practices that more fully include all children, strengthen practices that respect how children experience God and draw on the arts to enhance worship and prayer for children.
Oversight will be guided by WDC associate conference minister Kathy Neufeld Dunn. Implementation begins in early 2025.
WDC includes 55 congregations and church plants in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Guatemala.
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