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OHIO: Cleveland's Trinity Cathedral receives $15,000 grant for youth discernment program
The proposed program, Living the Baptismal Covenant, is designed to support discernment in the lives of young people and the intentional ministry of both lay and ordained people.
Since the Very Rev. Tracey Lind became dean of Trinity in 2000, the cathedral has sponsored five people under the age of 35 for ordination; two are currently in seminary and three have been ordained. The congregation is informally mentoring two high school students, two college students and an intern interested in pursuing ordination. The program formalizes Trinity's discernment ministry, said Rebecca Wilson, the cathedral's communications consultant.
"Here in the heart of downtown Cleveland, one of America's poorest cities, many of Trinity's members and seekers are reinventing themselves by discerning a new sense of vocation and ministry," said Lind. "Out of the economic crisis and the despair of our city, we have been blessed with an abundance of call. This generous grant from The Fund for Theological Education will allow us to formalize and strengthen our existing culture of call, and spread its spirit throughout the cathedral congregation and the city we serve."
Trinity is one of eight congregations (representing seven denominations nationwide) to be awarded a "cultures of call" grant, ranging from $3,300 to $15,000 ($90,000 total), from FTE's Calling Congregations initiative. The initiative seeks to equip churches and church-related organizations to play a leading role in the vocational discernment of young men and women -- and to support gifted young people considering ordained ministry as a profession.
According to FTE fewer than seven percent of clergy in most denominations are under age 35.
"Every community depends on strong local churches, and congregations need highly capable leaders to serve growing needs," said Jim Goodmann, FTE Calling Congregations regional director and grant program administrator, in a news release announcing the grants. "These grants enable congregations to move further into their role as nurturers of the next generation of leaders. Their work of identifying talented and faithful young people who aspire to serve others and to explore the call to ministry builds a network of engaged congregations who will help shape the life of the church by revitalizing its leadership."
Calling Congregations seeks to establish a national network of 500 congregational and church-related partners. It offers regional workshops, a national conference, teaching tools, Web-based resources, and up to 40 fellowships annually which match a congregation's financial support toward tuition and expenses for a young church member's first year at seminary.
FTE supports the next generation of leaders among pastors and scholars, providing more than $1.5 million annually in fellowships and a network of support to gifted young people from all denominations and racial/ethnic backgrounds.
FTE launched the grant program with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. in 2007 and will award a total of $350,000 in grants through 2009. September 1 is the deadline for the next grant cycle.
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