With Ministries has been awarded a two-year, $300,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. as part of its Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. The focus of this initiative is to help organizations develop new programs and resources that support congregations as they intentionally create spaces where children engage with worship and prayer practices. Our funded project, Worship As One: Learning with Children with Disabilities about Worship and Prayer, will equip churches to be communities in which believing and belonging abound together; where people with and without disabilities grow in their faith, their friendships, and their love and worship of God. We are excited to be partnering in this work with the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities at Baylor University.

Highlights of our project include:

• Developing a new and flexible framework for designing accessible, intergenerational worship that meaningfully engages children with disabilities and their families.
• Partnering long-term with diverse churches and families to learn together about accessible worship and prayer practices that engage children with extensive support needs.
• Developing practical guidance and a portfolio of compelling resources for churches and families that can inspire and guide them on this journey.
• Examining the reciprocal impact of accessible worship and prayer practices on children with disabilities, their parents, and others within the local congregation.

Our organization has a long history of impactful work with churches in the areas of disability and faith formation. This project is at the center of that mission. Rebecca Wall, With Ministries’ Executive Director, shared, “We support faith formation and congregational inclusion with individuals experiencing disabilities in hundreds of churches across the United States and Latin America. We are grateful for this opportunity to broaden our impact and resource church leadership so that congregations flourish as one body.”

We are excited to work closely with the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities, whose mission is to promote the flourishing of people with disabilities, their families, and communities. Erik Carter, the Center’s Executive Director, noted, “We want every church to be faithful in welcoming and embracing children with disabilities and their families in worship and life together. We look forward to joining With Ministries on this difference-making project!”

With Ministries is honored to be chosen as a recipient of this grant and are expectant for this work to not only be meaningful and enriching, but empowering and impactful for congregations around the world.

To learn more about Lilly Endowment Inc. visit lillyendowment.org.

To learn more about the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities visit https://bcdd.soe.baylor.edu.