A million-dollar grant from a giant in philanthropy will help the Fresno Pacific University Center for Community Transformation support children’s faith development.

The center received a $1,179,040 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish Centrando Niños en Nuestras Congregaciones (Centering Children in our Congregations). This seven-part initiative is focused on addressing the needs of congregations, with a focus on Spanish-speaking, rural and marginalized communities, and churches.

Included will be a certificate program for Spanish-speaking congregations focused on children’s ministry and development. There will also be faith literacy coaching, development of local groups to generate new ideas, mini-grants, a ministry implementation program, and other resources and tools.

“Our team is deeply moved and excited to lean into the work of this new initiative here at CCT. CCT’s heart to continue to invest into congregations, especially our rural and Spanish-speaking congregations in partnership with Lilly Endowment Inc., provides a significant investment in the health and vitality of children’s ministry programs in the Central Valley,” said Carlos Huerta, CCT executive director. “This investment will provide new opportunities to partner with so many leaders in ways that will tap into their creativity and hopes for serving children well. We see that this will provide a fertile soil for the long-term flourishing of the faith of the children in our congregations who one day will be the leaders and movers in our Valley.”

National Project to Help Christian Congregations Engage Kids

Centrando Niños is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative, a national project to help Christian congregations more fully and intentionally engage children. The latest round of grants in the initiative were announced on Sept. 27,.

“Congregational worship and prayer play a critical role in the spiritual growth of children,” Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion, said in a statement. “These programs will help congregations give greater attention to children and how they can more intentionally nurture the faith of children, as well as adults, through worship and prayer.”

The CCT is one of 91 organizations funded through the latest round of the initiative. They represent a broad spectrum of Christian traditions, including Catholic, mainline Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, Anabaptist and Pentecostal faith communities. Several organizations are rooted in Black Church and Hispanic and Asian American Christian traditions.

Since its creation in 2012, the Center for Community Transformation at Fresno Pacific University has been dedicated to building God’s shalom in the Central Valley. CCT operates at the intersection of faith, purpose and action, rooted in the belief that cities should reflect God’s peace, prosperity and wholeness. Dedicated to fostering community resurgence, CCT champions the idea that real change sprouts from within and partners with local education, business, church and non-profit leaders. By bridging gaps, forging connections and offering platforms for innovation and growth, the CCT sets the stage for communities to thrive and reflect God’s design. More at Home – Center for Community Transformation.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of Lilly Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, Lilly Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

A principal aim of Lilly Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. Lilly Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.