Dordt University received a $1.25 million grant for the "All Kids are Worship Leaders" initiative, led by Rev. Drs. Jeremy and Angela Perigo.
Dordt University has received a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish All Kids are Worship Leaders - A Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative.
The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative, a national initiative designed to help Christian congregations more fully and intentionally engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices.
Project leaders will partner with churches to find meaningful ways for children to participate more fully in worship. They'll identify the knowledge and skills needed and provide learning opportunities for children and families to grow in worship art leadership. Then they'll find ways to incorporate the unique gifts of children into worship, including Scripture reading, prayer, and singing. The program will also help churches embrace children's artistic talents while enhancing their overall worship practices.
The initiative will be directed by Rev. Drs. Jeremy and Angela Perigo.
Rev. Dr. Angela Perigo, director of faith formation at Dordt University, says, “Our deep hope for the program is that through this initiative, children come alive in their faith. We believe that the unique worship lives of children matter, and catalyzing growth in worship arts can be so formative in giving expression and shape to how God is nurturing them in the faith.”
Rev. Dr. Jeremy Perigo, professor of theology and worship arts at Dordt University, adds, “I am excited to see our consultations, training events, and publications fuel churches in our region and beyond to give greater attention to welcoming children's presence, participation, and leadership in corporate worship.”
Dordt University is one of 91 organizations funding through the latest round of the initiative. They represent and serve congregations in 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.
“Congregational worship and prayer play a critical role in the spiritual growth of children and offer settings for children to acquire the language of faith, learn their faith traditions and experience the love of God as part of a supportive community,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “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.”
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic 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 the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. The principal aim of the 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. The 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.
About Dordt University
As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.
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