Tell us about your project. In your narrative, be sure to describe what you feel is innovative.
As we prepare our campus to welcome Able Academics, a school for neurodivergent children, V2A awarded ASLC $2000 in 2024 to explore ministry with neurodivergent children and their families. We used that money to host Enabling Community dinners in May and June of this year where we invited the children, families and staff of AbleAcademics, the congregation, our geographical neighbors and other partners to break bread together, deepen relationships and co-create a space where the community, justice, and love of God flows. The community dinners were overwhelmingly successful at solidifying and building new relationships with the staff and families of Able Academics but also with neighbors and partners who’s lives, families and/or work are impacted by the expectation and narrative that most people are neurotypical and the world should only function for the neurotypical, instead of for the beautiful diversity of humanity that God has created.

In 2025, we plan to host an Enabling Community dinner every month to continue to co-createa space for the Spirit to unleash the community, justice and love of God until it is overflowing from our campus into our neighborhood and city. Additionally, we have already invited the students, staff and families of Able Academics to dream with us in co-creating a Space for Grace in the nave that fully supports the needs of the neurodiverse students, staff and family for the weekly chapel time that will occur when the school moves in to the campus and so they have a familiar space if/when they join us for Sunday worship. Finally, many neurodivergent children are not able to attend church camp. We’d like to work with the staff of Able Academics and Luther Springs to host a day camp for neurodivergent kids and other

How will your project help to form new faith communities and grow the church? Please highlight the intentional evangelism components of your project.

When Philip told Nathanael that he had “found him about whom Moses wrote”, Nathanael was doubtful and said “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”. Philip encouraged Nathanael, “Come and see!” In our current context and age, many dechurched and unchurched people think the same about congregations. Can anything good come out of the institutional church? The Enabling Community dinners offer us an opportunity to say “Come and See what God is doing in and through All Saints Lutheran Church.” When they arrive they are met by diverse people offering their gifts to be the body of Christ in and for the sake of the world and they want to be a part of it. This is evidenced by neigbors and friends offering to set up for the dinner, other neighbors/friends joining the cooking team, and even more neighbors/friends donating money for the building modifications necessary for Able Academics to join us on the campus. Additionally the Space for Grace and day camp will co-create the community, justice and love of God in new ways for the congregation and the students, staff and families of Able Academics.

GOALS
The Enabling Community dinners help us to Do Justice and Grow Diversity by fostering deeper community between the congregation, the families and staff of Able Academics, geographical neighbors and mission partners, including other congregations, the Port Orange Fire Department, the Volusia County Sheriff’s department, the Port Orange Police Department, and our DART (Direct Action Research and Training) organization. Additionally the dinners have offered opportunities for congregation members to invite friends and neighbors to come and see (Sharing Christ) and to use their gifts to co-create beloved community (Make Disciples). At least 20 saints have brought friends, many who are now excited to help with future dinners. Further, the dinners, Space for Grace and day camp will

HOW YOU CHOSE PROJECT
The Spirit blew this project into our hearts and community. The potential for a partnership with Able Acadmics began last June which led to a year of listening and dreaming with the city, contractors, mission partners, the congregation, and Able Academics. The cost of the building modifications necessary for Able Academics to move in and for the ASLC campus to continue to sustain ministry and the partnershp (new roof & hvac) has risen to $750k. We have already raised $250k but as we brainstormed ways to engage additional partners, we thought about Jesus’ practice of breaking bread with so many different beloveds and this congregations’ history of hosting a Wednesdays Together dinner, and built on both practices to experiment.

PARTNERS
All Saints Lutheran Church & Able Academics. We were introduced in June of 2023 because ASLC was looking for building partners to help us steward the campus and Able Academics was looking for better space for their school and clinic in Daytona for neurodivergent children pre-K - 3rd grade.

COMMUNICATION PLANS
We share the Enabling Community dinners by personal invitation, in our weekly and monthly newsletters, and in our new Enabling Community mailing list. Every congregation member and dinner attendees were encouraged to invite three friends. We will continue soliciting feedback and offering updates on the Space for Grace during dinners and we will share the day camp at the dinners and through the above means of communication. We will share in the Hometown News and also have info on our website:
https://aslcpo.org/enabling-community/

IMPACT/GOALS
1) grow deep relationships with Able Academics staff and families before the school moves onto the campus. This can be quantified by the number of staff, students & families who
attend dinners and the day camp and the number of congregation members who know staff, students & families by name;
2) grow deeper relationships with partners and  potential partners; for the first two meals we engaged Able Academics and the Port Orange Fire Department in addition to local businesses who donated gifts cards for a raffle. We are currently in conversations with the Port Orange Police Dept, Volusia County Sheriff’s Dept, and FAITH (Volusia’s DART organization) about getting involved in future dinners;
3) engage congregation members and attendees to use their gifts to co-create a space where the Sprit.

CHALLENGES
We have loved hosting these meals at All Saints Lutheran Church. We served 125 in May and almost 135 in June (we average b/w 45-50 people for in-person worship on a Sunday). Hosting the meals on site has helped the congregation adjust to sharing the campus with the community and has helped Able Academics staff, students and families to begin imagining life on the campus. Eventually, if it continues growing we may have to look at hosting the dinners off-site to accomodate the growing number of people wanting to get involved. As ASLC has already shifted use of the education wing to prepare for the school, we expect little anxiety/pushback about making a space for grace for neurodivergent children and families in the Nave but just like for the dinners and welcoming the school, we will offer lots of time for listening and

WHAT IF
We will continue to pursue this project with or without this grant (in full or in part) because we have tasted and seen the Spirit moving in amazing ways through this partnership and these dinners. New people are joining the work of the congregation, the congregation is already engaging the students, families and staff of Able Academics in the triune love of God and the community, justice and love of God has already starting flowing into our neighbors and partners through the partnership with Able Academics and through the meals. We are thankful for the seed grant last year that allowed us to host the first two meals and we hope the synod will invest in a full year of such monthly opportunities. If we don’t receive the grant we will scale back the dinners and will not promote them as far or wide and we may need to wait to prepare the Space for Grace and host the day camp.

WHO IS INVOLVED
Congregational Council/Leadership Team: Rev. Kari Niedermaier, Steve Lehr, Denise Simon, Jaclyn Reyes, George Blalock, Margene Johns; Dinner Coordinator: George Carrington; Communications: Ann Carrington; Cooks: Al Sousa, Mark, Rich Susan Harrity; Volunteer Coordinator: Kathy Dzuris; Facilities prep & cleanup: John Scholtens, George Blalock, George Carrington; Campus Tours: Glen LaFond, Rev. Paul Summer; Nave Accomodations: Jaclyn Reyes, Ann Carrington, Able Academics staff; 20 additional congregation members have shared resources, time and talents

COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Joy Luck Resturant-gift card for raffle/silent auction; Sam's Club-gift card for raffle/silent auction; Guiseppe's Resturant-gift card for raffle/silent auction; Port Orange Fire Department-providing safety training; Volusia County Sheriff's Office-providing resources for persons with neurodivergency; Port Orange Police Department-how they will respond to a home/car accident that involves a person with  eurodivergency; FAITH, DART Organization: this partnership overlaps with their commitment to restorative justice and criminal justice; Boy Scout Troop 477: volunteer hours; Local neighbors and friends

CONGREGATIONAL INVESTMENT
The congregation invested approximately 70 person hours for each meal and roughly 2 hours a week is spent on relationship building with Able Academics and other partners each week. Additionally the congregation has donated sides and desserts for the meals and has invited friends, neighbors and partners. The meals have also led to an investment of over $85,000 in the building modifications.

SUSTAINABILITY
Once Able Academics moves into the campus, a portion of their rent will be set aside to continue the Enabling Community dinners so we can continue to grow and strengthen relationships and continue as a hub for sharing resources around neurodivergence in Port Orange and East Volusia county. Additionally, because “where your treasure is, there your heart is also,” we invite attendees to make a donation to our Enabling Community initiative to offset the costs of the building modifications. Once those modifications are paid for, these donations could help with the dinners, ongoing needs for the Space for Grace and day camp, or could be used for things like advocacy and community education around neurodivergence.

ABOUT
Our project, “Sounds for the Soul”, presents a series of four, 60-90 minute musical events in a Cape Coral City Park during the winter months when the number of inhabitants increases dramatically with seasonal residents and vacationers. Cape Coral Parks and Recreation puts on Concerts in the Park, but they tend to focus on providing a party and entertainment atmosphere. Our format is innovative because it is related to a message. In addition, by stepping into the public space of a community park, our church sends a powerful message: “We come to you because we care.” This approach can attract individuals who might not otherwise step into a traditional church setting, offering them a taste of spiritual community and fellowship. Our project is also innovative in that Parks and Recreation normally has sponsors for events they develop. When approached with our proposal, they were enthusiastic about our involvement. We will be able to utilize Parks and Recreation’s experience and community advertising of local events to support our advertising campaign. Parks and Recreation recommended including food trucks as they will draw families to the event. We are also taking a visionary approach by proposing the musical talent involve local educational institutions. It will be challenging and yet exciting to find the musical talent we desire.

HOW
Our project will attract surrounding full-time and part-time residents as well as visitors. Our efforts in reaching out to the community highlights our Core Values of Welcoming, Serving and Living as disciples of Christ. Hopefully, attendees who are missing something in their lives or who want to expand their contribution to Cape Coral will want to join in our purpose of Sharing Christ’s Love in the Community. By emphasizing the often-lost message in music people listen to, this project will focus on renewing faith in a community that has drifted away as well as reaching out to unchurched families. The goal to grow the Church of Jesus Christ will be enhanced by having a display table with information about Christ Lutheran Church, the music being presented and the performers.

GOALS | WHY
• Sharing Christ: Focusing on creating community
• Intentional Diversity: Growing churches and organizations that are active in their communities

Christ Lutheran Church, Cape Coral proposes using music as a means of “Sharing Christ” with the greater community of Cape Coral. Music of all genres has been associated with religious and spiritual practices. From classical to gospel; from country to jazz; from Elvis to U2; music has been used to create emotions of praise, joy, reverence, prayer, celebration, hope, gratitude and more. However, today the message is often lost. Music provides “Intentional Diversity” as it is universal to all cultures, economic levels, and ages. Music is everywhere and for good reasons. Music connects us across all cultures and ages, brings back memories and acts as an emotional compass. From our ancestors humming tunes around fires to us jamming out on our daily commute, music is a big part of who we are and provides a commonality to all cultures. Our proposal meets two of the 2024 V2A Goals and speaks to Christ. Lutheran’s purpose: “Sharing Christ’s Love in the Community”.

HOW CHOSEN
Christ Lutheran Church is an aging congregation in a city of 238,000 + people that is one of the fastest growing mid-sized cities in the United States. Our initial exploration team identified a need for rejuvenation, rebirth, and reengagement with the greater community. This led us to search for a project that reached out in a way that supported our core values while, at the same time, gave us a renewed presence in the community. Being a small congregation, we wanted a project that was feasible for our size and required a minimum number of volunteers but would still provide all the experience for future ministries. We are fortunate to have team members who have experienced or read of successful, similar programs elsewhere.

PARTNERS
This is only a group application in the sense that Christ Lutheran will be working closely with the City of Cape Coral Parks and Recreation Department. We have applied for the use of a park through the permitting process. As a church, this route has fewer restrictions. We gain all their experience of putting on an event and their provision of community advertising. The City of Cape Coral Parks and Recreation Department has expressed a willingness to work together and may become an avenue for future community service as they are always looking for volunteer groups to assist them.

COMMUNICATION | BUY-IN
Full involvement by the Church Council: the President and Vice-President are members of the V2A Committee. Information will be placed in each congregation-wide email and will be in every Sunday “Bell Tower” notes attached to each bulletin. The V2A Committee will present a detailed update at the semi-annual Congregational Meeting on August 4, 2024. Details will be posted on our website and Facebook page. We have had a booth at the Cape Coral Festival of Lights in December for the last three years, an event that attracts over 5,000 community members, and we will utilize that event to advertise. We will supplement the City’s event calendar with all the normal media saturation of newspapers, flyers, handouts, and signage.

IMPACT
Our desired impacts are about relevance. We will meet our V2A Goals of “Sharing Christ” and “Intentional Diversity” if:
- A rejuvenated congregation becomes excited about spreading the Word.
- There is an average attendance of 250 at each “Sounds for the Soul” event.
- Attendance from one event to the next increases.
- Responses in Social Media, (i.e., individual expressions of “likes and dislikes,” thoughts and responses) are positive.
- There is an increase in worship attendance.
- Attendees ask if we are going to repeat the events in 2025.
- Attendees visit our sponsor booth and engage in discussion.
- Event attendance matches Cape Coral community demographics.

CHALLENGES
Being an outdoor event, the weather is a big challenge. A rainout would require cancellation and this would need to be addressed with the musical talent at the time of scheduling. However, we have scheduled these events during ‘dry season”• The park chosen, Cultural Park, provides the best amenities. However, it also requires the most coordination with other users. Finding the musical talent that fits our goals of connecting music to a faith message. A member of our team has connections through the education system and we have other contacts that will focus on this important aspect of our project. We have already investigated many of the challenges: advertising, insurance, staging and/or risers, parking, policing and security, waste disposal, restrooms, and clean-up. Parks and Recreation has been very helpful as they have experience and are willing to advise.

WHAT IF
If we are not awarded the V2A Grant, or the amount requested, we will move forward with a scaled down project by reducing the number of events offered, from 4 to 2. In May of this year, The Church Council voted to approve the proposed project with funding being sought through a V2A Grant. Discussion of the motion included holding the events ourselves with or without the grant. At its June Council Meeting, it was approved to have Christ Lutheran Church establish a separate checking account for the proposed project. Christ Lutheran Church is currently renting space in another church. To move forward without the Grant would require using funds in reserves for future church goals.

IROLES
We have a V2A leadership team of ten that has been meeting regularly organizing this project. We have a team leader. Each team member contributes in their area of expertise where they feel comfortable. The Church Council is on board and has approved the proposal. The Congregation is aware of the Committee’s actions and is kept up to date every week through announcements in the bulletin. We will and have
involved others as the project develops further. We fully expect that the Congregation will be actively involved in spreading the word of the music concert series. Members will also be tasked with spending time in our sponsor’s booth willing to engage attendees in discussion. One of the main
reasons this project was chosen was because it fits with our small congregation which will be involved in our word-of-mouth advertising campaign.

PARTNERS
We are engaging with the City of Cape Coral Parks and Recreation Department Special Events Division, which is providing excellent advice and knowledge. The concert musicians will be local talent, which may include local schools (High School and Middle School as well as local colleges and universities.

INVESTEMENT
The Congregation’s investment has been a V2A Team meeting on a regular basis. We experienced excitement, which resulted in others joining in, including our choir director, a school music teacher who has connections to the local universities. Several of our members worked in the school system and have fellow peers and friends who can assist in acquiring musical talent. As we move forward there will be more involvement as we identify needs. One example is a member who manages our insurance. A major congregational investment will be in advertising by spreading the word and the other is spending time in our sponsor’s booth. That is
something every member can be involved with.

SUSTAINABILITY
Much depends on how successful we are and whether we meet our goals. We will have data to evaluate our success and knowledge on which to evaluate whether we met the Vision to Action stated goals. If successful, we will examine how this project might be expanded. We may ask for another grant to expand on this year’s project. Also, depending upon our success, the Congregation may decide to keep this as
an annual event, with the possibility of expanding it. There are an unlimited number of opportunities for expansion, (e.g., more concerts in the year, a coffee house or cabaret with music, or an added alternative style worship service.)

LCR Cocoa Beach seeks Year 2 funding for our "Grace in Community" outreach program to allow the Lord to work through our congregation to engage our community in new and exciting ways. Monthly 2024 V2A events helped us learn quickly and positioned us to think more strategically in 2025 about both our outreach events and our follow-up with attendees. We wish to take better advantage of our amazing church campus, including our dock on the river and a beautiful area "under the oaks" ideally situated for outreach events. The "Timelines" section of this proposal contains our preliminary event lineup- emphasizing events that foster individual relationships, strengthen community partnerships and service, and encourage follow-up opportunities to engage with the church family. We are also expanding our "Walking Moai" program, where groups walk together and socialize each week. Members of the congregation with a passion for specific topics will act as "champions" for individual events-assisting with their planning and execution, and helping to promote them in the larger community. Some of these events can provide opportunities to form follow-on support and action groups that include a mix of church members and individuals who do not currently attend our church. We also want to create welcome events for individuals interested in formally joining our church. In 2024 we stepped out in faith, felt the Spirit moving, and were grateful for the opportunity to serve the social, emotional, and and spiritual needs of our community. 2025 funding would allow us to apply our lessons learned, invite even more new community members to our campus and stabilize our program.

How will your project help to form new faith communities and grow the church? 
As described in Phillip Yancey's book, "Vanishing Grace", there is increasing distrust in organized religion and Christianity outside the faith community. Because of this, people are less likely to walk into a church without knowing someone already there, and members of our congregation may be hesitant to invite people in the community to a church service or talk about their own faith. The spirit of God is stirring at our church, and our members are kind and welcoming people. We believe providing opportunities for our church family to invite their neighbors to inclusive fellowship and service events will address core human needs for relationship and meaning and be a catalyst for spiritual growth towards Christ. In July 2023 our congregation was blessed with a new pastor, Paul Amlin, and his dynamic ministry combined with the outreach events made possible by 2024 V2A funding have elevated our visibility in the community, leading 24+ new members to join our church since January. We believe that a second year of V2A grant funding will allow us to reach even more people and allow our outreach efforts to mature.
 
Which V2A goal(s) does your project address?
I✓ I Sharing Christ: Focusing on creating community
I✓ I Vital Congregations: Developing congregations and organizations as innovation centers D Making Disciples: Re-focusing congregational practices on discipleship and lifelong learning
rather than membership
I✓ I Doing Justice: Identifying community organizations for partnerships
D Intentional Diversity: Growing churches and organizations that are active in their communities

How does your project address the goal(s) selected above? 
Our project consists of innovative events that demonstrate ALL are welcome at our church. In 2025 we will increase our emphasis on recurring events that build a sense of community and provide even greater opportunities to allow personal relationships to deepen (including our outdoor worship and dance events and walking moai program). Another year of events will allow us to strengthen/expand our community partnerships to provide opportunities for connection and doing good- especially in areas of environment and elementary school education. We see this as an innovative new way of "being church" and sharing God's love while address core human needs for relationship and meaning. To quote a favorite hymn-"They will know we are Christians by our love."

Briefly describe how you chose the project. What was your discernment process? How did you determine this project was the best one for your congregation or organization to pursue? 
After receiving V2A grant funding in 2024 we applied design thinking principles to both our current events and our 2025 proposal- seeking to empathize with those we are trying to reach, then focusing on rapid prototyping and applying what we learned to subsequent events. For the 2025 proposal, we sought feedback from event participants and congregation members, then formed a grant focus group that included both new church members and others from the church council. We reflected on the needs of different community groups, our own strengths and passions, reviewed synod input on our 2025 idea, then brainstormed future events. This grant proposal was based on these discussions and approved by the Council.
 
Tell us about your communication plan. How will you develop congregational and community buy-in? (100 words)
We promote individual events using targeted Facebook ads, paper flyers, and local periodicals- we also post information on our large electronic church sign. Participants are asked to register on our church website, and we also send emails to past attendees of our outreach events through our WIX-hosted website. We also remind our congregation using our monthly church newsletter and weekly E-news bulletins and make announcements before our services and during fellowship. We've learned that word of mouth and personal recommendations are quite helpful in attracting people to some of the smaller events.

Describe the impact you hope to have. How will you identify it? Along with any numerical goals, please describe at least one qualitative sign of impact or success. (100 words)
Our ultimate goal is to bring more people to Christ, but increasing engagement with our church is the first step. Measures of impact include number of attendees at our outreach events and our church services, and number of people who formally join our church. Our excellent new pastor (arrived July 2023) and the V2A events starting in Jan 2024 have made a major positive impact- 24 new members have joined the church since January. Intangible measures include our congregation's connection to and pride in their church, their enthusiasm to socialize after Sunday services (fellowship often takes 90+ minutes), and their willingness to invite a friend or neighbor to a church service or an outreach event.

Name challenges or obstacles you can foresee/imagine. How might you address them? (100 words)

#1- Nobody new shows up to your "outreach" event. Mitigation Strategies: pick "fun" or high-interest topics; encourage "bringing a buddy"; ask speakers/community partners to help promote the event; (examples: local vet advertises his pet talk;); advertise heavily & include freebies. #2- Church volunteer burnout- more load on the same people. Mitigation strategy-Now that we have more experience with outreach, increase the number of champions working different events-giving more people a chance to serve in areas they care about (the nature lover works the Earth Day event, the PTA president works the fall festival, etc. If our champion base does not increase and volunteer burnout becomes an issue, we will reduce the number of smaller events without highly invested champions and focus on bigger, higher impact events.

What if you are not awarded a V2A grant, or don't get the amount you asked for ... will you still pursue the project? Why, or why not? What will you change about the project-either leave out, or achieve in another way? (100 words)
Though we feel it would be a good investment to fund us at the amount proposed, if funding is reduced or eliminated we will still pursue a similar community outreach strategy but focus on fewer, smaller, lower cost events. A second year of V2A funding will allow us to keep the momentum building and give our newly installed pastor the tools he needs to grow our congregation at a healthy pace. Many of our highest profile, most highly attended events have also been our most expensive, so less funding will mean fewer people reached. That being said, in 2024 we stepped out in faith and learned much that we can apply in 2025 regardless of the V2A decision. We feel the Spirit moving and see the impact of our program, and the only way for us is forward.
 
Please list the roles of those involved in the leadership of this project. Beyond the leadership team, how many in your congregation or organization are involved?

The Evangelism Committee is leading the V2A project with guidance and support from Pastor Amlin (an ex officio committee member) and a separate focus group is providing suggestions for high-impact 2025 events. The Fellowship, Social Ministry, and Property committees support on-campus events as needed. Both the congregation and community have enthusiastically embraced the 2024 outreach events- smaller events typically attract 15-25 participants, while our two larger events attracted 75-125 people. We hope to see an even greater response in 2025.

Are you engaging any community partners in your project? If so, please identify them and describe their role and how you will work together. (100 words)
In 2024 we learned that community partners can make a big difference in turnout-for example, when the high school jazz band played for the Mardi Gras Pancake Supper & Jazz Service, many attendees appeared who would not usually come to our pancake supper (125 total!). Our community partners tentatively planned for 2025 are listed under "Timelines". The City of Cocoa Beach is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2025, and we would like to explore multiple event partnerships with them (a birthday party, walking moais, etc). Each event we host provides an opportunity for the church to strengthen existing relationships with community partners and use our members' current affiliations to build new ones.

What is your congregation or organization's investment in this project? Bear in mind this can involve time, talent, and/or treasure. (100 words)

LCR is highly invested in this project, united in our faith that our church is being called by the Spirit. The clearest way to understand our "time and talent" commitment to this 2025 grant proposal is to look at what we've done between January and June with the 2024 V2A money already received: (1) a Habits Workshop; (2) the Fat Tuesday Pancake Supper & Jazz Service; (3) a Grief Workshop; (4) a Thousand Islands Cleanup; (5) a Thousand Islands talk+ boat ride; (6) Walking Moai group walks in May and June; (7) A community talk about county landfills, recycling, and reducing waste; and (8) the week-long Day Camp in collaboration with Luther Springs. Four events are already scheduled between July-December and several more are in the pipeline.

How will you sustain the project beyond the life of the grant? Consider both financial and non-financial resources needed. (100 words)

Because our project is modular and scalable, we are confident we can sustain the project beyond the life of the 2025 grant. Each event teaches us more about how to connect with our neighbors and encourage engagement with our church. We are also strengthening our community partnerships and setting ourselves up for long-term collaboration, especially with environmental non-profits and the City of Cocoa Beach (CB), which is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2025. These outreach events have elevated our visibility in the community, and 24 new members have joined our church since January 2024. We hope that as our church grows, our community outreach program- both big and small events- will become self-sustaining.
 
Budget |V2A Grant $17,550
Congregation or Organization Contributions  
TOTAL INCOME $17,550
Expenses:
Category Name: Advertising and Promotional Items
Item Cost Comments
Social Media and Print Advertising $1400  
Branded Pens/Magnets/Mugs $400  
Yard Signs and Portable Signs $250  
LCR Volunteer T-Shirts $300 Gods Work our Hands; customized for LCR
   
Category Name: Worship under the Oaks, Special Music  
Item Cost Comments
Portable Music and Sound System $2900 for outdoor and fellowship hall events
Electrical Service for outdoor events $2000 Worship under the oaks, festivals, trunk or treat, etc
Special Music: Worship under the Oaks $600 3 worship events @$200 each
Special Music: CB High School Jazz $250 for Fat Tuesday Jazz Service
Special Music: Dance Instructors/DJ $1000 3 events planned
Category Name: Event Food/Drink/Supplies  
Item Cost Comments
Worship Under the Oaks- Cookouts $600 3 Cookouts @ $200 each
Fat Tuesday Supper $450  
New Member Dinner $200  
City Birthday Party/ Barbeque $1100  
Plant-Based Eating $250  
   
   
Category Name: Other Event Costs- Rentals, Freebies, etc.  
Item Cost Comments
Pontoon Boat Rentals(2X) $1000 Military Family + Lagoon Eductional Event
Bounce House/Festival Rentals $400  
Child Care $300  
Tiny Habits Books $300 Freebies for Jan Workshop
Walking Moai Rewards $200 Cocoa Beach Fitness Center Passes
Other Workshop Freebies $700 Bike Rodeo, Pet Workshop, Kids Crafts; Composting
School Volunteering Support $1400 Teacher Morale, Parents Night, etc.
Category Name:    
Item Cost Comments
 

Our church family is continually looking for ways to bring the community into our worship space, both indoors and outdoors. We are beginning a "Food for Thought- and tummies too!" gathering that will focus on the interests of those attending. We are planning for a monthly gathering that would be open to the community. We are especially anxious to have open prayer time, questions about who we are and what we believe as wel as discussions of those types of topics. Our church is at the entrance to a community of nearly 5000 homes with ages ranging from young families with children to those who are staying home more due to mobility, vision, hearing and health issues. There is a very large number of families who are presently not affiliated with a structured church. The opportunity to offer a more casual time to be in prayer, to share concerns, to learn about God and to feel accepted is certainly here.

We feel that our open outdoor worship space is the perfect tool to welcome people of all ages, issues and concerns. While the excitement is growing for this ministry, the drawbacks are lack of a sound system that will allow for clearer messages to be heard and also for the worship service to be broadcast to the outdoor area on Sunday mornings; the supporting electrical needs and lighting for safety and security as well as utilizing the space for evening events and appropriate outdoor furniture that will give more flexibility to the space and how it is used.

HOW
One member of our "Food for Thought" group is ready to start prayer circles, another is talking about a music night/hymn sing and others have offered suggestions for discussion- indicating an interest in reviewing the 10 Commandments, the various creeds and affirmations we use, and heros in scripture. Using the outdoor worship space will help reduce the 'uneasiness' of going into a church. The Felllowship Hall is conveniently next to the outdoor space for inclement weather and is a casual space as well. It is believed that once you know who you are talking to and what they believe, you will gain confidence in that knowledge, and be more open to further involvment with them

GOALS/WHY
Making worship more accessible and more relavant to the individual are the primary goals. Addressing the needs of those with disabilities and focusing on including them in our spiritual journey is vitally important. Helping all of us to see that the scriptures are relevant and applicable to our times and troubles is also important. Knowing that we all share in our trials and also our celebrations is important as we develop a larger sense of community

We were so fortunate to have received an initial grant to do this project, but unfortunately the funding was reduced and we were not able to complete our plans. While the congregation has been involved in finishing the structure with safety railings, we are not able to accomplish the goal of improving the sound system and the electrical needs to better utilize the space.

The Church Council is hoping that an additional grant might provide the funding to enhance the utility of the space.

COMMUNICATION/BUY-IN
The original outdoor space was fully supported by the church family and they financially supported the addition of the safety railing. We are continuing to organize activities that involve the community including the Flea Markets, Seasonal Worship services, Blessing of the Animals and casual worship related events- like the outdoor study groups.

IMPACT
While it is impossible to measure Spiritual impact in numbers, the goal of finding common ground to replace division, acceptance to replace intolerance and love to replace hate is seen and felt one person at a time. The core group of involved individuals has gone from 8 on the Church Council to more than 15 for the first planned group in just two weeks. Each individual will be challenged to bring a friend, to spread the word and join in the fun of being a believer.

CHALLENGES
Community involvment is always an obstacle when it involves a church event. We do have great support from our local monthly newspaper and also from the community weekly announcements and we always use the community bulletin boards and the church Facebook page as well as the community Facebook sites to promote events. Word of mouth works to our advantage, especially when there are previous successful events to support an upcoming event.

WHAT IF
We certainly plan to move forward. If we were to receive a grant, we would certainly be able to complete this project in at few months. Furniture and lighting would be the most immediate needs, but an improved sound system would help deliver the messages more clearly!

ROLES/INVOLVEMENT
PastorJim Spanogle is looking forward to the lighting and sound enhancements to reduce his preparation time for outdoor worship. When you are a smaller church, the Pastor seems to be the 'light and sound' guy as well. The 8 members of the Church Council are the guiding team with support from the Women's Group (WELCA) and the Facilities Committee and others who offer support through time, talents and funding. Ten to 15 people are in the core group for discussion, brain storming and planning.

INVESTMENT - TIME, TALENT & TREASURE
This is primarily a technical project and only experiences and qualified individuals will be involved in the sound and electrical enhancements. The selection of needed sound equipment and lighting will be made through Pastor Jim and the Church Council. The Women's Group and the Church Council will be challenged to identify appropriate seating and or tables for the area. We are not looking at any mounting costs for maintenance and repair of the basiic outdoor space. The sound and lighting will be selected for outdoor usage. Furniture will be evaluated based on the projected needs and the ability to properly store the items when weather events threaten our area

With 'in studio.. 'on the street' or live audience, FV360 will bring the message of the Gospel to the people with interviews and questions of Faith leaders, study of scripture and creation of creative ways from participants to have to see how God works in humor, in the arts, and the 'daily grind; of life. It will be available 24/7 to viewers. Classes in writing, production and the content itself engages all types of people to learn the 'basics' of content creation, and that that our Faith
carries though all that we produce. Even the times the words may not being mentioned, the purpose is to amplify the effectiveness of delivery of the church to proclaim the Gospel, that does NOT include the broadcast of the service. That is a separate and ongoing media delivery. However, a show of a "insiders view" of how the service is conducted will be one of the programs. Part of getting a 'buy in ' of the soul maybe a better understanding of the tradition and ritual of a worshop service. Many times helping people to understand why we do what we do gives that tipping point to greater participation and membership in the Church ✔ ✔ ✔
Sharing Christ by content online creation. Interview. scripture study and content creation. Vital Congregations as writing, talent and production classes and teams that learn to work
together and create a community Making Disciples by our actions in the learning, devellopment and delivery of FV360 by helping participants work as Jesus taught His disciples to move the project forward. All of the above culminate of drawing people who use the internet live to the church for further class, show creation and posting, as well as to be an 'audience'. The choice was to expand the success of out Humor Program. Not only did we have success in learning the art of humor and how our Faith can be of laughter, joy and happiness. The team building and cooperation of building a show. Then finally being able to share that talent in places that are underserved. The reason we do this is we have the talent who are church members that have a desire to expand the message via streaming and social media and live messaging. It continues to gain momentum and interest from other members. It builds opportunity for those that choose notTell us about your communication plan.

How will you develop congregational and community buy-in?
Contact and info to the present membership via the usual delivery systems. In person contact by our leadership to the arts community. Social media delivery adn engagemnet on local arts group
Describe the impact you hope to have. How will you identify it? Along with any numerical goals, please describe at least one qualitative sign of impact or success. (100 words)
The impact is three fold. The variety of programs on FV360 with engage views and subscriptions. The goal over a 24 month period is to gain enough views and subscriptions in
order to generate revenue from the platforms. The is becomes self sustaining. The second is to give a outlet for creatives to learn how to write, produce and delivery of
the shows. The third is to view learning opportunities in the community for artistic, technical and placement.

Name challenges or obstacles you can foresee/imagine. How might you address them? (100 words)
Finding qualified instructors for all areas. Getting past the 'church stigma'. Finding proper times for all to attend class and create production. Most of all, getting people past being
interested and taking a risk of being a participant
What if you are not awarded a V2A grant, or don't get the amount you asked for ... will you still pursue the project? Why, or why not? What will you change about the project-either leave out, or achieve in another way? (100 words)
Absolute 100 percent YES! Reason not 'pie in the sky' but the practical reality of the life of the Church. any Church will be its communication, entertainment and interest of their social media, streaming and content online. It then brings people in live where the one on one opportunity to show the Gospel is real life, warts and all. The fortune of a benefactor that has provided much of the needed hardware, Without the grant, it then limits the plans initial impact, simply because resources would not be there, but FV360 will find a way through other opportunities to fund it, and expand to a revenueA overall planning team that will create a rollout plan over a 24 month period. That will consist of six members including the Pastor and a member of the Church Council, a church member and an outside resource that can provide the technical data
points. An overall Executive Producer and Resources for Humor and Media will coordinate classes and placement and introduction of content on the network... We will be consulted by the Florida Studio Theatre, the Humor institute for technical production and engaging the Ringling School of Art for technical help, graphic design and platform advice. We will continue to be open to all ELCA congregations to provide live shows, ability to work with content and support those to help to create similar programs Presently we have two members who coordinate an average of ten hours per month to the Faith Humor Project. New Member Cliff Hornsby and Al Ernst. Both will expand their roles Al Ernst (me!) is has 39 years in the entertainment industry, and presently will take on the roll of Executive Producer of the programing of the network and continue in the administration and talent in the Faith Humor Project. Pr Eric Olson will continue in the role of supervisor and talent for two of the formated shows that can be scheduled to debut in the spring. The Comcil President will particpate in the weekly show. From a financial standpoint the goal in 24 months is to have the network self sustaining from revenues from the YouTube Channel, as well as the 'short' videos for Facebook and Instagram. We will have a viable 'media advisory group' that would include council and church members that can maintain a 'legacy' of talent to keep the channel up with fresh content.

Tell us about your project. In your narrative, be sure to describe what you feel is innovative. Our church family is continually looking for ways to bring the community into our worship space, both indoors and outdoors. We are beginning a "Food for Thought- and tummies too!" gathering that will focus on the interests of those attending. We are planning for a monthly gathering that would be open to the community. We are especially anxious to have open prayer time, questions about who we are and what we believe as wel as discussions of those types of topics. Our church is at the entrance to a community of nearly 5000 homes with ages ranging from young families with children to those who are staying home more due to mobility, vision, hearing and health issues. There is a very large number of families who are presently not affiliated with a structured church. The opportunity to offer a more casual time to be in prayer, to share concerns, to learn about God and to feel accepted is certainly here.

We feel that our open outdoor worship space is the perfect tool to welcome people of all ages, issues and concerns. While the excitement is growing for this ministry, the drawbacks are lack of a sound system that will allow for clearer messages to be heard and also for the worship service to be broadcast to the outdoor area on Sunday mornings; the supporting electrical needs and lighting for safety and security as well as utilizing the space for evening events and appropriate outdoor furniture that will give more flexibility to the space and how it is used.

HOW
One member of our "Food for Thought" group is ready to start prayer circles, another is talking about a music night/hymn sing and others have offered suggestions for discussion- indicating an interest in reviewing the 10 Commandments, the various creeds and affirmations we use, and heroes in scripture. Using the outdoor worship space will help reduce the 'uneasiness' of going into a church. The Felllowship Hall is conveniently next to the outdoor space for inclement weather and is a casual space as well. It is believed that once you know who you are talking to and what they believe, you will gain confidence in that knowledge, and be more open to further involvement with them.

GOALS/WHY
Making worship more accessible and more relavant to the  individual are the primary goals. Addressing the needs of those with disabilities and focusing on including them in our spiritual journey is vitally important. Helping all of us to see that the scriptures are relevant and applicable to our times and troubles is also important. Knowing that we all share in our trials and also our celebrations is important as we develop a larger sense of community

We were so fortunate to have received an initial grant to do this project, but unfortunately the funding was reduced and we were not able to complete our plans. While the congregation has been involved in finishing the structure with safety railings, we are not able to accomplish the goal of improving the sound system and the electrical needs to better utilize the space.

The Church Council is hoping that an additional grant might provide the funding to enhance the utility of the space.

COMMUNICATION/BUY-IN
The original outdoor space was fully supported by the church family and they financially supported the addition of the safety railing. We are continuing to organize activities that involve the community including the Flea Markets, Seasonal Worship services, Blessing of the Animals and casual worship related events- like the outdoor study groups.

IMPACT
While it is impossible to measure Spiritual impact in numbers, the goal of finding common ground to replace division, acceptance to replace intolerance and love to replace hate is seen and felt one person at a time. The core group of involved individuals has gone from 8 on the Church Council to more than 15 for the first planned group in just two weeks. Each individual will be challenged to bring a friend, to spread the word and join in the fun of being a believer.

CHALLENGES
Community involvment is always an obstacle when it involves a church event. We do have great support from our local monthly newspaper and also from the community weekly announcements and we always use the community bulletin boards and the church Facebook page as well as the community Facebook sites to promote events. Word of mouth works to our advantage, especially when there are previous successful events to support an upcoming event.

WHAT IF
We certainly plan to move forward. If we were to receive a grant, we would certainly be able to complete this project in at few months. Furniture and lighting would be the most immediate needs, but an improved sound system would help deliver the messages more clearly!

ROLES/INVOLVEMENT
PastorJim Spanogle is looking forward to the lighting and sound enhancements to reduce his preparation time for outdoor worship. When you are a smaller church, the Pastor seems to be the 'light and sound' guy as well. The 8 members of the Church Council are the guiding team with support from the Women's Group (WELCA) and the Facilities Committee and others who offer support through time, talents and funding. Ten to 15 people are in the core group for discussion, brain storming and planning.

INVESTMENT - TIME, TALENT & TREASURE
This is primarily a technical project and only experiences and qualified individuals will be involved in the sound and electrical enhancements. The selection of needed sound equipment and lighting will be made through Pastor Jim and the Church Council. The Women's Group and the Church Council will be challenged to identify appropriate seating and or tables for the area. We are not looking at any mounting costs for maintenance and repair of the basiic outdoor space. The sound and lighting will be selected for outdoor usage. Furniture will be evaluated based on the projected needs and the ability to properly store the items when weather events threaten our area

Tell us about your project. In your narrative, be sure to describe what you feel is innovative.
“Elemental Ministry” is a way to proclaim the Gospel to families not reached by more traditional methods and a way to create spiritually-focused community with those
who have been reached by the traditional methods. Most young families are not gathering on Sunday mornings inside church buildings so we plan to welcome them to places where they will want to come. Elemental Ministry offers weekly musical, dramatic, and visual art activities for children, and a monthly Elemental Worship Service (EWS) where the children will share their art activities. EWS intends to create a child attentive worship experience with the Pixar effect. It will fascinate the young and captivate the old. EWS will gather, proclaim the Word, share the Meal, and send the worshipers in peace knowing that Christ goes with them. EWS will be cultivated around the elements of fire, water, wind, and earth. Following EWS, fellowship will be offered around campfires, water activities, and wind and earth encounters. Many of those who gather at traditional Sunday services are retirees seeking to encounter the life-giving Gospel again and again. As they thrive in their spiritually focused life together with Christ, they are compelled to share their abundant life with people who haven’t heard God’s message. Spiritually nourishing encounters will be offered to the retirees so that, well nourished, they will have the stamina to keep up with their desire to nourish others.
Elemental: A seed that seeks the triune God resides within all God created.
Elemental: Art is essential to a child’s development.
Elemental: Fire, Water, Wind and Earth are elements that can hold together the scriptures well; especially for elementary-aged worshipers.
Elemental: As the seed of faith grows, disciples go and tell the story.
Elemental Ministry: where the congregation’s vision and the community’s need meet.
Our innovative methods of Sharing Christ and Making Disciples remain the same. Our innovation in these areas, our redevelopment activities, and the vitality that is surmounting in this ministry indicate that Elemental ministry is also a Vital Congregations Project. In our Elemental Ministry's effort to spread the Gospel through non-traditional means, we've expanded from engaging with fewer than 10 children per week to more than 30. Likewise, our outreach has grown from fewer than five families with children in the home last year to more than 100 such families this year. Our initiatives peaked with a week-long summer camp, hosting 40 elementary-aged children. In 2025, we will persist in these efforts to share Christ.

Our elemental ministry for retirees is committed to disciple-making among those engaged through traditional means with a focus on nurturing a community centered on spiritual growth. We are growing together and engaging with the wider community, extending invitations and meeting people in their current walks of life. Together, we embrace the vastness of God's presence. With every new journey, we open our arms to newcomers joining us along the way.

How will your project help to form new faith communities and grow the church?Please highlight the intentional evangelism components of your project. (100-150
words)
Elemental Ministry is creating a new faith community through our unique Elemental Worship Services and art experiences. We are excited to share that our outreach and discipleship efforts are drawing in visitors, motivating existing members to invite friends, and cultivating increased generosity. We have discovered that by following Jesus's command to love God and our neighbors, our congregation has grown, echoing the divine expansion depicted in Acts. Our efforts signify a cultural shift from focusing on preserving the church to focusing on sharing the Gospel. This shift in focus has been crucial.
Which V2A goal(s) does your project address?
Sharing Christ: Focusing on creating community
Vital Congregations: Developing congregations and organizations as innovation centers
Making Disciples: Re-focusing congregational practices on discipleship and lifelong learning rather than membership
Doing Justice: Identifying community organizations for partnerships
Intentional Diversity: Growing churches and organizations that are active in their communities.

How does your project address the goal(s) selected above? (100-150 words)
This ministry is laser focused on Sharing Christ: Developing new ways to grow faith communities that are outwardly focused, emphasizing intentional evangelism and Making Disciples: Creating spiritually focused faith communities.
The affirmations of last year remain valid and have inspired innovative approaches. Central to our work has been the restructuring of our church and the cultural transformation in how we view the church's identity and purpose. Deep listening has been crucial in identifying the most pressing needs and discerning where the church's mission meets them. This innovative work is in harmony with the goals of Vital Congregations.
Briefly describe how you chose the project. What was your discernment process?
We discerned this project through prayer; by understanding the congregation’s mission to know, live, and share the love of Christ; by identifying the congregation’s congruent articulated and lived values of generosity, community gathering, and children’s ministry; by listening to the community around us; and by studying Mission Insite. We wrestled with the need for adaptive change because we discovered technical solutions had come up short. We discovered we were asking the wrong questions. Leadership spent time considering Spiritual Maturity by Frank Thomas and continue to engage with Kingdom Come by Reggie Neal. While discernment never ends, this project seems to be where the community’s needs and the congregation’s vision meet. Throughout the grant year, we have persevered in prayer, consistently revisited our mission, and reaffirmed our values. We have thoroughly evaluated our activities, while attentively listening to everyone involved in this ministry and those we hope will seek to be involved in a ministry such as this one. Our leadership has advanced its knowledge by reading and discussing "Canoeing the Mountains" by Todd Bolsinger. Rev. Stewart
has consulted with the Synod-appointed coach, and we have created and distributed a ministry review package. This summer, we are assessing our efforts and implementing necessary tweaks based on what we've learned. Additionally, we are participating in the Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts at St. Olaf, with the aim of furthering our education.
If this is a group application, please list all congregations/organizations collaborating in this project. How did you decide to work together? (100 words)
Not applicable

Tell us about your communication plan. How will you develop congregational and community buy-in? (100 words)
We are developing congregational buy-in with focus groups, by sharing information at worship through presentations ,the newsletter, and by encouraging joyful participation in the experience. We are developing community buy-in through focus groups, by sharing information via social media, through our web page, and through direct delivery to local elementary schools. We are also in conversation with our on-premises preschool families, girl scouts, food bank visitors, and cheerleaders. Our communication plan is not a one-way effort simply to get the word out. It is to communicate with those who aren’t here yet, and with those who are here to ensure we are moving together so that community needs, and the congregation’s vision meet. Our communication strategy proved effective in 2024, and we intend to implement similar tactics in 2025. We found that personal invitations were particularly successful, so this year we will not only encourage personal outreach but also supply individuals with invitations to distribute.

Describe the impact you hope to have. How will you identify it? Along with any numerical goals, please describe at least one qualitative sign of impact or success.
The most important impact is that many in our community will come to experience the love of God as an essential part of their lives. We will identify our impact by observing increased involvement in EWS by young families, and by retirees increased involvement with spiritually nourishing activities and their outreach efforts. Elemental Ministry will reach people with the love of Christ in nontraditional places, and our spiritually-focused community will build within this traditional place so that they are inspired through love to connect with those who have not found a community in Christ. How many? We’ll see, I don’t want to underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit. Our impact hopes are consistent in 2025 as they were in 2024.

Name challenges or obstacles you can foresee/imagine. 
The biggest challenges we face are our expectations of what is traditional typical church culture and our ability to allow a new generation of people to manage their own spiritual life in non-traditional ways. Will we let the new folks manage their own adiaphora? We will address this by continuing to be nourished and open to new ways of being,  even when it’s hard. It is also an obstacle to share this magnificent life with Christ with a generation who, for the most part, has had no affiliation with Church or an assembledlife with Christ. Getting someone to try something they don’t think is relevant will be an obstacle. We will address this by continuing to develop new ways to tell the story and pray that those with ears will hear. In 2024, we demonstrated that despite the obstacles we faced, we were conscious of them, and when necessary, we overcame our own limitations. Thanks be to God! An unexpected challenge we've faced is that while we are effective in bringing together individuals who are not engaged by conventional methods, the transition from a gathering community to a new discipleship community remains a work in progress. We've found, regrettably, that many young people who join us have been wounded or disenchanted by the church, which has significantly slowed the process of building relationships. The individuals we are engaging need to establish trust where previously there was distrust. Thus, we love them exactly as they are and wait. It has been gratifying to observe that the gathering community is gradually forming stronger connections with Christ, with us, and with one another, even though the progress is slower than anticipated. We remain convinced that continuous attentive listening will be a key factor in nurturing a new community of disciples. Our plan for the summer includes brainstorming this prospect, thorough review of evaluation packets, deep listening, participation in the Conference at St. Olaf, and after a comprehensive consideration of this concern, we will roll out new strategies in the fall.

What if you are not awarded a V2A grant, or don't get the amount you asked for...will you still pursue the project? Why, or why not? What will you change about the project-either leave out, or achieve in another way? (100 words)
Yes, we will persevere. At Holy Cross, our mission, vision, and aspirations for redevelopment are anchored in a way of life that unites us with God, each other, and the community. An approach we refer to as Elemental Ministry. It’s uncertain what  changes might be made; unfortunately, the kind of reductions we’d face could significantly hinder our ministry’s work leaving us struggling to progress. Elemental Ministry is the first step towards our 6 to 8 year vision and unless we hear God turn us around we are going and trust God will show us the way.

The Vision: We imagine we are place where people of all ages come to experience God. We imagine a playground and a dancing splash park. We imagine children dancing and
being baptized in the water as retirees relax and watch the water dance to their favorite hymns. We imagine a prayer labyrinth and an outdoor worship space. We imagine
regularly worshiping and feasting on the feast that feeds us. We imagine life-giving opportunities, sacred art encounters, and holy relationships. It is not beyond us that we are dreaming big, and we are trusting Him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph. 3:20-21) I suppose if we don’t get the funds we ask for or anything at all we will remain fervent in prayer. Please list the roles of those involved in the leadership of this project.

Beyond the leadership team, how many in your congregation or organization are involved?
Minister of Word and Sacrament
Minister of Music
Minister of Spiritually-Focused Endeavors
Ministry Administrator
The Congregational Council
Focus Group for Retiree Events
Focus Group for Family Events
Many Members of the congregation and community will participate in short term goals and projects. We expect that at least 50 and likely 75 people from our congregation will be active in this endeavor. Participation this year will be organized similarly to last year. We are grateful that our congregation's involvement ranged from 60 to 90 individuals, and we hope for the same level of participation in the upcoming year.

Are you engaging any community partners in your project? If so, please identify them and describe their role and how you will work together. If so, please identify them and describe their role and how you will work together.
Yes. Community partners will include: “Nourishing Vocation with Children Project” through the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community at St. Olaf College, who, with support from the Lily Foundation, will develop the resources for worship, music, drama, and liturgy. Stan Prinston, WDUV retired radio personality and celebrity musician is facilitating a community fundraiser in support of our activities. Hernando
Cheer Elite, a cheerleading group in residence at Holy Cross, will actively participate in the activities in addition to providing a lens into understanding the needs of families with school aged children. Holy Cross Preschool is walking with us to offer this abundant life endeavor to their children. Luther Springs is providing summer camp for elementary age children, in addition to a leadership pilot program for teenagers. This list is just the beginning.
All the previously mentioned partners are still on board, and we have secured a grant from the Hernando County Arts Council. Our budding relationship with Deltona Elementary is promising, and we are actively in a working partnership with the Nature Coast Inter-Faith Coalition and are discerning how we might partner on this project.

What is your congregation or organization's investment in this project? Bear in mind this can involve time, talent, and/or treasure. (100 words)
Our congregation’s time investment in this project is an all in approach. To achieve this, leadership is taking on a new dual focus. Instead of the usual committee model, we are redirecting our energies to take on two intertwined missions:
1. Proclaiming the Gospel to families not reached by more traditional methods, and 2. Creating a spiritually-focused community for those already reached by traditional
methods. The congregation is rallying around these two ideas and focusing their efforts on creating a new way of being church with one another and with the community beyond
our walls. This is a cultural shift that is being joyfully embraced by our congregation. As for talents, it is our goal to inspire everyone, new and old to use their talents to support these efforts. To date, there is great enthusiasm around the idea of using our many skills and talents to help create this abundant life experience. As for treasure, we are a congregation that has overcome many challenges. A little over a year ago we were faced with a $100,000 potential deficit beyond our
budget. With prayer and the generosity of our congregation, we overcame this projection and were able to fulfill our mission expenditure plan. The congregation again stepped up generously when we needed a new $50,000 air conditioning system. Even though a vote was taken to authorize a loan to cover this expense a generous response from the congregation made the loan unnecessary. The generous response made it unnecessary. Additionally, we have two years of savings to offset future expenses. As we began to live in abundance, our finances became more stable, and we
held several pilot events in anticipation of a new vision: A series of Nativity Nights with crafts, meal, and story telling; a community-wide Easter Egg Hunt with music and art activities; a community-wide Memorial Day event with crosses of those remembered filling our grounds; a summer camp experience for confirmands; and children’s bibles given out to all graduating preschoolers. These pilot efforts helped us to trust that new ways of being church can impact the faith and abundant lives of those within and outside of our walls.
The all in approach remains true this year too. We are certain the congregation is invested because we’ve experienced a cultural shift among the membership. They are now more generous with their time, talent, and treasure, finding the ministry vibrant and thrilling. Conversations no longer dwell on the past but focus on future possibilities and what lies ahead. The Sunday morning congregation is expanding, fueled by the retirees' abundant energy, which is palpable to visitors who are drawn to be part of this dynamic environment. So, we continue to live in the abundant life we share.

How will you sustain the project beyond the life of the grant? Consider both financial and non- financial resources needed. (100 words)
The congregation that is being built will find itself in a place where the people are offering in abundance and the ministry of outreach can be stewarded over with our own resources. Growth is occurring in our stewardship among those who have been coming for some time, those who have recently joined, and those we are just meeting. We expect as long as we are concerned with the mission we will continue to live in abundance. Moreover, we persist in cultivating the support that propels us onward. We've established a civic foundation named Nature Coast Foundation for Thriving Families, which we trust will serve as a springboard for additional funding. Our vision is to create a hub that unites the wider community, fostering plentiful new chances to share the Gospel.

This project would feature a "Faith and Food Truck Night". This project provides a view o faith from a different lens which follows our ongoing theme to "Invigorate Faith". Hope has invited Bryan Drake, a Christian Entertainer, renown for combining illusion, mentalism and comedy to deliver the message of Faith. This project will combine entertainment to deliver a powerful message that God's Plan is not always clear and inspires the audience to view faith from a different perspective. Additionally, the inclusion of free food trucks adds a social element to the event, creating a space for fellowship and community bonding while utilizing the church's parking lot. By providing a casual and relaxed atmosphere with the ambiance of tables and party lights, attendees can enjoy delicious food while engaging in meaningful conversations and building relationships with others in the community. This unique approach allows for a non-traditional way of reaching out to the community, sparking conversations about spirituality in a light-hearted and entertaining manner.

HOW
Hope Lutheran Church in The Villages is calling its members to “Invigorate” their faith, family, and community life. This event is intended to revive faith and call not only the members of Hope Lutheran but the whole community to a deeper and closer walk with our Lord Jesus. Volunteers from Hope will be intentional in reaching out and connecting with members from the community who attend this event to engage, and reengage them, in their faith journey. This event provides a Christ-centered setting that will promote the mission of Hope “to know Christ, and to make Christ known.” Sharing the hope we have in the gospel of our Lord Jesus, and inviting all to a community that will provide support and encouragement along their faith journey. Furthermore, through this event the faith community, and community at Large, will be called to engage in the excitement around Hope and the new growth Hope is experiencing through their third campus. Through this outreach to the wider community, we are excited to be able to continue to share God’s love and grace with all.

Sharing Christ through events like "Faith and Food Truck Night" creates a sense of community by bringing people together in a welcoming environment, allowing people to find support, encouragement, and a sense of belonging within the community. Additionally, it can position the church as an innovation center within the community, simply by offering a unique and engaging experience that combines entertainment, food, and faith. This congregation can
attract new members, engage with the community in a meaningful way, and demonstrate a fresh approach to spreading the message of Christ. This innovative project can reach a wider audience, creating a hub for spiritual growth, creativity, and community involvement.

With the theme of “Invigorating Faith” in mind, this project promotes a unique entertainer which provides a different lens upon the idea of faith. Additionally, this project aligns with the mission of providing a fun and engaging event for the congregation and community to come together, fostering a sense of neighborhood and connection. Hope Central Campus makes it easily accessible for members and visitors to attend the event. With consideration that The Villages has a median age of 73 years old with mobility issues, having the handicapped accessible space allows for comfortable ways to utilize the

COMMUNICATIONS | IMPACT
Hope will use varied communication methods including the newsletter, "News in the Pews", promotional advertising including local media, the newspaper, social media, announcements by the pastors during service and signage at all three Hope campuses. Our mission at Hope is "To know Christ, and to make Christ known." The impact we hope to have at this event is to reach out to the churched, de-churched, and unchurched with a message that brings them closer to Christ. The event is centered around proclaiming the gospel of grace and re-igniting faith in the lives of others. We will measure this impact by the feedback we get from attendees as we follow up with the members engaged in the event. We will also be able to measure the success of the outreach effort to the unchurched and de-churched by looking at the number of registrations for this event who are not members at Hope. Our CDM+ database compares registrations to determine members vs visitors who are in attendance for the first time.

CHALLENGES
Planning an event of this size will involve setting pricing for entertainer, equipment and marketing up to 7 months in advance. Although pricing could change, contracting cannot occur until the Vision to Action grant is approved and award amount announced. Hope will have to stay in touch with all vendors and entertainers until 11/1/2024 notifying them when approval and amount is known. Another concern would be cancellation due to Acts of God (i.e. weather, building or structural damage). This inconvenience would call for reschedule dependent on the vendor's and entertainer's availability.

WHAT IF
Hope is currently limited in our ability to take on a sizable expense without additional resources due to the building of a Worship Center on a third campus in the south of The Villages. This grant would enable us to create an event that is unique for the community and gain a buzz about our congregation in the neighborhood. Council Officers, Members and Pastors of the Congregation. Congregant Volunteers will include approximately 80 people. Sumter County Sheriff's Office will be needed for traffic safety and security during this event. Relying on the great relationship with the neighboring church, utilizing their parking lot for parking cars would be appreciated for this event.

The primary investment by Hope' is through time and talent by Hope's volunteers. Financial management and direction to identify, research and select vendors and contacts will be key. Staff including Marketing, audiovisual and custodial staff will also dedicate energy to this event. Clergy and Ministry Leaders and volunteers will be involved as well. Success of this event will set the goal of conducting fundraising projects to make this a reoccurring community activity-yearly or bi-annually depending on the theme of the Church's Mission. This event will hopefully create a tradition that additional participants will enjoy every year.

ABOUT | HOW
The Bring a Friend Initiative is a strategic program designed to increase participation in campus ministry activities by encouraging students to invite new participants to fall retreats and spring break trips. By leveraging peer influence, offering incentives, and creating a welcoming environment, we aim to foster community, spiritual growth, and personal development among students. We seek $30,000 over two years to implement and sustain this initiative effectively, aligning with V2A's 2024 goals of sharing Christ, creating vital congregations, making disciples, doing justice, and promoting intentional diversity. The Bring a Friend Initiative embodies innovation in campus ministry outreach. By leveraging peer influence and modern marketing techniques, we engage students in new and creative ways, breaking traditional barriers to participation and fostering a culture of inclusivity and belonging.

The "Bring a Friend" initiative is designed to cultivate new faith communities and expand the church by emphasizing intentional evangelism. By encouraging current ministry students to invite friends to fall retreats and spring break trips, we create accessible, welcoming environments for new students to explore their faith. These events, hosted primarily at Lutheran institutions, focus on faith formation and spiritual practices, providing a fertile ground for deeper connections with God and each other. Participants engage in meaningful discussions, worship services, and reflective activities, fostering a sense of belonging and spiritual growth. Follow-up activities and a buddy system ensure sustained engagement, integrating new members into the campus ministry and encouraging ongoing discipleship. This process not only strengthens our ministry but also plants seeds for future church involvement and leadership, contributing to the growth of the broader faith community.

GOALS |  WHY
Sharing Christ: By creating intentional spaces where students can share their faith stories and invite friends, we foster a community centered on Christ's teachings and outreach. Vital Congregations: The initiative develops our campus mini try into a hub of innovation by using modern marketing techniques, incentive programs, and partnerships. Making Disciples: We focus on discipleship and lifelong learning through ongoing engagement, small group activities, and leadership opportunities, rather than mere membership.
Intentional Diversity: Our inclusive approach welcomes students from all backgrounds, actively promoting diversity within our ministry and its activities.

We chose the Bring a Friend Initiative based on the proven success of past retreats and spring break trips. Historical data shows significant engagement: 50% of spring break 2023 participants were new students who became active in our ministry, 20% of fall retreat 2023 attendees were newcomers, and 30% of spring break 2024 attendees were new and now active members. These events, focused on faith formation and spiritual growth, have consistently attracted and retained new members. This project is the best fit for our organization as it leverages our successful model to foster new faith communities and expand the church.

COMMUNICATION | IMPACT
We will develop congregational buy-in by regularly sharing updates and success stories in church bulletins, newsletters, and during services as we visit. Community buy-in will be achieved through targeted social media campaigns, campus wide flyers, and partnerships with student organizations and local businesses. Additionally, we will host information sessions and pre-event gatherings to directly engage potential participants and supporters.

Regular feedback loops, including surveys and follow-up meetings, will ensure continuous improvement and sustained engagement. We aim to increase participation in fall retreats and spring break trips by 25%, fostering a more inclusive and engaged campus ministry. We will track attendance and retention rates of new participants in subsequent ministry activities. Qualitatively, success will be indicated by enhanced community spirit and deeper spiritual connections, as evidenced by positive testimonials and increased peer support networks. Post-event surveys will assess newcomers' experiences, measuring their sense of belonging and spiritual growth. Observing increased volunteerism and leadership roles among new members will also signify a successful and impactful initiative.

CHALLENGES | WHAT IF
Reluctance to Participate: We'll address this by offering incentives and emphasizing the welcoming, supportive environment through testimonials and personal invitations. Resource Limitations: Limited funding or logistical support might hinder efforts. We'll optimize resource use, seek additional partnerships, and leverage volunteer support to maximize impact. Sustained Engagement: Retaining new participants post-event can be challenging. Implementing a buddy system and regular follow-up activities will help maintain engagement and integration into the community.
Diverse Outreach: Ensuring diversity requires intentionality.

WHAT IF
We will continue with the project, which offers lower rates for new students who wish to participate in retreats and spring break trips. However, we will not be able to expand in the way we hope because of a lack of resources. With more students participating, the cost for trips and retreats increases and we cannot sustain more participants than we currently have.

ROLES | PARTNERS
Board of Directors: Matt Hartley, president; William Ahrens, vice president; Alexandria Long, secretary; Dr. Alexis Guzman, treasurer (25yo); Lucas Campbell, financial secretary; Rev. Lauren Peters; Rich Langston; Milesh Patel (25yo); Hannah Bardin (28yo) Students: Amaris DeLeon, ministry intern; Sarah Lee Boyd, ministry intern; Annaliese Trammel, ministry intern; Pastor Sarah Locke; and about 38 of our current students. Our community partnerships involve working with camps and retreat centers for discounted housing rates for our retreats and spring breaks. The benefit for them is that it exposes students to camp (often for the very first time) and creates and interest in church leadership. Currently, we have a partnership with Lutheridge Camp and Conference Center for reduced rate accomodations during spring break trips.

INVESTMENT | SUSTAINABILITY
JCM allocated $6,000 from our annual budget for spring break and retreat costs in 2024. We plan to continue this commitment, and hope to raise that allocation to $7,500. Our staff will dedicate time and expertise to plan, coordinate, and execute the events. We will mobilize volunteers from our current ministry members to assist in organizing retreats and trips, fostering a community-driven approach. This investment underscores our dedication to creating meaningful and impactful faith-based experiences for students.

To sustain the initiative beyond the grant period, we will establish a combination of financial and non-financial strategies. Financially, we will seek ongoing support through alumni donations, local business sponsorships, and church fundraising events. We will also implement a modest participation fee for future events. Non-financially, we will cultivate a culture of volunteerism by encouraging current members to take on leadership and mentoring roles, thus reducing reliance on paid staff. Additionally, we will build strong partnerships with campus organizations and local churches to share resources and support ongoing activities and outreach efforts.

ABOUT | HOW
Just Love is a ministry of the Florida Bahamas synod that aims to see love established in public which creates justice for all through our congregations and congregational leaders. In 2025, we hope to expand Just Love’s work to continue training and seeding justice workers across the synod, so like leaven in bread, the entire synod is transformed. We will accomplish this training and seeding by offering two more synod cultural celebrations, training more leaders in justice and advocacy, and funding travel so team members can
travel to different congregations and conference gatherings to invite more leaders and congregations into the work.
Background: In the fall of 2020, after the police killing of George Floyd, Bishop Pedro Suarez convened a task force in the Florida Bahamas Synod to explore how the church should  faithfully respond. This task force conducted a survey of both lay people and rostered leaders exploring people’s responses to the killing and the public outrage and how Lutherans in Florida imagined how their faith spoke into the turmoil. The smaller task force finished their work and a larger synod mission table, called the Just Love team, was commissioned. Our first order of business was to organize and interpret the survey results. To the team’s surprise, we found that the vast majority of ELCA Lutherans in the Florida Bahamas Synod did not see justice as part of the faith and many felt the church should “stay out of politics.” Since those results were published and shared in the spring of 2021, the team has met monthly to strategize how to meet people where they are while inviting them into the gospel work of biblical justice.

Several core practice for Just Love encourage congregations and leaders to listen deeply to neighbors and dream together about what beloved community looks like in their context. This justice work (sacred listening, understanding our own intersectional identities, curating brave spaces for grace, doing power analyses and asset mapping together to solve community problems) inherently build community between congregations and leaders and their neighbors and other stakeholders. These practices also incarnate the community, justice and love of God so that unchurched and dechurched neighbors can taste and see the Body of Christ at work in the world through local ELCA congregations and leaders

GOALS | DISCERNMENT
As already highlighted, justice practices create community and partnerships with neighbors, revitalize congregations, and help congregation members to grow in their faith as they realize justice work is integral to their baptismal calling. Additionally, as we lean into our own intersectional identities, we learn to celebrate the intersectional identities of others which fosters intentional diversity.

As the team analyzed the results of the survey and realized we needed to meet congregations and leaders where they were, we spent several months dreaming and brainstorming practices that would help congregations connect their baptismal calling with the biblial witness to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Those practices are attached in the files as well as the bilblical justice workbook (still in progress). To meet people where they are we decided to focus on liturgical and study resources for Advent and Lent,
since congregations often are looking for such resources, to host synod cultural celebrations and to do intentional leadership training in justice and advocacy for lay leaders and clergy.

GROUP
The Just Love Ministry Team is comprised of ethnically and geographically diverse persons across a diverse state/synod. Our ethnic diversity (African American, Latinx, Mexican, Mestizo, Venezuelan, Palestinian, and White non-Hispanic) permits us many voices, in many different contexts from which to share the mission of the ministry. The intentional diversity of Just Love communicates that it’s a ministry about establishing love, respect, and justice for all people in our diverse mission territory. Furthermore, the emphasis of the team’s diversity communicates that we are united, that we are one in the body of Christ. The Just Love team models accompaniment within, so that we can accompany diverse neighbors across the synod.

COMMUNICATION | IMPACT
Just Love shares liturgical resources, cultural celebrations, and justice and advocacy trainings in the e-Spirit and on the synod facebook page. In 2024, we also launched our own Just Love mailing list, which has been helpful as our work has expanded to other synods and congregations. Finally, we attend at least one deans’ meeting annually and hold trainings and events at Conference on Ministry and Synod Assembly.

In 2024, we trained 10 congregation leaders in Just Love practices and helped send 12 people to advocacy days in Tallahassee. In 2025 we’d like to double those numbers and train 20 leaders in Just Love practices and send 24 people to advocacy days. In 2024 we hosted 2 synod cultural events (Juneteenth & Black history month), and 2025 we would like to expand to 4 events. Our 5 year goal is to have a team member from each conference in the synod and a team member that represents the diversity of the population in
the FBS mission field. We currently have 12 team members from 9 conferences and we hope to grow the team to 16 members from 12 conferences.

CHALLENGES | WHAT IF
The biggest challenge Just Love faces includes the general fear and anxiety connected to the polarization and rapic changes in our country and church that make it difficult for people to see and hear God’s invitation to transformation. This also can lead to burnout in Just Love team members.
We primarily address this challenge by meeting people where they are and leaning into spiritual practices for transformation.
To protect Team Members from burnout we need to continue raising up more leaders so there are more hands and shoulders to carry the load.

Just Love will continue our work, but slowly, because our work is a gospel mandate. However, we will train less people in justice and advocacy and offer less synod cultural celebrations.

ROLES | PARTNERS
The Just Love Ministry Team is comprised of ethnically and geographically diverse persons across a diverse state. Our ethnic diversity (African American, Latinx, Mexican, Mestizo, Venezuelan, Palestinian, and White non-Hispanic) permits us many voices, in many different contexts from which to share the mission of the ministry. The intentional diversity of Just Love communicates that it’s a ministry about establishing love, respect, and justice for all people in our diverse mission territory. Furthermore, the emphasis of the team’s diversity communicates that we are united, that we are one in the body of Christ. The Just Love team models accompaniment

Florida Council of Churches, School of Lay Ministry, Luther Springs, St. Mark’s (Jacksonville), Emmanuel (Naples), St. John’s (Jacksonville), Salem (Orlando), St. Michael’s (Wellington), Nativity (Weeki Wachi), Trinity (St. Petersburg), St. Matthews (Ocala), Nativity (Palm Beach Gardens), All Saints (Port Orange), Grace (Clearwater), St. Paul’s (Tampa), Our Savior (Orlando), Prince of Peace (Orlando), Redeemer (Orlando), St. John (Orlando), The Movement Church
(Sanford)

INVESTMENT | SUSTAINABILITY
Currently the synod has not designated a sustainable funding source for Just Love. We have expanded the work thus far through team members’ investment, the bishop allocating some money from his discretionary fund in 2023, donations from cultural celebrations, and registrations for trainings. V2A funding the work of Just Love in 2025 allows us to continue expanding our work while looking for sustainable funding sources.

ABOUT
At Living Faith, we’re embarking on a groundbreaking mission to create a truly inclusive ministry for individuals with Intellectual, Developmental, and Neurological Disabilities (IDND). Inspired by the story in Mark 5, where Jesus restores a marginalized man to his community, we aim to extend the same compassion and inclusion to those often excluded from worship and community activities due to their disabilities. Despite the large population in our county, there are no faith communities specifically catering to the IDND population. Families and loved ones have repeatedly shared their painful experiences of being asked not to return to church services and community events. These rejections stem from misunderstandings and fears about disruptions that individuals with IDND might cause. What sets our initiative apart and makes it innovative is our comprehensive approach. Living Faith is pivoting its entire ministry to focus on full inclusion by creating a safe, welcoming, and sensory-friendly environment where everyone can participate, beginning with safety and accessibility. All spaces will be visible, doors will be alarmed and monitored, and interior hazards will be mitigated.

We’ll also address sensory challenges by managing lighting, sound, and other potential triggers. This level of detailed planning and commitment to creating a conducive environment is unprecedented. Our ministry doesn’t stop at worship services; we aim to provide opportunities for socialization and community engagement, addressing the isolation often experienced by individuals with IDND and their families. Furthermore, our goal will be to build a community receptive to faith conversations and Christian formation experiences. The ultimate aim is to make everyone feel welcome, included, and valued. How will your project help to form new faith communities and grow the church? Please highlight the intentional evangelism components of your project. (100-150 words)

HOW
It fits the very definition of evangelism. Because we are a small congregation, everyone is fully supportive of this unique strategy to reach out to the dechurched, unchurched and disillusioned which comprise a disproportionate number of the IDND community. Those with IDND and those that love them often face exclusion from social gatherings, the absolute antithesis of the Christian community. Inspired by Jesus’ restoration of the marginalized man in the region of the Gerasenes (Mark 5), our project seeks to remove barriers and welcome people as they are. By offering a community that embraces all individuals, regardless of their needs, and is free from the expectation of a distraction-free service, we allow everyone to encounter Jesus and witness his work through his disciples. This approach will organically form new faith communities, as individuals experience Jesus’ mercy and are inspired to share their stories and serve others, just as the healed man proclaimed his transformation. Our ministry aims to cultivate a supportive, inclusive environment where all can participate, in Bible Study, Worship, faith conversations, grow in faith, and become disciples.
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GOALS/WHY
SC: LFLC offers worship to the underserved IDND community, welcoming those rejected by other churches. We create an environment centered on attendees' needs and proclaim the gospel in accessible ways, emulating Jesus' inclusive love. MD: Following Jesus' example, we engage people in discipleship through gratitude for the acceptance extended to them. This allows the Spirit to guide them in their vocation and ministry, fostering organic faith growth. DJ: Many have been excluded from church for being a "distraction." Living Faith addresses this injustice by unconditionally welcoming those marginalized, reflecting the sacrifice of the cross and advocacy. ID: We are intentionally pivoting our ministry to focus on the IDND community, reflecting the Kingdom of God's inclusivity.

What does our community need? We evaluated Mission Insite, and noted our community’s diversity. Despite statistical indications, we didn't hear a desire from the community for the types of ministry MI suggested. Our Pastor’s wife, experienced in working with autism, and a retired Special Education teacher in our congregation, inspired us to explore needs in the IDND community. The pastor and his wife pursued continuing education on IDND, and Pr. El- Yateem recommended contacting Mosaic for partnership opportunities. The staff with Rejoicing Spirits suggested we conduct a needs assessment, and we joined groups where people sought ways to connect. Our prayers were answered as we made connections.

COMMUNICATION/BUY-IN
Following advice from clinicians, teachers, and parents in the IDND and ASD communities,Living Faith is starting with a consultant and a few targeted families to build trust and credibility for our Rejoicing Spirits community. Initially, we considered mass appeal via social media and advertising, but experts advised a gradual approach. A teacher likened it to “eating an elephant one bite at a time,” emphasizing the importance of step-by-step development to ensure safety, competence, and confidence among participants. We will pursue mass outreach and communication once the program is well-established and refined.

IMPACT
The aim is to facilitate a profound encounter with Christ within a church community, akin to the transformative experience of the man from Gerasenes. This may manifest differently for each individual, from simple gestures like eye contact or reading, to actively inviting others to experience the church's warmth. Success is measured by people feeling accepted, sharing Christ, their spiritual journey, seeking to serve and extend welcome and invitation to others. With a town of 200,000, surrounded by a greater metropolitan area numbering in the millions, the potential impact is significant, fostering a culture of acceptance and service rooted in faith.

CHALLENGES
Building trust within the IDND community is vital, achieved through genuine acceptance and support. Addressing the alarming statistic of drowning deaths among individuals with autism, precautions are being taken at the lakeside venue which we rent. As a community without walls (that is, our own building), the safety modifications we make must be removed and stored after each event. Collaboration with the community and acquiring necessary equipment demonstrate commitment to safety. Initiating inclusive engagement involves active listening, experimentation, and embracing failures as learning opportunities. Creative storage solutions are essential due to limited space.

WHAT IF
Yes. How can we not? Reality seems to indicate that either the Church feels that it is acceptable to keep persons in the IDND at a distance for a myriad of reasons, or that the Church is unwilling or incapable of actually welcoming on a grand scale those who communicate differently, move around, exhibit loud or demonstrative behaviors, or who are alarmed by certain sensory inputs. We’ve accessed and discerned and feel a calling. It is being affirmed by the broader community. We have prayed for guidance and paths are being made day by day. It will possibly be far more difficult, yet we will carry on. If we do not receive the grant we would turn to other organizations and means for help in starting up.

ROLES
The ministry is extending its services to meet community needs, emphasizing collective responsibility for safety and well-being. Recognizing the demand for playdates, the church will host and supervise them, with active participation from church representatives. Setup and takedown require hands-on effort due to renting the space, with support from the Masons. The Rejoicing Spirits model promotes active participation in worship, offering roles in various aspects like lectoring and setup. We are also engaging a consultant with ties to agencies, organizations and families to coach, direct and connect us to the IDND community.

PARTNERS
As previously stated we are communicating, planning and creating strategies with parents, teachers, and professionals. They are making introductions to agencies like CARD, the ARK. The United Way and the Masonic Lodge are interested in our vision, along with the possibility of support of the Broward Sheriff's Office as they are interested in the aspect of the benefits to all the youth of Broward County. We are already partners with Rejoicing Spirits, a program under Mosaic, a partner with the ELCA. We are the only Rejoicing Spirits congregation within 1000 miles. And the opportunity to be a visible supporter and sponsor of events like the Special Olympics, Night to Shine and pageants and other related IDND advocacy opportunities.

The project is about pivoting our ministry, beginning with worship, and intentionally welcoming a marginalized group or groups to full participation and welcome. As a Rejoicing Spirits
Congregation we have pledged to be a “No-Shush” environment where members can relax and experience worship, fellowship and community where they are assured that their presence is not resented or frowned upon, but that it is their community and that they are beloved children of God and make us whole. We will seek out innovative and engaging methods of involvement, participation and service in consultation with therapists, parents, teachers and other allied professionals. The idea is that the community will come to sustain itself as would any other congregation. However, for this segment of the population, there are other community grants and resources available.

LCC continues to develop an innovative, alternative non-traditional worship experience with emphasis on an immersive family experience. This Family Worship service, which is now nearing its second anniversary, is intended to reach out to those is our congregation and community who are spiritual, but not inclined to traditional worship. We are focusing on "doing church" in a new way in an open, informal, "come as you are" Fellowship Hall setting that incorporates dialogue, activities, interactions amongst participants, and involving everyone - adults and children - in the worship service, while still maintaining some traditional elements (e.g., Scripture-based messages, Communion and prayers). By providing activities and opportunities for families to engage with one another both during and after the service, our goal is to stress community and form relationships within a worship setting. The music for worship consists of contemporary praise songs played by a four-piece Praise Band. The informal nature of the service, along with congregants enjoying beverages and snacks at tables, sharing God Moments and offering comments during the message, and connecting with the Praise Band, creates a comfortable "coffee-house" like atmosphere.

HOW
Our project is designed specifically to reach out to and attract those in our congregation and community who, for various reasons, are not attracted to a traditional church experience. We have designed the Family Worship to provide them with a more appealing, informal worship experience whereby the message of Christ can be conveyed and nurtured to those who might otherwise be only Christmas and Easter attendees, at best. Research that we have undertaken indicates that families in our area have an overwhelming desire for youth programs that blend fun, socializing, and faith formation in a worship setting that encourages developing relationships with other families and, especially, amongst the children. To help meet these needs, we offer after-service crafts activities for children and their parents, and encourage them to make use of our well-equipped adjacent playground area. For many young families, this is their main entry point for fellowship and engagement with the church. Our experience thus far has surprised us in that while we have attracted some new faces, as expected, we are also seeing some member families who for some time had not been regular attendees at our traditional service and have become re-engaged with the Family Worship.

GOALS
The overall theme of the Family Worship is centered on sharing Christ within a community of families, both young and old, who would otherwise not be inclined to participate in or attend a traditional church service. Given the LCC legacy of traditional offerings, the Family Worship is in effect much like starting a new church, as it has developed a distinct set of new congregants. Through participation in the service and interaction with others, our Family Worship experience is designed to engage individuals in learning and growing in faith within an informal group setting, as opposed to traditional church membership that can often entail
simply attendance and listening. For children especially, Family Worship aims to engender a sense of spiritual learning through participation that will continue with them as they grow.

WHY
Council and our Future Directions Ministry Team undertook an extensive strategic planning study, including input from Day School families and civic leaders and organizations, to determine the spiritual needs of our community. A subsequent, more focused survey of Day School families was undertaken to discern their specific views of church, spiritual growth, and perceived spiritual needs. Our conclusion was that an alternative, non-traditional approach to worship would appeal to many within our community, and especially the one-half of the 307 Day School families who either regard LCC as "their church," but rarely attend, or have no church affiliation.

COMMUNICATION
We have used social media (e.g., Facebook and Instagram), LCC and LCC Day School internal communications, traditional service announcements, our website, and church signage to promote the Family Worship. Several of these marketing channels would be greatly enhanced with video presentations of the service, especially the message and music, which is
a major initiative for 2025. Our goal is to create a greater awareness of how our Family Worship experience differs from the typical "contemporary" big box service. Greater emphasis on inviting families to attend during the weekly Day School chapel services is also planned.away." Three member families who regularly attend Family Worship are in this latter group.
4. Our interactive/conversational informal approach is designed to appeal to Millennials and Gen Z, who prefer exploring ideas, as opposed to preaching.

IMPACT
1. We hope to build upon the increased involvement of young families that we have seen in the after-service activities.
2. We have thus far developed a consistent base of 7-8 congregant families that attend the service, which we need to keep expanding through marketing and word-of-mouth sharing.
3. We feel that Family Worship will appeal not only to the many "dones" who are not interested in traditional church models but also to many of our dormant members who have "drifted We have used social media (e.g., Facebook and Instagram), LCC and LCC Day School away." Three member families who regularly attend Family Worship are in this latter group.
4. Our interactive/conversational informal approach is designed to appeal to Millennials and Gen Z, who prefer exploring ideas, as opposed to preaching.

CHALLENGES
We are still experimenting with how to market a worship experience that is distinctly different from other traditional and contemporary offerings. Having actual videos and video clips that can be posted on social media will greatly enhance our ability to pique their interest to stop by and experience the service live. Because our worship feels more like a“home church"  environment than a traditional setting, we  face the challenge of adapting worship to accommodate a more intimate experience. The pastors seek to glean worship leadership techniques from dinner church and other experimental worship models.

WHAT IF
It is likely that, in the event that no grant or a significantly reduced grant is awarded, LCC will be able to sustain the Family Worship service through the middle of 2025 with dedicated givng and reserves. The feasibility of continuing the service beyond that point is largely contingent upon the results of our 2025 stewardship campaign that will be conducted in the fall and the flexibility that we might have to absorb Family Worship into the operating budget. The initiative to add videography to the service would likely be deferred indefinitely in the event of a significant funding shortfall.

ROLES
Our two pastors are spearheading the Family Worship with assistance from our Youth and Family Coordinator and Children's Education Team. Six congregants are involved in the execution of the service, providing AV support and children's programming and materials. Our Office Administrator, as well as our Facilities Manager and three congregants, are involved with service set-up and logistics.

PARTNERS
We have engaged the support of our Day School administration to help promote awareness of the Family Worship service to the students and their parents. Our Day School is faith-based and not as intentionally Christian focused as most, so we have a built-in access to many spiritual but not religious families who might be interested in a non-traditional worship experience. Our pastors conduct weekly Wednesday chapel services for the entire student body, which many parents also attend. In the coming school year, we anticipate making greater use of this channel to encourage families to participate in and enjoy the Sunday Family Worship also.

TTT
From September 2022 through the first half of 2024, the congregation has invested $50,000 of dedicated gifts directly in music equipment, AV and computer equipment, capital improvements, supplies, and Praise Band personnel costs for the Family Worship service. In addition, expanded responsibilities for office support and our Youth and Family Coordinator directly attributable to the Family Worship service have cost $12,000 in the operating budget over this same period. Congregants' time spent on the service preparations and participation, which is predominantly involved with children's activities and programming, has well exceeded 500 hours.

SUSTAINABILITY
We anticipate that the Family Worship service attendees will grow into the roles of other church congregants, which includes stewardship of Time, Talents and Treasures, so the service can become essentially self-sustaining. We anticipate that our operating budget and dedicated accounts absorb approximately $15,000 of the anticipated total $40,000 cost for the service in 2025. The remaining $25,000, which is almost all attributable to the Praise Band expenses, will have to be covered by incremental regular offerings beyond 2025 or by additional designated giving by congregants. 

"Reels" are short, focused audio/visual presentations, featured on social media platforms, that can powerfully communicate a message about a variety of topics. Memorial Lutheran has discussed using this form of media to communicate the gospel from three points of ministry in our congregation: (1) worship/preaching/teaching by the pastor and others, (2) Chapel School instruction for children patterned after our weekday and Sunday morning presentations, and (3) messages from our active youth ministry program, originating with our youth.

We wrote, produced, and broadcast several of these segments during the pandemic and found them to be successful means to ministry. These "Reels" would be produced by a team already assembled and consisting of a congregational member who works in the field of advertising and marketing, our Chapel School/Family Ministry Director, and our Pastor, with the addition of a paid intern from a local college who would serve as a content creator and schedule production of videos. This fourth addition to our team would also facilitate entrance into higher educational environments.

This ministry would target families with young children (as our Sunday morning Chapel Service does on site and via livestreaming) as well as create a wider audience for our ministries of Word, Sacraments, and education. We presently livestream all Chapel School How will your project help to form new faith communities and grow the church?

OUTREACH
"Reels" on Social Media are presently so diverse that there is a genre for nearly every audience. Our audience would consist of people who spend time on various social media outlets searching for online community who would be engaged by our presentations on faith, the Bible, and the challenges of life to faith. On one level, the fresh, innovative approach to our "reels" would engage folks who have basic curiosity about Christian community and the life of faith, as well as basic curiosity about Jesus as a person, teacher, and friend. These viewers would gain a positive sense of what it means to ask questions about these subjects and receive spirited, open-ended, and non-judgmental responses. Because these brief videos would be branded with our congregational name, Memorial Lutheran Church of St. Augustine, Florida, viewers would also have the opportunity to join our community in more in-depth ways, including being a part of our on-site community. The production of these reels and their content would be based on - and in turn shape - ourparticular and authentic proclamation of the gospel.

Creating and sustaining an on-line community is a growing reality in our world. Undertaking an identity in the online world will place us among countless other digital communities. Online presences such as Father Mike Schmidt and our own Bishop Elizabeth Eaton have entered this new field. Our on-site ministries include an award-winning Chapel School for preschool children, worship services enjoyed in person and livestreamed, and a variety of youth and adult educational experiences, as well as community outreach to the homeless. We feel called to share our unique and distinctive gifts for teaching, proclamation, inspiration, and nurture in this wider arena to fulfill another aspect of our mission statement, "Making Christ Known."

We began discussing outreach and discovered that many of us participate in the "Reel" world. We watch every subject from spiritual exploration and leadership to history and architecture, parenting and educational techniques. We share "reels" that we find interesting or helpful. Our conversation continued as we realized how making our own "reels," refined from our original efforts during the pandemic, would contribute to our deeply felt calling to share the Good News in new forums. We have accumulated the necessary technical expertise to produce our own "reels" in-house. Our congregation and Chapel School will work cooperatively.

COMMUNICATIONS
Online tabulation of views for reels can always give us a sense of participation. Beyond that, we would be sharing reels during our own congregational educational and fellowship events. Creating the proper hashtags will spread our efforts. Making sure that congregational members and friends of our church receive the latest Memorial reels and know how to share them will also spread our work.

IMPACT
Creating views and interactions is key. "Liking," "loving," and "sharing" reels will extend the reach of our efforts. Going viral (100,000 views) is not unusual for an excellent reel. Our goal would be to achieve viral status for at least one reel per month. Identifying visitors to any ELCA church would also be a means of gauging our success.

CHALLENGES
Name challenges or obstacles you can foresee/imagine. How might you address them? (100 words) Being as intentional about creating and posting new reels as we are about planning on-site worship will be key. The first reel will be the learning experience for the next as we continue to master technical challenges and find the right combination of content, presentation, and hashtags that is pertinent to our audience and our message.

WHAT IF
Yes, this is a project that several people in our church are interested in pursuing. The absence of grant funding will limit us in terms of bringing a knowledgeable staff person on board for our project and will limit our growth in this ministry, but we will still move forward on a smaller scale. The pastor will serve as project director. The chapel school director (Linda Chambers) will facilitate the Christian education and family ministry content and production. Another member with experience in advertising will work with recording and distribution. We will draw upon anyone in our congregation or school who can offer their insights in a reel. Examples would include chapel school staff members as well. Content creator (hired position) teaches others.

Pastor and Chapel School director will invest time and expertise in production and posting of reels, as well as utilizing privately funded cell phone services, etc.. Office staff and members, including our Church council vice president, will contribute time, expertise, and experience. After the grant year, we expect to learn and utilize the skills that our advisor will bring to the project. We expect to integrate the production of reels into the job descriptions and schedules of present staff. A line item will be placed in the budget for appropriate costs going forward. We will understand by the two year mark what our staffing needs are (does the congregation budget for a staff person to maintain and expand the program?) and what equipment needs are required by our
project.

Deaf Spirit is a collaboration between three Deaf congregations to deepen Deaf leadership in the Deaf Christian community, focusing on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Deaf community. Deaf Spirit will develop, implement, and test a Deaf lay ministry training and a library of accessible resources to equip and empower the Deaf Christian community. Too often, Deaf Christians are disempowered, accessing worship through interpreted services that are not designed for their language and culture. Because of inaccessibility and disempowerment, approximately 95% of the Deaf people in the United States are unchurched. The existing Deaf congregations and ministries face additional challenges: a shortage of qualified pastors fluent in American Sign Language and American Deaf Culture, aging leaders, changes in worship, and trauma and grief from the COVID-19 Pandemic. The purpose of Deaf Spirit is to help Deaf congregations and ministries cultivate the characteristics of thriving congregations and navigate those challenges towards a new age of Deaf Christian community.

The proposed Deaf lay leadership training model will be developed by, for, and with the Deaf community. There is currently a lack of accessible lay leadership training that fits our linguistic and cultural minority. English is a second language for many Deaf people, which has resulted in a lack of biblical literacy. As a result, it is imperative that we have Deaf trainers who can empower the participants using their own language, culture, and worldview. This lay leadership training is the first of its kind to exist.

HOW
By the end of the grant period, the participating Deaf congregations (Palms Deaf Church being one part) will have broader and better equipped lay leaders, access to culturally an linguistically appropriate resources, deeper connections with each other, and a foundation for reaching their local Deaf community. Palms Deaf Church is a new start and an innovative church. The goal is for Palms Deaf Church to serve throughout the entire state of Florida using a hybrid approach (both in person and online). In order for the program to spread, we need to train local Deaf leaders throughout the communities in Florida. There are almost one million Deaf people who have hearing loss in Florida. Pastor Lori Fuller will work with leaders throughout the state of Florida to help them serve their communities in person while offering resources and connecting with one another throughout the state of Florida. This requires Deaf leaders to meet Deaf people where they are instead of expecting Deaf people to come where we are.

Palms Deaf Church (PDC) has focused on creating a community in central Florida. The next goal is to expand to north and south Florida. For this to happen, we need to train and empower Deaf lay leaders to lead local communities while Pastor Lori Fuller acts as a "circuit rider" that supports multiple Deaf communities. This "train the trainers" model will deepen the core leaders' own discipleship and equip them to nurture other Deaf peoples' discipleship. We will collaborate with one another by using technology. For example, Pastor Lori will record a weekly message, and the Deaf leaders will lead the local communities in discussions afterward, using guided questions. This approach will help create many communities and have various centers for people to connect with. It assumes everyone has a part, as we are all

Pastors Lori Fuller, Beth Lockard, and Catrina Ciccone have noticed a huge need for all of our congregations for years. PDC, being new and innovative, and two older congregations with many years of experience decided to partner to meet this need. PDC's goal is to expand, which will not happen until the
Deaf Spirit program is offered. One Deaf member did attend a hearing lay leadership program that is already established Pastor Lori Fuller with Palms Deaf Church in FloridaPastor Beth Lockard with Christ the King Deaf Church in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Pastor Catrina Ciccone with Bread of Life Deaf Lutheran Church (BOLD) in Minneapolis,Minnesota.

We work together on other various projects and we noticed this trend of need in all our congregations and decided to partner to address this gap. As the only Deaf congregations in our respective synods and as cultural and linguistic minorities in the ELCA, we need to partner across synod lines to accomplish our goals.

COMMUNICATIONS
Palms Deaf Church has already been developing the Deaf Lutheran community in central Florida and is looking to expand to other communities. We already have some Deaf individuals who are interested in further lay leadership training. These individuals are willing to invest their time in learning more and sharing the good news. In addition, we all know various Deaf people in other areas of Florida. For example, one Deaf individual who is a member of Palms Deaf Church is originally from Miami. She is second-generation Deaf (and her children are third-generation Deaf) and has connections with the Deaf community in Miami, so we plan

IMPACT
The impact of the Deaf Spirit will be profound on many different levels. Deaf leading the Deaf develops a strong sense of ownership in the church and allows for mentorship/discipleship, expanded outreach, and clarity of their values and mission. A Deaf congregation will reach out beyond their own members and search for new ways to be the Church since there is a huge desire among the Deaf community for spiritual growth in their first native language. We hope our first cohort will have twelve participants in the program from various areas and at least twelve capstone project resources developed to share with all Deaf communities.

CHALLENGES
Name challenges or obstacles you can foresee/imagine. How might you address them? (100 words) Logistics will be the biggest challenge and a huge learning curve for all involved. We will be proactive as much as we can but there will always be some unexpected challenges that come up as we go along. However, we will be resilient and not afraid to ask for help as needed to find ways to overcome obstacles. Pastor Lori Fuller has already traveled throughout Florida in sharing what Palms Deaf Church has been up to and know hearing pastors will support Pastor Lori in what they can in terms of providing space, time, etc. as they are able to.

WHAT IF
Yes, if Palms Deaf Church is not awarded a V2A grant or the amount asked for, we will still pursue the project. We believe strongly in this project and have already applied for other grants (i.e., Lily Endowment Thriving Congregations Grant and Brotherhood Mutual Kingdom Advancing Grant-unfortunately we were not awarded either of these). We will continue to apply for grants. We have the ELCA Churchwide support already, and as we get the word out about this project, more people have expressed interest in helping in various ways (i.e., talents, time, etc.).

TEAM
The leadership team includes Pastors Lori, Beth, Catrina, Deacon Dorothy Sparks, and BOLD Communications Coordinator Janie Barlow. Beyond the leadership team with three congregations, we have participants who are interested in further lay leadership training (I personally have at least three to start with who have expressed interest, and the program is not yet advertised). If I get the word out about the Deaf Spirit, I know there will be more. Yes, one of the goals we have is to have in-person retreats offered, and they will be located in Florida. This means I plan to ask churches like St. Stephen's in Longwood to use their space for our retreat. Remember, they have been incredibly supportive of Palms Deaf Church and have even spent a year gathering offerings for their 50th Anniversary Church celebration to donate to PDC. They also have people in the community who are involved in the Deaf community and plan to invite others to be involved. My congregation is willing to help with their time, and the participants in Deaf Spirit will help by intentionally developing their talent. Many of the individuals in my congregation have limited income. The leaders that we empower during the life of the grant will be able to use the tools they learned and created to share with others. This in turn will garner support for Deaf Spirit and encourage people to invest in the Deaf community as it would in turn help their own communities.

The name of our new community will be "Upward Gaming" - Phil 3:14. This group would be offered on Sundays from 12pm - 2 pm, twice a month. We believe that bringing youth together (again) is an important outreach for churches, espcially since Covid happened. We believe that gaming is one way for us to attract youth ages 12 - 14yrs. to be part of something bigger and better as a gathered group. We will reflect Christ's love to them (and their families) in this ministry and extend invitations to worship and to be part of the life of the church. We are not aware of any gaming groups, with this age group, focusing on community in and around the area. While sports continue to play a big part in the lives of many youth, this would reach out to those youth who enjoy gaming. We are looking to be an example of Christian connections for the middle-school gaming community (6th - 8th graders), focusing on acceptance, grace, and safety. We will offer games such as Fortnite, Super Smash Brothers, Apex Legend, and Mario Cart 8 for kids to play and compete in for prizes (V-bux, gift cards, etc.). We will build relationships with the youth (and their families) as models and mentors of faith through meal prayers, encouragement, and love.

HOW
While the youth come to play and compete in the games, they will be offered food/snacks. We will begin our time together with prayer as well as a blessing for the food and refreshments. We will work on building relationships with the kids and their parents by creating a supervised and safe place for them to come and be accepted, as well as to have fun. We will encourage them to invite their friends (including unchurched) to the games and contests to engage in the community. We will also offer "invite cards" for prizes - so that when so many cards are given out or so many of their friends show up, they will get rewarded. They will have a role in growing the community themselves. We will also have "take-aways" of Christian items for the youth to take home. "Goody bags" will be given out that provide snacks, church information, and other youth related material (such as a list of resources for different needs in the community that are offered for any type of help or assistance). We will offer regular classes on baptism and Holy Communion, as well as inviting them to our worship services and other church-related events - potlucks, cookouts, board game parties, "God's Work - Our Hands" days, etc.
 
GOALS/HOW
Since Covid isolated people for over a year, relationship building has changed with more electronic and social media connections. This group will invite the youth to come and be part of a gaming community that plays together, eats together, prays together, and has fun together. We will look to make sure all the kids have a good time and get to know the adult chaperones. We will introduce Christian ideals into the community as well as opportunities for them to grow in their faith lives. We had a special congregational meeting after worship on May 5th (with food of course!). We had about 30 people stay and have lunch together. We talked about the parameters of the grant and then went into small groups and "brain-stormed" ways we could apply for this grant. We had a good mixture of adults and kids in the group. When it was time to present the different groups' ideas, the kids presented their idea of forming a gaming community. After all the ideas were presented, we put stickers by those ideas we thought were the best ones and the gaming community won! We then asked for volunteers to be on the special task group to discern what this community could look like.

COMMUNICATIONS
One of the youth involved in the project itself mentioned doing a power-point presentation after worship for the church to see and get their feedback. In one of our planning groups, we talked about advertising on Christian radio, using reels, social media, and posting flyers at schools, GameStop and other places kids like to visit. We would also create a banner for the property and signs for the location of the group.

IMPACT
We hope, since this is something new, to have a good number of returning kids to the group each time we meet (two times a month). We hope to stay connected to the kids and their families throughout the month via emails, phone call check ins, mailings, and social media. We would keep attendance records to be able to track our numbers each month to determine how successful the program is.

CHALLENGES
Name challenges or obstacles you can foresee/imagine. How might you address them? (100 words) One of the challenges might be not getting a lot of kids at first. It may take time to get the word out as well as building the trust factor that this community is a good and safe place to come to. Perhaps also not getting the needed volunteers (background checked too) as the kid ratio rises.

WHAT IF
We might still try to do it. We might try to get some Thrivent grants or ask for donations from the church. We might also have some people make or bring in food/snacks to share. We may have to limit our game variety as well. The kids on our team are passionate about this project/ community, so I think they would still try to make it happen, albeit on a smaller scale.

ROLES 
Please list the roles of those involved in the leadership of this project. Beyond the leadership team, how many in your congregation or organization are involved?
The roles for the ministry would include:
+ adult volunteers who just happen to be a pastor, a therapist, a council leader, and our worship leaders - and other members of our ministry summit team (from the special congregational meeting;
+ food buyers and servers; + gift buyers;
+ game referees;

PARTNERS
Are you engaging any community partners in your project? If so, please identify them and describe their role and how you will work together. (100 words)
We will work with area middle schools to invite youth to attend. We will also look into partnering with GameStop, Krums (comic book shop), and Boba Tea - (all places kids might visit) to advertise and acquire merchandise or gift cards for prizes and gifts.

TTT
We would need the church's support via their prayers, their time - volunteering as chaperones, purchasing, preparing and serving food, and sering on the planning team.

SUSTAINABILITY
How will you sustain the project beyond the life of the grant? Consider both financial and non-financial resources needed. (100 words)

If this ministry is successful, we may look at having an ongoing line item added to the budget to continue the ministry.
 
TIMELINE
Please complete the following grid which will outline the timeline you anticipate for the grant year. Think of these as goals or progress markers that will help you to know you are on track. It is organized by quarters. It is possible there will be more entries in one quarter than another.
First Quarter

Task Date to be Comments
 Completed  
+ Set up room(s) and rules 1/25  
+ Get all devices installed and in sync 1/25 - 2/25  
+ Background checks on all volunteers 1/25  
+ Purchase merchandise and banners/signs for property 1/25 - 3/25
+ Create flyers and take to schools and stores 1/25 - 3/25
+ Purchase food and paper products 1/25  
+ Create forms for parents and minors 1/25  

Second Quarter

Task Date to be Comments
 Completed  
+ Evaluate the ministry and needs 4/25 - 6/25  
+ Check in with volunteers 4/25  
+ Check in with kids and parents 4/25 - 6/25  
+ Check on merchandise supply 4/25  
+ Check on paper products 4/25  
+ Meet with planning team 4/25  

Third Quarter

Task Date to be Comments
 Completed  
+ Evalute the ministry and needs 7/25 - 9/25  
+ Check-in with volunteers 7/25  
+ Check in with kids and families 7/25 - 9/25  
+ Take new flyers to schools and stores 9/25  
 
Fourth Quarter

Task Date to be Comments
 Completed  
+ Evaluate the ministry and needs 1 0/25 - 12/25  
+ Meet with team 10/25  
+ Review financial status 10/25  
+ Halloween Party 10/25  
+ Christmas Party 12/25  
+ Check in with kids and families 1 0/25 - 12/25  
+ Check in with volunteers 1 0/25 - 12/25  

Budget
Please provide a summary of income and expenses for your project. Income sources:

V2A Grant $18.500
Congregation or Organization Contributions  
Other Income sources (list name of source and dollar amount below:)
 
 
 
TOTAL INCOME $18,500

Expenses:

Category Name: set-up expenses  
Item Cost Comments
gaming consoles (4) $2200 4 X $550
controllers (6) $420 6x$70
Flyers $400  
Paper products $400 plates, cups, bowls, etc.
Banners $600  
 
   
   
Category Name: On-going Expenses  
Item Cost Comments
Food/drinks/snacks $7200 12 X $600
Background checks $600 $60/person
Gift cards $600 $25 each
Edo ( consultant) $2400 technical advisor, game trainer, and set-up @ $50/hr.
Clean-up supplies $1000  
Category Name: On-going Expenses (cont.)  
Item Cost Comments
Merchandise $1000 t-shirts, wristbands, etc.
misc. for unforeseen expenses $1680  

18,500
TOTAL EXPENSES: $ _

Supporting Documentation:
You must submit the following additional documents with your application:
•Financial Information: Please provide your most recent actual Balance Sheet as well as the actual Income and Expense Statements of your congregation or organization for the past three years.
•Multi-Year Addendum as applicable (for projects with a time horizon of more than 1 year)
•Signature Pages: you must submit the appropriate signature page for your organization type.
oIndividual Congregation/Organization/Ministry: Standard Signature Page
oGroups of Congregations: Group Covenant Signature Page

The project is a variation on Dinner Church, which the V2A grant program recognizes as an innovative way of “doing” and “being” church. “The Lord’s Lunch” (a wordplay on “The Lord’s Supper”) will target un(der)churched neighbors, including those living in Sandpiper, a 1,200-home “55+” development across the road from our campus. // We have learned, through conversations with residents of such developments and research by a local justice group, that senior citizens and their families face barriers to participation in community-based activities (including congregational life). Younger senior citizens still work (often part-time jobs with
weekend work) and serve as unpaid care-givers (to disabled spouses, elderly parents, and even grandchildren) because affordable care options are not available. This limits their ability to attend Sunday morning worship services and engage in other aspects of congregational life. Older senior citizens, even those who do not need assistance from care-givers, curtail their driving and become reliant on transportation services which are not readily available on Sunday mornings. We have also learned that Sandpipe and other “55+” places are surprisingly flexible in terms of ages within a resident’s household, so we have more “under 55” neighbors than we realized. [These newer neighbors are from generations who might not consider attending our “grandma and grandpa” Sunday morning worship service, but might be open to bringing their older loved ones to a less formal church encounter that also provides a meal and a sense of belonging.] // The project involves starting a monthly, midday, midweek informal worship and fellowship experience so that senior citizens and their non-so-senior family members can participate in congregational life. We would like to take advantage of Dinner Church training, coaching, and handbooks as described in the V2A “2024 Pre-Packaged Grant Options” document, but adapt the material to our context.

“The Lord’s Lunch” will be offered in Sandpiper’s clubhouse, which features an open-to-the-public restaurant and modest banquet hall (a less intimidating environment than expecting non-churchgoers to immediately attend an event on our campus. [During the grant period, it is our intent that the fledgling faith community would decide whether to keep meeting “as is” (determining how to pay for future meal and venue costs) or to instead pursue a different form of ongoing existence, such as carpooling to “Dutch treat” gatherings at local restaurants, “potluck” gatherings in our fellowship hall (or some other nearby, low/no-cost venue), becoming a house church (perhaps with rotating hosts or multiple houses), or some combination thereof.]

HOW
“The Lord’s Lunch” is intended to foster development of a new faith community comprisedvprimarily of previously un(der)churched people. Whether that faith community will eventually be recognized as a “small group” within Reformation that offers an alternative worship experience, become a free-standing synodically-authorized worship community, or even replace the congregation’s current organizational model shall depend on the will of the Holy
Spirit as interpreted by its participants. Reformation will evangelize by “sending” a few participants (members who live in Sandpiper and/or are interested in Dinner Church) and “lending” its pastor (for worship leadership and group facilitation), and “equipping” all participants (using Vision2Action grant funding to provide Dinner Church materials, implement marketing and other paid communications, and cover the cost of meals and venue fees).

GOALS
“Sharing Christ” and “Making Disciples” are the main V2A goals we intend to address; however, our project will be accomplished in a manner that is also expected to have benefits associated with Vital Congregations, Doing Justice, and Intentional Diversity. Our project will be “Sharing Christ” because it targets un(der)churched neighbors who might not otherwise receive God’s grace through Word, Sacrament, and Christian community. Our project will be “Making Disciples” starting with the first handful of existing members who will grow in faith by sharing their faith with our un(der)churched neighbors --- especially by learning about Dinner Church and then accompanying participants through story-telling, conversation, and other informal ways of “being” church that will develop additional disciples. [We expect “cross-pollination” (interaction between existing members and previously un(der)churched neighbors) to improve the vitality of our congregation by providing innovative ideas, fresh perspectives, and a renewed sense of purpose. In addition to the justice inherent in “bringing” church to those who could otherwise not participate, we hope that “cross-pollination” will help us understand and respond to other local elder-related justice
issues. Since it is likely to be with participants who are younger and otherwise different than our existing demographics (read: more racially, culturally, and religiously diverse), we also hope this “cross-pollination” will help us determine how to embrace and seek diversity within the congregation.

WHY/HOW
Our pastor attended a V2A online workshop and met with our evangelism committee. Our committee held a “brainstorming” session in which over a dozen possibilities were discussed. The committee then whittled-down the list to two project ideas which we deemed were likely to be successful if funded, based on the strengths of the congregation. We then vetted both project ideas at the congregation’s quarterly “town hall” meeting and submitted both of them to the grant program for feedback. This project implements the idea for which we received positive feedback.

COMMUNICATIONS
We already vetted this project at a congregational “town hall” meeting. [In addition to receiving support, this meeting resulted in three members expressly stating an interest in helping to implement the project.] We will continue to seek congregational buy-in by providing progress reports to council, update articles in our monthly newsletter, personal contact (to recruit more project advocates who live in Sandpiper or are interested in the Dinner Church model), etc. We will seek community by-in via existing communication means (roadside sign, news releases, social media, etc.). Part of the V2A funds would pay for a full-page insert in Sandpiper’s newsletter. We would also use V2A funds to pay for targeted Facebook ads and limited mail campaign [targeting relatively new residents of Sandpiper, Cypress Lakes, and/or other nearby “55+” developments.]

IMPACT
As noted above, we expect impacts to include “Sharing Christ” and “Making Disciples” in a manner that is also hoped to have benefits associated with Vital Congregations, Doing Justice, and Intentional Diversity. We will track participation at each monthly event; in addition to a headcount, we will make note of any baptisms or affirmations of baptism. Our numerical goal is 9 baptisms/affirmations (and average of one a month). At three-month intervals, we will also survey participants for qualitative feedback and self-reported age, gender, and ethnicity data. In addition, we will ask existing members for insights/impressions to be shared in our newsletter
and announcements.

CHALLENGES
The biggest challenge is if we are not awarded the V2A grant (see below). Another possible obstacle is resistance from Sandpiper, either the newsletter editors or clubhouse management, as we understand there is still some “institutional memory” of a problem with a Bible study group
(not ours) from several years ago. If that occurs, we will ask members who live in Sandpiper to intervene; if the obstacle is insurmountable, we will try another local “55+” community or move to our fellowship hall (and perhaps offer additional months, since there would be no venue fee).

WHAT IF
If we are not awarded the V2A grant, the project will not proceed because we could not afford to do it on our own; we would instead pursue a low-cost version of our other project idea (senior- oriented education and fellowship opportunities). If we are awarded the V2A grant, but less than the requested amount, we would look to the award committee for input. Our initial thought would be to delete formal Dinner Church training and coaching, since we do not want to burden our
existing members (in their 70s/80s/90s) with nine months of cooking or catering responsibilities.

ROLES/PARTNERS
Those involved at this point include our pastor (worship leadership and group facilitation), the three core members of our evangelism committee (project selection/management), three “town hall” attendees (project management, implementation), and our nine-member congregational council (project monitoring). If we are awarded the V2A grant, our pastor will also recruit additional members who live in Sandpiper to assist in creating a “buzz” within the community.

We have not officially engaged any community partners at this point. If we are awarded the grant, we would like to consult with participants for story-based research (qualitative fact-finding) related to our local justice group’s elder care issues. We would also make participants aware of senior-related resources that are nearby (such meeting information for a care-giver group at the Episcopal church).

TTT
Our congregation’s investment is in time, talent, and in-kind resources (such as in-house printing and use of our projector, laptop, and sound equipment). The time and talent includes our pastor (including the treasure implications of allocating her time) as well as the evangelism committee and other interested members who will work on this project in addition to other senior-related mercy and justice efforts.

SUSTAINABILITY
It is our intent that the fledgling faith community will decide (during the grant period) whether to keep meeting “as is” (determining how to pay for future meal and venue costs) or to instead pursue a different form of ongoing existence, such as “potluck” gatherings in our fellowship hall.We would support that decision with time, talent, and in-kind resources. Any “treasure” support beyond the value of our pastor’s time would be dependent on special gifts or legacy contributions
from members.his is where the description goes. Whether to keep meeting “as is” (determining how to pay for future meal and venue costs) or to instead pursue a different form of ongoing existence, such as carpooling to “Dutch treat” gatherings at local restaurants, “potluck” gatherings in our fellowship hall (or some other nearby, low/no-cost venue), becoming a house church (perhaps with rotating hosts or multiple houses), or some combination thereof.]

St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Coral Gables has a long history of ministry with members of and allies to the LGBTQ+ community. Until now, our mission and ministry events were open to everyone, but not focused directly on any specific group. These were typical church type happenings that anyone could participate in. We want to continue providing opportunities for everyone to grow their faith and be disciples, but we feel called by the Holy Spirit to do something new and specific for members of the LGBTQ+ community. We acknowledge that the church has not always been a positive and supportive experience for God's children who identify as LGBTQ+. Many feel abandoned by the church that they knew and loved as young children. This project will enable us to reconnect with God's beloved children who are LGBTQ+ by hosting events in the community that show that the church is a space that is truly loving and supportive and worships a God who loves them unconditionally. We also understand that we cannot expect a new faith community to rely on outdated worship and gathering models. Lives are complex, so we need to provide flexible ways for this new faith community to grow, a way to gather for worship, learning, enjoyment, support, and discipleship. This will be accomplished by a revamped website and social media presence that will utilize new technology to transform our worship services and other gatherings into hybrid and truly interactive events where those who are physically present can connect (in real time) with those who are elsewhere.

HOW
This project is both intentional and evangelistic in its design. It is intentional in that it is focused on the LGBTQ+ community. There is a deeper layer of intentionality, in that, for the most part, we are taking this ministry project out into the community; we are not expecting people to come to our physical location (except for possibly one event). Our plan follows the model that Jesus used with the disciples, we are going to where the people are and we will be focused on their needs. Just as Jesus' ministry among the people, our ministry events will include both practical and faith-based elements. The events are open to anyone who wishes to attend. It is our hope and prayer that those who attend and participate will feel a sense of community and care, will join us for other events, and will want to stay connected through personal contact with our congregational members and pastor. Our revamped website and social media presence will advertise these events and showcase them both before and after. Our enhanced hybrid interactive worship service and other events also provide opportunities for us to stay connected and grow.

COMMUNICATION

IMPACT

CHALLENGES
 
WHAT IF
It would be disappointing if we did not receive a grant, but it would not discourage us from engaging in this important ministry. As we have said, we know that the Holy Spirit has guided us in this direction. Without funding, we would be able to host one or two community based events. However, we would not be able to upgrade our technology and social media presence that we know is vital to maintaining the connections we make in the community and integrating those who we build relationships with into the life of the church. We would have to use traditional and less innovative ways to try to grow the church.
 
TTT
There will be substantial congregational investment in this project. A significant amount of the pastor's time will be dedicated to participating and supporting this ministry initiative. Additionally, many of our members will actively participate and coordinate the events. Our congregation has many talented individuals who will use their God given gifts to manage and run this project. The congregation will be contributing financially to this ministry. We are in the fortunate position that our long-term tenant's rent will be increasing significantly and will be allocating a percentage of that increase to the program lines in our annual budget.

SUSTAINABILITY
We are confident that the members of the congregation will want to continue this project for 2026 and will support it physically and with some finances. The technology will be in place and we will have established strong connections with community partners. It will be easy to maintain the same level of community engagement as we had in 2025. We will continue to have the income stream from the percentage of rental income increase, which will increase further in 2026. There is also the potential that we could approach a community partner or an identified benefactor for additional funding.
 
TIMELINE

 Item #1
We see this project as addressing all the V2A goals. The goal of Sharing Christ will happen at the events we host in the community, the highlights on our social media, and the hybrid interactive events. Everything we will do is based on building new relationships and maintaining a connected faith community. We believe that congregations need to envision ways to bring the tried-and-true practices of the past in line with a present-day way of being. By revamping our website and social media and making the worship service and events hybrid and interactive it can only increase the vitality of the congregation by enabling more people to interact on a more meaningful level around areas at are relevant in our present world. Our goal is not to grow our membership, but to build connections with people who wish to do God's work in the world and shine forth God's love. This initiative is justice based. In the past, the church did an injustice to those who identified as LGBTQ+ and now we see governments, elected leaders, and others in society creating unjust laws and treating LGBTQ+ people poorly. We have identified community LGBTQ+ organizations that we hope to partner with to restore justice for all. By definition, the LGBTQ+ community is diverse. By engaging with and entering into relationship with people who are LGBTQ+, the church will become more diverse.

Item #2
This discernment process has been months in the making. Some of the foundational discussions took place during the call process interviews with our new pastor. During these conversations it was identified that the congregation had a long history of ministry with those who are LGBTQ+ and that we are committed to the community as shown by our being a Reconciling in Christ congregation for many years. Then, during a council meeting a few months later, we realized that we have historically hosted events at the church where the community was invited. This was known as Project SMILE (Saint Mark's Invites and Loves Everyone). We then thought that we could modify what we have done in the past by going out into the community instead of asking the community to come to us. Our vision became clearer after we formed a committee to plan this ministry initiative. At that meeting, we discussed that there was a desire to be intentionally supportive of and reconnect with the LGBTQ+
community, that the current political and societal landscape is becoming challenging for LGBTQ+ people, and that we could modify our past SMILE program which would have the support of the congregation. During subsequent meetings, we outlined some of the events that we hoped to host, community organizations with which we coulcl partner, and costing estimates that we received from businesses.

Item #3
Within the current St. Mark's congregation, we will be communicating this new ministry initiative during worship, in our newsletter, and through email/mail notifications to the members. Additionally, we will be target-marketing this through ads on social media. The events will be published on our website, which will be optimized in a way that web searches will direct people to our revamped website. lastly, communication will also happen within the channels that our community partners currently utilize. We strongly believe that there will be congregational buy-in because of our history as an LGBTQ+ affirming congregation and past SMILE program.
 
Item #4
The impact that we hope to have is to reach different groups who make up the LGBTQ+ community with supportive programming that is grounded in the gospel. We want everyone to know that they are loved, accepted, and welcome to fully participate in ministry with us. The revamped website and social media, coupled with the hybrid and interactive worship service will enable more people to experience our faith community and grow in faith through their participation. The people at St. Mark's have been longing for ways to share their love and faith with others, and we also hope that that this will encourage more people to share their good works with their neighbors. At various points throughout the project, we will be evaluating the impact of what we do. We will be looking at both quantitative and qualitative signs to measure the impact. For the community-based events, we will voluntarily ask people to voluntarily share some basic information about themselves (names, address, and contact information). This will enable to identify where people are attending from and the number of people participating. This will also enable us to proactively remain in contact with them to invite them to future events and to solicit their feedback about how they found the events and what they might like to see in the future. Additionally, we will be looking at web traffic analytics (source, topic cluster, device type, location, amount, etc.). This type of outreach is very personal in nature, so it will be difficult to set specific numerical goals. However, we hope to have substantial connections with at least five people from each event and that at least one person from each event remains connected on other levels with the congregation (worship, small groups, etc.). We also hope to grow our worship attendance and social media footprint by about 10%.

Item #5
St. Mark's fully expects to encounter challenges and obstacles and is confident that most will be able to be overcome. Throughout the years, the congregation has experienced challenges and obstacles, but the congregation has always found positive ways of meeting those challenges and working around the obstacles. First, we know that the new technology and way of worshipping will be a challenge. We will be training people on how to use the technology while at the same time making sure that the rollout is not too fast or aggressive. People are generally afraid of what they don't know, so we want to remove this fear. Next, we anticipate that we will encounter skepticism in the LGBTQ+ community, as many have been hurt by religious organizations and all too frequently the sound bites from media paint a bad relationship between church and LGBTQ+ community. We hope to overcome this obstacle by working closely with other organizations (both religious and secular) that already have strong connections with the LGBTQ+. We can learn from their experiences and challenges and how they overcame them. It is also a blessing that St. Mark's is a Reconciling in Christ congregation, so that could afford us the opportunity to connect with other RIC congregations to peer review what we do and possibly partner in some ways.
 
Item #6
The leadership team for this project consists of the pastor and three committee members. The committee is responsible for the entirety of the project and would be the group that does the high-level planning and analyzes the qualitative and quantitative data. The pastor is a member of the LG BTQ+ community, who over the years, has gained experience in connecting with others within the community around issues of faith and personal life. This group would solicit the support of others from the council and congregation to be as event managers for the community based events, someone to oversee the social media, and the people running the technology for worship and other hybrid church events. We currently have 7 people between the council members and others in the congregation who are willing to help.

Item #7
We will be partnering with various community partners on the project with whom some of our members are already affiliated. Some of these partners are LGBTQ+ organizations that already run LGBTQ+ events either out in the community or on university campuses. We want to be present at these events alongside other LGBTQ+ allies and supporters. Other partners could assist in by identifying or supporting topics that we may wish to engage in the community.

Organizations to Support Community Based Events
Equality Florida - https://www.eqfl.org/about-equality-florida SAVE Dade - https://www.save.lgbt/mission vision core values sage - https://www.sageusa.org/what-we-do/florida/

Local Universities
FIU Pride Center- https://dasa.fiu.edu/all-departments/pride-center/
University of Miami LGBTQ Student Center - https://lgbtg.studentaffairs.miami.edu/
Events that We Will Participate In
Gay Ocho - https://www.gay8festival.com/
Miami Beach Pride - https://www.miamibeachpride.com

We are strategically planning on furthering the work that the 2024 V2A grant allowed us to begin, making headway into the LGBTQ+ Community in Palm Beach County and making
ourselves known as a safe space of welcome and allyship.
What we have gleaned in our present work is that much of the PBC LGBTQ+ community suffers from much unresolved Religious Trauma, not only from past events but also from
continuous messages from more conservative churches that make up the greater part of PBC. We need to keep adressing this trauma in the community with presence, with outreach,
and with visual signs of support. There is a lot of healing that needs to happen before enough trust is gained and LGBTQ+ people feel comfortable enough to return to congregational life.
Even among the more liberal churches, consensus seems to be "they (more liberal congregations) may not have a problem with me being gay or lesbian, but they still want the rest of me to be just like them." We will continue working with Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center to Supoort and sponsor
PBC PRIDE 2025 in March. We will attend the Stonewall Ball and commemoration events in June, continue membership in the PRIDE Business Alliance, and advertise our congregation
in the 2025 PRIDE Directory. We will strengthen our ministry outreach to Connie House in Boynton Beach, an LGBTQ+ Assisted Living home, and we will make physical changes to
our property by converting a space into a gender neutral bathroom. The entire project is "innovative", as we explore meeting this community where they are, AND as we prepare ourselves to be welcoming with internal education, authentic conversations.

HOW
The projects wants to return faith and the possibility of belonging to a healthy and accepting community of faith by engaging AND RE-ENGAGING people where they are, by building relationships within the community through repeated encounters, by celebrating what is important and special to them in spaces that are important to them, by listening to their
traumatic stories of exclusion and separation and sharing in that pain, and by standing with them, fighting with them, as rights and liberties are again called into question, and as we face a divisive and potentially damaging presidential election.
Intentional evangelism is building relationships that support and celebrate human worth and dignity. We have successfully begun these relationships. We now have a "reputation", but the real test will be whether or not we keep showing up.
We are asking for you to help us for another year, as we learn how to best accompany this community and shepherd people back to the love of God that has been denied them for so
very long. LGBTQ+ folks have been burned too many times by too many churches that hang up rainbow flags but don't really know how to be present for the community. We want to learn
as much as we want to do.

GOALS
I believe this has been addressed in both paragraphs above. Sharing Christ is proudly being the Church in an among the PBC LGBTQ+ Community, being authentically who we are while celebrating others being authentically who they are. Doing justice is standing with a community that has repeatedly been denied justice over the decades, and is presently under attack, here in Florida and in many states throughout this land of the free. Intentional Diversity
is this congregation truly getting to know, love, and appreciate their LGBTQ+ neighbors in PBC, and learning FROM THEM how to be supportive and an effective and successful ally.

CHOICE
We are choosing to continue the hard work that was begun in 2024 because we are learning alot, we are seeing the effect it has on people when we show up to be with them AS THE
CHURCH, and because it is needed. It is the right thing to do.

PARTNERS
- The Congregation Council
- The V2A Committee
- The STMELC Outreach Committee
- STMELC "Artsy" Group
There is overlap in participation in the groups. The cooperation was organic.

COMMUNICATION
Internal communication for present projects consists of committee reports, social media posts, E-blast content, and announcements in the assembly. External communication is achieved through partnership with Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center, advertisements in LGBTQ+
directories, participation in the Business Alliance and direct communication with organization leaders. These all are proving effective and as we learn additional ways to communicate effectively, we will incorporate them into a plan

IMPACT
Internal communication for present projects consists of committee reports, social media posts, E-blast content, and announcements in the assembly. External communication is achieved through partnership with Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center, advertisements in LGBTQ+
directories, participation in the Business Alliance and direct communication with organization leaders. These all are proving effective and as we learn additional ways to communicate effectively, we will incorporate them into a plan

CHALLENGES
Again, we are learning ... As we have learned how hurt people are by past and present experiences of rejection and abandonment, and how reluctant LGBTQ+ people are to trust
communities of faith, this particular time and context exacerbating matters exponentially, and how continuous and committed presence and accompaniment can address this, so are we open to learning new and exciting things by and from the LGBTQ+ Community that we feel called to serve.

WHAT IF
If not awarded another V2A grant, there is still work that we can continue to do. Our Arts and Crafts group will continue to visit Connie House and fingerpaint with the residents, and AJ will still go to the Ball next year. But the bulk of our visibility comes from High Profile events that we will not be able to participate in without additional funding.

ROLES
Pr. Striffler and Wanda Malave coordinate the bulk of the projects and liaison with Compass. Pr. Striffler has created the ads and worked with the published directories.
Deb Uhlman has begun working with the Business Alliance.
Rhonda Beitman and Pat Carney have intiated the work with Connie House.
Beyond the V2A Committee/Leadership Team there are at least 8 additional people involvedpresently. More have expressed interest as outreach grows.

PARTNERS
This work would be exponentially more difficult without Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center. They are truly the heart of the LGBTQ+ Community in PBC. Having their trust and working with them has opened doors and avenues for partnership that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.
More proof that you have to intentionally listen and learn how to work with and for people - who they are, what they need, how they feel, what is important to them and what they are experiencing - in order to be authentically present.

TTT
Countless hours of volunteer time to attend events and visits to Connie House, personal investment in putting themselves "out there" to support a community that probably isn't ready to
respond in the way they hope for, and altering a portion of their physical location to truly be a safe space. They want to do most of this to be true to who they are, as much as they believe they are building relationships and planting seeds of healing.

SUSTAINABILITY
We have a strong core of the congregation that support this work and the development of sustained relationship with this community in PBC. We hope that these relationships will help us grow slightly in numbers, as others learn of our commitment to accompaniment and social justice.
If it does not, we can sustain our ministry with Connie House and our participation in PBC Pride. We won't be able to do everything we want, but we will be able to maintain relationships.

How did you discern this project was the best one for your congregation or organization to pursue? In your narrative, be sure to indicate why you should be the recipient of a pre-packaged grant. In other words, why is your congregation/organization particularly well-suited to be successful and form new communities of faith through this project idea?
St. Paul's has been in conversation with the Bishop's office and in a process of discernment for about two years. Our church is located in an area that has a significant Spanish-speaking population, our Lay Leader is Latino. As part of our discernment, we have had bilingual worship services, and our choir and congregation have learned Spanish hymns. For the past year our Lay Leader has been participating in Academia Ecumenica de Liturgica which is anecumenical study program for Latinos in lay leadership roles.
St. Paul's community is rooted in fellowship. We provide a full-meal fellowship every Sunday following worship. This fellowship is the cornerstone of who we are as a community. We often have homeless who come in simply because they know they can receive a meal, as well as food to take with them. It is our discernment, our current work in developing Latino leadership, and our strong fellowship that uniquely qualifies St. Paul's for this grant.

GOALS
Sharing Christ: Focusing on creating community
Vital Congregations: Developing congregations and organizations as innovation centers
Making Disciples: Re-focusing congregational practices on discipleship and lifelong learning rather
than membership
Doing Justice: Identifying community organizations for partnerships
Intentional Diversity: Growing churches and organizations that are active in their communities
✔
✔
Our project addresses both sharing Christ and vital congregations. St. Paul's current model for developing community, which has proven successful in helping us
bring new people into our church and has increased our membership, is the centerpiece of the prepackaged Latino dinner church model. We see this prepackage project as a logical next step for us in growing our community.
We will be able to extend the vitality of our English speaking congregation to a Spanish- speaking congregation by way of our current path of developing a Latino lay leader, our
congregational openness to Spanish ministry in our community, and the support we currently receive through the Bishop's office.
Simply stated, this project offers us a road map to execute a plan we have already begun. We are developing a Latino Lay Leader within our existing community, incorporating Spanish Liturgy and Hymns during our English-speaking worship program. Our Pastor has experience with ministry in Spanish. This package seems custom made for us. It enhances the teaching and incorporation of Spanish for our English speaking membership, supports our Spanish-speaking community in learning English, and provides a specific worship format that mirrors the fellowship based setting
we have already established. Choosing to apply for this grant was a no-brainer for the people of St. Paul's.
We are submitting this application as an individual congregation, not as a group application.
Pastor David has been in conversation with the Church Council and the congregation regarding development of a Spanish-speaking ministry. Both the Council and the congregation have embraced and encouraged opening St. Paul's to Latino worship. Over the past year we have
invited Latino friends within the community to worship with us during our regular Sunday worship services as a way of testing how two cultures/communities can come together under one roof. The response has been very favorable as both our English-speaking congregation, and our
Spanish-speaking visitors both feel that continuing to develop Latino ministry is important for both St. Paul's and the community at large. We have not extended an invitation to the community at large, primarily because we do not have a
Spanish-speaking worship service to offer them. We have discussed the next step for us which is to develop a communication plan. This would involve us reaching out to key organizations and people in our community to assist us in creating a specific communication plan.
Our desire is that through this project, St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Melbourne, Florida, will have roots within the Latino community that surrounds us. We would identify our success by having created a core group of people from the Latino community who have established themselves as part of the St. Paul's worship community. With a core group we will be able to continue to build a presence and be a resource in the Latino community. A qualitative
sign of success for us would be to have 10 to 15 regular attendees from the Latino community by conclusion of this project cycle.
There are Latino worship services offered throughout the City of Melbourne. All of them are either Catholic or Fundamental Christian. In addition, we are not currently engaged in activities of the Latino community in Melbourne.
Our strategy for overcoming these challenges are to find avenues for us to become more engaged and active in the Latino community. We will leverage our fellowship-based worship style to allow us to stand apart from all other Latino worship communities.
St. Paul's is already on the path of developing a Latino ministry. While this grant would give us necessary resources and money to establish a Latino ministry sooner, not receiving this grant would not impede us from continuing to move forward. This grant money would allow us to get
to our goal faster. Without this grant money, St. Paul's would need to gather financial resources independently. We would also need to seek other resources for teaching, Spanish and English, as well as the study and worship materials that would go along with this grant program.
Reverend David Young, Pastor of St. Paul's
Beth Perry, Organist and Choir Director.
Jose Lopez, Latino Lay Leader
Gloria Handling and Janet Jodoin, Fellowship Committee Co-chairs
Susan Larson, Chair of Outreach in Christ ministry team
Tom Wear, President, St. Paul's congregational council
The entire congregation supports this project. It is anticipated that 8 to 10 members of our congregation would be actively involved in this project.
We have not yet formally engaged any community partners with this project. St. Paul's does have two members on the Board of Directors of a nonprofit in the area and we also support the area's largest food pantry. Both of these organizations would be partners for us as both of them
serve members in the Latino community. In our current work with both these organizations, extending an invitation to our new worship community would be very natural next step. Both of these organizations would also give us the opportunity to work with other potential partners.
Pastor David has participated in an immersive Spanish for Ministry study program in Cuernavaca, Mexico. While not yet fluent enough to preach in Spanish, he is able to preside
over a Spanish worship service. Jose Lopez, is a first-language, Spanish speaker. He has been supported by the congregation in his work in the Academia program offered through the Bishop's office. Scott Goeringer, Cantor, has been working with our Organist, Choir, and congregation to bring
Spanish music into our worship services. The worship and music team has invested money in obtaining music and worship resources in Spanish.
St. Paul's already has some of the resources in place for a Spanish-speaking worship service. We would also have the foundation of a community of Latino worshipers, resources, and experience gained during this grant period to assure sustainability. St. Paul's has already allocation resources, financial and other wise, to Latino ministry. The Council and congregation are both in agreement that those resources will continue and be increased as needed during and following the grant period.

ABOUT | HOW
For this project our congregation will establish a monthly outdoor "breakfast club" that is open to the public. We will set up our outdoor tent and cook/cater breakfast. We will advertise on the local social media pages for Ft. Myers Beach and via signage on Estero Blvd. Additionally, each month we will personally invite the employees and staff at one of the island hotels/resorts to participate. As part of this project, St. Peter will also establish an online presence using an app (ie
Tithley) in which devotionals and messaging can be sent out. Users will be ably to post prayer requests and actively participate in forums, etc. After breakfast, a short message about Christ will be shared and participants will be invited to download the app and join our online family. This will provide an innovative way to grow our church family and stay connected. The goal is to reach individuals who may not currently have a relationship with Christ and provide them an online and fellowship community in which to share and interact. Through the development of this virtual community, they will then feel a part of Christ's church and bring them closer to God. This will allow St. Peter to develop additional extensions of our current faith community. Some may even choose to eventually become a part of our congregation.This platform will also offer resources on the beach for those that may be struggling or in need.The hope is that the dual offering of in-person and online community will assist St. Peter in offering an entry point to discuss Jesus and help others develop a life with Christ as well as support their needs.
How will your project help to form new faith communities and grow the church?  The offering of breakfast church centers around the idea that Jesus's ministry often happened around the table. It offers the members of St. Peter Lutheran a way to expand on its traditional Sunday Service and offers a new platform to grow the church. Afterall, eating together and sharing meals is a central part of what it means to be a church community. The table will serve as a vessel to facilitate the formation and deepening of new and existing relationships amongst the many locals that work and live on the island and our current congregational members. Breakfast with a spiritual twist (the addition of music, conversation, prayerful moments and simple liturgy) will serve as a way to bring together religious and nonreligious people of varying
backgrounds. Additionally, the use of an online tool (ie Tithley) in which devotionals and messaging can be sent out will allow users to stay connected with St. Peter. The application is
a way to post prayer requests, provide devotionals and actively participate in forums, etc. and offers another opportunity to be a part of God's Church.

GOALS | WHY
This project intentionally offers two unique ways for individuals to become a part of a faith community that differs from the traditional Sunday Worship family. The breakfasts serve as a way for people to gather together to share in Christ's love, discuss God and what it means to be a Christian. Tim Chester said "Jesus spent his time eating and drinking. His mission strategy was a long meal, stretching into the evening. He did evangelism and discipleship round a table with some grilled fish, a loaf of bread, and a pitcher of wine." We hope to emulate this approach with our Breakfasts. Additionally, the online application provides a unique way
for people to stay connected in this busy world of instantaneous messages and responses. Both of these are focused on creating new communities of believers and grow the larger church. As is not too uncommon, the faith families on Ft. Myers Beach have all been in decline and experiencing regression for some time. Post Hurricane Ian, the island was left in shambles and currently there are only 3 churches left worshiping together. Members lost everything and have had to relocate and two church families are currently under tents.
Our team feels that the local community is thirsty for the love of Christ and are viewing this as a unique opportunity to establish new ways of worshipping and celebrating Christ's love. We wanted to establish something new and exciting and may attract different people than those that participate and attend the traditional Sunday Service.

COMMUNICATION
As with any new program, early communication is key to success. That is why the team has planned for a purposeful advertising campaign on local radio and facebook groups. There is an active online community on Beach Talk Radio of locals and employees on the island. The utilization of this will be critical for our success. Additionally, a group of members will distribute flyers to all hotels, motels and resorts. Lastly, we have planned for impactful signage for  Estero Blvd which is the main thoroughfare on Ft. Myers Beach. All residents and workers pass by daily. Word of mouth and personal invitations to join us will serve as the basis for growth.

IMPACT
Our team has established the following goals:
1. Establish an online faith community on the application of 100 members by end of FY 2025.
2. Grow participation in breakfast church to an average of 25-30 individuals (not previously
engaged) monthly by end of FY 2025.
3. Increase congregational membership by 5% by end of FY 2025.

CHALLENGES
We believe that the biggest challenge will be getting the word out. As previously stated, we have planned for a purposeful advertising campaign on local radio and facebook groups.
Additionally, members will distribute flyers to all hotels, motels and resorts. Part of the budget includes signage for Estero Blvd which is the main thoroughfare on Ft. Myers Beach.

WHAT IF
In the future we may still pursue the project. However at this point in time, we have had to direct much of our finances to the rebuilding of the sanctuary that was severely damaged by Hurricane Ian. This does not leave much available for new projects. The funding for this grant will be critical to establishing this new community of believers. After that, our team believes that the program is sustainable and plan to keep moving forward.

TEAM | PARTNERS
Dr. Jason Kurtz, Council President
Trudy Archer, Assistant
Pastor William Stehr
Lisa Miller, Deacon
WELCA Woman's Group
We expect that a team of 8-10 members will be needed for each breakfast for set-up, food, clean-up, delivery of message, etc. We are not engaging with any community partners per say. However, we will be working with the
local hotels and resorts on the island to actively invite employee groups to participate.

TTT
We have purchased an events tent, table and chairs to utilize for the breakfast. Lay people from the congregation will assist with development and delivery of the message for each event. Staff and volunteers will keep the online app active with posts and devotions.

SUSTAINABILITY
The team believes that after the initial expenditures for materials, equipment, advertising and. promotional items Breakfast Church will be sustainable through free will gifts, support from WELCA and a budgeted line item from the Finance Committee in the 2026 budget. Additionally, the team has discussed the reutilization of staff (ie Deacon position) to manage and oversee the program. Congregational volunteers and member of WELCA will ensure implementation.

African American History (AAH) classes will be taught once a month on a Saturday form children ages 8-14 through stories, song and art. The syllabus will be developed in partnership with the instructors and will include the role of the church in AAH. This is in response to an effort by government to limit how American History is taught in public schools. It is important for us to understand where we have come from in order to be wholesome individuals. We enjoy freedom and democracy because of the determination, fortitude, struggle and sacrifices of our ancestors and we cannot take our freedom for granted. AAH
classes will be a way to connect with parents and their children who don't come to church. We will add them to our St. Timothy (STLC) community and invite them to attend STLC services, Sunday School and other church activities. AAH class may be invited to give presentations to the congregation throughout the year. The children who participate in this program will be from the community. Our community is primarily African American and Hispanic. We will be reaching out to the community by walking the neighborhood, talking to people and motivating businesses to allow us to pass fliers at their locations. We will reach out to parents of the children who attend the day care.

HOW
The AAH class syllabus will include the role of the church in AAH. Part of class activities may include AAH students making presentations before the congregation. AAH students and their families will be invited to attend worship and all other church activities. Our community partners who assist in developing, implementing and promoting the program, will also be invited to our church services and all church activities, such as back to school, vacation bible school, Women's Friendship Day, Christmas Gift give away and Thanksgiving Baskets/Gift card distribution. They will be made a part of the St. Timothy community network so they feel comfortable to reach out for resources and assistance should the need arise. We will have a AAH class graduation ceremony at the church for parents, partners and congregants. Having AAH students present at services hopefully will motivate the parents and
partners to attend our worship services.

AAH classes is an opportunity to share Christ by engaging with children and families in the community and including them as part of our St. Timothy safety network - caring for them and including them in all church activities. Offering AAH classes to the community creates an innovative partnership with other
organizations to raise awareness about AAH at a time when AAH is limited in public schools. AAH students/families/community partners will be part of the St T network providing, caring for each other and participating in all church activities. AAH will teach children about faith, resilience, freedom, diversity, democracy, helping them to grow as deeply rooted individuals who are better prepared to face life's challenges.

This idea has been brewing in our congregation since the governor of Florida forbid African American Studies to be offered in the AP courses and then when the governor offered to have history to be taught through his perspective. STLC congregation is a mixture of God's people - African American, Caribbean American, Asian and Caucasian. We recognize that the freedoms that we enjoy today is based on the struggles of our ancestors who fought for freedom from slavery and this struggle progressed to the civil rights movement for all people.

We recognized that with the limitations placed on teachers of what they can teach our children, it is our responsibility as the church to take action to teach our children AAH from an We are not currently working with another congregation. However, we will inform other churches about our AAH classes so their members may benefit from it.

COMMUNICATIONS
We will engage professionals to teach the AAH course possibly from our congregation or local university. We will be walking the neighborhood, talking to businesses/organizations/churches and people about the program and request their support in spreading the word. STLC and congregants will post information about it's classes on facebook and may advertise it by radio. We will engage our community leaders/council member of Miami Gardens who we know, to help spread the word through their network. We will have an information meeting of prospective parents with the teachers in English/Spanish.

IMPACT
Our goal is to have a total of 30 children to participate in the AAH classes which includes 10 children who are already connected with the church. We will measure success by observing the number of these children and parents who attend services, Sunday School,VBS, Back to School and other church activities and eventually join as members of the church. Attendance at St. Timothy church services and other activities is an indicator that the person finds St. Timothy a place where their spiritual and other needs can be met.

CHALLENGES

Challenge 1: Getting qualified individuals to teach the AAH Class once a month for 1 year. Teacher will be paid.

Challenge 2. Getting people to enroll their children for the class that will be over a period of a year. Have an information meeting of prospective parents with the teachers in English/Spanish; charge a small waivable registration fee.

Challenge 3. Getting people to commit to bring their children to STLC for the AAH classes.
Provide Calendar, send text/call reminders. Provide transportation. Invite to STLC activities.

WHAT IF
We will not be able to offer AAH classes in the professional manner that the grant would afford. We will depend on volunteers from our congregation and community to commit to this program to plan the syllabus and teach the classes. We will rely on volunteer interpreters to reach out to parents who only speak Spanish. This project requires careful planning and people with specialized skill and knowledge and so it will be much more difficult to have AAH classes in the way we have planned using the V2A grant.

ROLES/PARTNERS
Kelly Walkin, Brenda Lans, Alma Warren-Corley, Pastor Gantt, R. Rao -
Grant Writing Committee Paid Position: Teachers
Volunteers:
Publicity: Entire congregation
Communication Team/Class Assistants - at least 4 volunteers
Teachers - if not STLC members, could be professors from local colleges
Community Leaders - Miami Gardens Council Members to help spread the word
Neighborhood Businesses including Hispanic Businesses - pass out flyers in English/Spanish
Other churches - pass out flyers
Bethany Day Care - pass out fliers to parents of children
Pastor Prieto/Other contact - to translate flyers to Spanish & interpreter for info mtg w/parents

Although classes will be in English, flyers will be in Spanish to reach Spanish speaking parents
1.STLC volunteers will spread the word, be present on Saturdays to open the church, assist the
teachers in managing the children and provide refreshments for the children. Volunteers will
remind parents about the classes each month by texting/calling them.
2.STLC will provide their sanctuary as the place for the classes.
3.STLC will organize their monthly community outreach activities and invite parents and children
of the AAH program and community partners to these activities.
4. STLC will provide $3000 for this program.

We hope that the successful implementation of the AAH classes will open up more opportunities
for future funding from FBS or other sources. Additionally, we will use our own resources to offer
these classes in the future. If grants are not available, we will depend on paid teachers on a limited
basis and depend mostly on volunteer teachers to commit to teach the classes. We will seek
community partners for assistance in implementing the AAH classes. We will use the AAH
syllabus and publicity materials developed in the first year. With the success of this program, we
anticipate an increase in volunteers committed to the church and this program from community
partners, parents and children who participated in the first year and from other members of the
church. We will depend on donations from church members and partners for materials, supplies,
food and transportation. We will add this program to our church budget.

In October 2023, The Hearth participated in Central Florida's Come Out With Pride Day. I believe it is important to attend these events because open and affirming congregations are a small minority in the Greater Orlando Area. During the event, I connected with other religious leaders in the area who are also working to create safe religious spaces for people in the LGBTQ community. We had our first meeting of what we now call the Affirming Leaders

Network (ALN) in January 2024. I wanted to start this group of religious leaders because I know how difficult and isolating it can be to do this work, and I know that The Hearth will be stronger when I am supported and part of a group of leaders who share the same goals. Since that first meeting in January, we have quickly grown to over 25 leaders, representing multiple Christian denominations as well as Jewish and Unitarian. As a burgeoning organization, we are in the stage of determining how best to use our leadership and relationships to make an impact in Central Florida. In the meantime, we are focusing on supporting each other, knowing that we will be better leaders to our churches when we have our own encouraging community of leaders. Using Jesus as our model, who knew the importance of gathering over a shared meal, we are looking for funding for monthly meals to work towards strengthening our relationships, clarifying our mission, and continuing to pour into the religious communities we serve. In addition, we hope to attend more Pride events in Central Florida throughout the year to engage with the LGBTQ community and bring the unconditional love of God to them in new ways. This project is innovative because we often use funding to care for the people we serve. This project would use funding to care for the leaders with the aim of creating healthy leaders who are better equipped to serve others. How will your project help to form new faith communities and grow the church?

A church is only as strong as its leadership, and the Affirming Leaders Network provides a space for leaders to come together to support each other in this work. This is a group to share both the highlights of ministering to the LGBTQ community as well as the challenges. It is a group that, through its individual networks, has been able to grow to include multiple faith communities a s well a s non-profits. As w e continue to build relationships inside a n d outside
our church walls, we have the ability to evangelize to individuals, communities, and organizations that would otherwise never hear the Gospel. In addition, we are making our own church communities more welcoming, which will encourage the growth of the church as a whole.

Currently, we have grown through word of mouth. We also have a Facebook page, email communication, and a google drive to share information. We are hoping to grow into a Newsletter and social media presence to spread the word to others. Currently, we have shared our involvement in this network with our congregations a s appropriate as well as other leaders in Central Florida who would benefit from being a part of this group.

IMPACT
We are hoping to grow strong leaders to build strong spiritual communities committed to being open and affirming, spreading the love and grace of God to all people, but especially individuals who have been unwelcome in spiritual communities. Through this network, we are hoping to welcome more individuals into our communities, further growing and diversifying our communities.

CHALLENGES
We are anticipating some pushback as we grow and become more public. This is another reason we want to spend a year strengthening our group in order to stay together to weather the storm. We also expect obstacles with anti-gay legislation that continues to make it difficult for our community partners to support LGBTQ individuals and their families in Central Florida. We plan to address this challenge through supporting each other and our churches and reaching out and/or responding to pushback through loving communication and advocacy.

WHAT IF
We will continue to pursue this project because we believe it is important. However, I know the value of coming together over a shared meal, and this would be much more difficult to achieve without this funding. We will most likely seek financial support elsewhere.

What we want to do:
Trinity runs a year-round preschool attended by approximately 40 students (infants to age 4). Each Tuesday at mid-morning, the teachers bring the students to the sanctuary for chapel: 15 minutes of songs, prayer, stories, and other activities led by the associate pastor. Our proposal is to redesign our chapel time as follows: (1) Instead of only the students and teachers attending, we will also invite the parents (or guardians) who bring the students to school, as well as any younger siblings who may be tagging along. Because the students’ entire family is welcome to attend, we call the redesigned time “Family Chapel.” (2) Chapel time will move from mid-morning to the morning drop-off time in order to fit the schedules of parents who work or have other obligations. The parents will simply stick around for 15 minutes instead of leaving immediately after dropping off their kids. (3) We’ll offer chapel three days per week so that parents will have multiple opportunities to attend. Trained Trinity volunteers, along with the associate pastor, will take turns leading chapel on  ifferent days. (4) We’ll encourage Trinity parishioners to attend chapel and worship with the preschool families. (5) We’ll add new content to chapel time that will appeal to adults and children.

In sum, what’s innovative for us is that we will do chapel in a new and improved way: Instead of focusing on faith formation for our preschoolers only, we will expand our purpose to include the kids’ families and Trinity folks.

Why we want to do this:
We expect Family Chapel to lead to several positive outcomes: (1) Parents and kids can spend quality time developing their faith together and exploring what it means to live as disciples of Jesus, and parents can observe their kids’ spiritual growth over time. (2) We’ll build community as we connect the preschool families to each other. They’ll get to know one another and consequently will offer support and friendship to each other. (3) The preschool families will
develop relationships with the Trinity folks who lead or attend chapel. This is important because historically there has been little interaction between Trinity’s congregation and the preschool families – the latter do not attend Trinity’s weekend worship services. As relationships begin to form, however, the preschool families should become more interested in attending the many neighborhood events Trinity offers, such as ice cream socials, Trunk or Treat, the Blessing of
the Animals service, Vacation Bible School Day Camp, and Kids’ Nite Out (monthly gatherings with games, snacks, crafts, and stories). In addition, the preschool families who decide to attend one of these events may encourage other families to come because they have become friends.

In sum, we want to create a “chapel community” that encompasses more than just the preschool students and teachers who currently participate in chapel, and we expect several benefits to emerge as a result, including more preschool families attending Trinity’s neighborhood events.

Why we need the grant:
The content of chapel time must be engaging and educational, and a projection system is an indispensable tool to deliver this content. We currently have no projection system in the sanctuary, so during chapel the leader has to hold up printed pages to illustrate Bible stories.

Especially as we increase the number of people who attend by inviting parents, individuals sitting in the back won’t be able to see the pictures well. If we could project the pictures onto a large screen, everyone could easily see them. Additionally, a projection system would enable us to present multimedia content such as Bible stories on DVD and interactive songs on YouTube, which is important given that cognitive psychology research has demonstrated the superiority of multimedia instruction. For example, kids who listen to stories supplemented with animation and sound effects are more attentive than those who just listen (Richter & Courage, 2017). They also show better comprehension, for instance by inferring characters’ emotions (Altun, 2018).
Moreover, they score higher on measures of learning (i.e., long-term retention of the material; Li et al., 2023). In sum, we need a projection system because it will make the chapel experience more engaging and enriching for both children and parents, which in turn will encourage parents to (1) attend chapel and interact with others who are present and (2) bring their families to Trinity neighborhood events and become more integrated with the Trinity faith community.
References:
Altun, D. (2018). The efficacy of multimedia stories in preschoolers’ explicit and implicit story
comprehension. Early Childhood Education Journal, 46, 629–642.
Li, H., Zhang, T., Woolley, J. D., An, J., & Wang, F. (2023). Exploring factors influencing young
children’s learning from storybooks: Interactive and multimedia features. Journal of
Experimental Child Psychology, 233, 105680.
Richter, A., & Courage, M. L. (2017). Comparing electronic and paper storybooks for
preschoolers: Attention, engagement, and recall. Journal of Applied Developmental
Psychology, 48, 92–102.
How will your project help to form new faith communities and grow the church? Please
highlight the intentional evangelism components of your project. (100-150 words)
We expect to see connections forming as parents begin attending Family Chapel. Social
science research has shown that people readily form relationships with others whom they
encounter regularly (Baumeister & Bushman, 2014). Moreover, they’re motivated to create
stable, ongoing relationships based on mutual concern. Therefore, we predict that the parents
who attend Family Chapel will connect with each other. We also anticipate that the preschool
families will form social bonds with Trinity parishioners who lead or attend chapel. After these
relationships have been established, preschool families will more likely participate in Trinity
neighborhood events because Trinity parishioners can personally invite the families, and in
general people like to join their friends’ activities.