About
Does your congregation have an immediate need for financial assistance because of a building or other issue at your church, or wants to start a new ministry or supplement a ministry you already have? Does your congregation have other financial needs?
The Grants Committee offers funding opportunities through The Diocese of West Missouri to support congregations. This group is tasked with:
- Ensuring funding requests align with the stated foci (pillars) established by the Diocesan Council and the Standing Committee
- Creating and maintaining a centralized Grants Committee allows for consistency and equity across the diocese as part of our overall mission and vision
- Timely follow up from the Grants Committee to the Requestor, and communicating additional questions, information, or documents the Grants Committee needs from the Requestor to properly evaluate the request
- Providing transparency, and consistent communication, to the Diocesan community about who received a grant, what the grant is for, and how much funding was received
- Report to Diocesan Council and the Standing Committee after each granting cycle
- Report to the Diocesan community in the New Spirit
- Information on grant requests received and approved will become part of the information contained in the Journal of Convention
The Different Funding Opportunities
There are three different funding opportunities that a congregation can apply for:
- Line of Credit (LOC)
- Property Maintenance Grants (PMG)
- Centralized Grants (CG)
Please read through each fund before applying for your congregation’s needs.
Line of Credit
LOC’s are funds available for loan at 0% interest for emergency liquidity issues and/or long term debt equity issues to minimize third party loans. LOC applications will be reviewed by the Finance Committee, and then the Diocesan Council to ensure that these funds fit within Diocesan metrics.
For example; the HVAC unit breaks down during a heat wave in July and the repair or replacement cost is more than can be covered by the church’s cash or investments. This would be an LOC application.
These funds may be expediated in extreme emergency situations.
LOC requests will be received and expedited by the Finance Administrator and Treasurer.
Property Maintenance Grants
PMG’s are funds available by grant to address property improvements or deferred maintenance. Grant applications will be reviewed by the Property Committee, Finance Committee, and then the Diocesan Council to ensure that these funds fit within Diocesan metrics.
The Property Grant committee will acknowledge receipt of your request and may ask for further information. The Property Grant committee will meet on an as-needed basis when grant requests are received. The committee will meet at 4 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month via Zoom.
An example of a PMG request would be an HVAC unit that is 20 years old and showing signs of being near its end of life. A replacement unit will also be more energy efficient, reducing utility expenses going forward.
Property grants will be received by the chairs of this group. Once the request is received, you will be notified about a time to meet.
Centralized Grants
CG’s are grants used to fund ministries tied to one or more of the pillars identified by the Standing Committee and Diocesan Council as supporting our mission and vision statements.
Please note that the deadline for submission of a Centralized Grant is the first Tuesday of the month by 5 p.m. The Chair of the Centralized Grant committee will review the request and acknowledge receipt, and may ask for further information. The Centralized Grant committee will meet on the third Tuesday of every month at 4 p.m. to review the requests and make recommendations to the Finance Committee for approval by the Diocesan Council.
Vision Statement
“God’s just and peaceful beloved community built on our shared love of God and one another.”
Mission Statement
“As the Body of Christ, we seek, serve, and save the lost by proclaiming the Good News, forming disciples, serving others, and striving for justice.”
The pillars supporting the vision and mission statements are:
- Practicing God’s Economy
- Striving for Justice
- Forming Disciples
- Proclaiming the Good News
- Serving Others
One way to determine what pillar to apply for is to look at the Diocesan Budget and see what is currently being funded under each pillar. The narrative budget can be found online.
Practicing God’s Economy
Acknowledging that everything we have is a gift of God, our diocese seeks to faithfully steward the gifts entrusted to us by giving from the first fruits for the advancement of God’s Kingdom. God so loved the world that he gave his own Son to us, and we follow in the Way of Jesus by giving first for the sake of others. Trusting in God’s provisions and mindful that our lives are not our own, we seek to share funds beyond our diocese to support mission and ministry to communities and peoples we may never meet in this life. We participate in the work of The Episcopal Church at large, nonprofit ministries in our midst, and for the common good around the globe.
Example: Your church wants to contribute to an agency near your church which assists the homeless with food and shelter.
Striving for Justice
Built on our belief that all persons are deserving of dignity as beloved children of God, we strive for justice by advocating – both within our own diocese and in the public sphere – for peace, inclusivity, equity, and reconciliation. Our ministries reach into the legislative work of governance, training within our churches, and building relationships across differences. In our ministries and in the world, we welcome and embrace persons of any race, gender, orientation, ability, or status in the building up of the Kingdom of God.
Example: The congregation wishes to establish itself as a Jubilee Center. Jubilee centers are a social justice ministry of advocacy and service for the poor and oppressed. It was established by an act of the 1982 General Convention as “a ministry of joint discipleship in Christ with poor and oppressed people, wherever they are found, to meet basic human needs and to build a just society.”
Forming Disciples
Christ’s call for his disciples to make further disciples continues to our day. Throughout all ages and stages of life, we seek to provide opportunities and resources for Christians to deepen their faith, grow in their relationship with Christ, and go out into the world to continue making disciples who follow in the Way of Jesus. Our formation ministries reach young and old, lay and ordained, individuals and communities across all spectra of our diocese.
Example: The Christian Education committee at your church wants to start an EFM class and needs money to train leaders for this group.
Example: The Formation Committee at your church wants to start the Sacred Ground curriculum and is looking to expand the parish library by adding books and videos to support the curriculum. (This could also fall under Striving for Justice)
Example: Members of the church, with the approval of the clergy, want to take classes at the Bishop Kemper School to be trained as lay preachers. (This could also fall under the Proclaiming the Good News pillar)
Proclaiming the Good News
Proclaiming the Good News of God in Christ within each of the communities we serve takes many forms. Through our office of communications, our diocese provides digital media outlets and resources for engaging and empowering our churches and others to share the work God is doing in our midst. Trusting in the sacramental graces bestowed in ordination for the proclamation of the Gospel and the provisions of grace through sacramental ministry, we support ministers to engage communities around the diocese, “to equip the saints for the work of ministry and the building up of [Christ’s] body” (BCP, 533).
Example: Your congregation wants to upgrade their video equipment to live stream services targeted to the growing number of shut ins in their community and as a tool for evangelism.
Serving Others
Our mission of serving others seeks to follow Christ, who came to serve rather than to be served. Because our ministries in local communities each take unique shape, and because our churches are mission outposts in the Kingdom of God, funds for serving others are granted through diocesan committees to individual projects across the diocese.
Both the Centralized Grants and the Property Grants make up this pillar in our diocesan budget.
Grant Request Form
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