Mission and Outreach Committee awards 10 grants

The Mission and Outreach Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth has announced a total of $22,054 in matching grants for six ministries within the diocese and grants for four ministries beyond the diocese for 2014.

Grants in the Matching Grant Outreach Program for ministry within the diocese totaled $15,261. They were:

• $3,200 to St. Luke’s in the Meadow, Fort Worth, for its Meadowbrook Elementary School After-School Ministry
• $2,500 to St. Christopher, Fort Worth,/Southern Deanery for a Habitat for Humanity build in 2015
• $1,000 to St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller, to purchase men’s shoes for the Union Gospel Mission
• $   500 to St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller, to purchase socks for the Presbyterian Night Shelter
• $5,061 to St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller, to replace playground equipment for preschool students and children of congregation members
• $3,000 to Christian Community Assistance/St. Christopher, Fort Worth, for a new telephone system

Grants in the Beyond the Diocese Outreach Impact Program for ministry beyond the diocese totaled $6,793.00. They were:

• $  500 to St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller, for micro loans through Kiva International
• $1,400 to All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, for restocking the tilapia fish pond at Amazing Grace Children’s Home in Awasi, Kenya
• $2,000 to the Episcopal Church of Hamilton County, for the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota Native American Youth Ministry
• $2,893 to the Episcopal Church of Hamilton County for the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota emergency propane fund

The diocesan Mission and Outreach Committee was established in 2011 to help allocate funds set aside in the annual budget for ministry and outreach. An application may be submitted by an individual member of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, members of a congregation within the diocese, or members of several congregations within the diocese representing a common organization. Funds are offered in two categories: Matching Grant Outreach Program, for outreach within the diocese, and the Beyond the Diocese Outreach Impact Program, for special outreach needs beyond the geographical boundaries of the diocese.

The committee allocated all the funds set aside for both programs. The committee will document that the donated funds are used for the purposes requested in the grants, not only for accountability purposes, but also to gather information that illustrates examples of the ministries resulting from the grants.

Committee chair Tim Stevens said, “We will be interested in how the congregations are stimulated and participate in the projects. This information can be used to generate publicity about the accomplishments from these grants, and should strengthen our committee’s mission.”

Members of the committee are Stevens, St. Christopher, Fort Worth; Cynthia Eichenberger, St. Francis, Willow Park; Cynthia Hill, All Saints’, Fort Worth; Juanita Parish, St. Christopher, Fort Worth; Sandra Shockley, Episcopal Church of Hamilton County, Hamilton; and Jesse Smith, retired priest of the diocese.