Three more churches have received grants from the Brethren Faith in Action (BFIA) fund. This fund gives grants to Church of the Brethren congregations and camps in the United States, using money generated by the sale of the upper campus of the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.
Antelope Park Church of the Brethren in Lincoln, Neb., received $1,250 to expand its outreach ministry to the neighborhood and ways the community may use its property. Community children already play and bike in the parking lot and play basketball on a court set up by the church, and community members admire the garden run by Community Crops and cared for by members of the church. Improvements funded by this grant will include a peace sign, additional play facilities for children, benches and tables around the parking lot, new signs for the church building, and a community “free pantry” on the property. In addition, the church is planning educational events and community discussions about topics such as racial justice and healthy cooking.
Dupont (Ohio) Church of the Brethren received $5,000 to turn an oxbow creek on the congregation’s wilderness camp into a 1.5-acre pond. The church was given a 26-acre wilderness camp with woods, three miles of trails, a sports field, an oxbow creek, a conference center, and a chapel with a deck that overlooks the creek. The congregation’s outreach ministry at the property, named Fresh Encounter Woods, will include baptisms, outdoor services, nature walks, devotional time, and outdoor recreation. The renovations to the pond will include dredging the creek, clearing fallen trees and logs, placing stones around the pond, and landscaping including an irrigation fountain and waterfall. Cost is estimated to be $10,500.
Pleasant Hill (Ohio) Church of the Brethren received $5,000 to purchase video equipment to stream worship and enhance capacity to take its ministries virtual. Pleasant Hill has been streaming worship services on Facebook since Spring 2020, drawing individuals and families from beyond the church’s geographic area. Grant funds will purchase better film and sound equipment to strengthen the church’s online presence. Pleasant Hill applied for and was granted a matching fund waiver.
For more about the fund and how to apply for grants go to www.brethren.org/faith-in-action.
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