JANS – Millsaps College has received a grant of $1,183,275 from Lilly Endowment, Inc., to help create a partnership program with three local United Methodist churches, which will support local parents and caregivers as part of the Center for Ministry based at the college. The partner churches are Aldersgate UMC, Galloway Memorial UMC, and St. Luke’s UMC. 

The effort is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to help parents and caregivers share their faith and values with their children.  

“This initiative will encourage critical thinking and creative responses to the challenges churches face today in their efforts to host effective children and family ministries,” said Reverend Sally Bevill, associate chaplain at Millsaps. “Our grant proposal was birthed from time spent in curious listening circles with parents and caregivers who are concerned about being equipped to show and share their faith and values with their children. As we listened, we repeatedly heard the cry: ‘We want our children to know God!’ Lilly Endowment has made this a new possibility, and we are beyond grateful.”  

The Center for Ministry at Millsaps College is a shared initiative of Millsaps and the Mississippi Conference of The United Methodist Church and is uniquely equipped to work directly with local churches and communities. Work with parents and caregivers will allow the Center for Ministry and partner churches to understand contemporary families’ needs for daily faith-sharing and learn how they may adapt programming to support healthy, daily examples of faith inside and outside church activities.