Let the Children Come
What do you dream for the children in your congregation in their life with God?
How might you design worship and prayer practices to help them—and people of all ages—become the disciples you imagine?
The diocese has a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support our congregations to imagine and develop disciple-making strategies that include intentionally intergenerational worship and prayer practices alongside age-specific programs that help disciples of all ages know God and not only know about God.
The diocese will come alongside congregations to:
- Spark imagination around intergenerational worship and its connection to holistic Christian formation;
- Equip and empower congregational leaders—clergy, staff, caregivers and children—with skills to:
- Help children and adults express their faith through worship and prayer
- Design and lead inclusive and sensory-rich worship rooted in Episcopal liturgical sources and grounded in local practices and traditions.
- Help to forge and support connections among congregations.
Our activities will help congregations:
Wonder
The discernment and grant process offers an in-depth opportunity to explore and experiment with new ways to engage children in intergenerational worship and prayer.
Applications for Part 1 are now closed. For more information about the process, you may review the Request for Proposals and FAQ. Future opportunities to participate will be shared in this space.
Timeline
- February 2: Applications and additional information available
- February 17: Zoom introduction and Q&A
- April 20: Part 1 application due
- May 8: 24 churches selected
- May 15: Zoom orientation for participating churches
- July 17: Part 2 applications due for participating churches
- August 7: Grant funding distributed
- February 1, 2027: Final reports due for participating churches
- February 2, 2027: Online celebration for participating churches
These videos share the stories of two churches that participated in the pilot of the discernment and grant process in 2025-2026.
Learn
Three webinars were offered to deepen ministry with children and families. These webinars were designed for formation leaders, caregivers and others who are interested in learning more about helping children to become disciples.
CONNECT
Network with formation leaders throughout the diocese to spark your imagination, build relationships and discover new resources.
- October 2-3: An overnight retreat in Greensboro for formation leaders will create space for prayer, worship and hands-on practice. Details will be announced in mid-2026. For now, mark your calendars!
CONTACT
The Rev. Kelly Ryan
Missioner for Discipleship
The Rev. Kelly Ryan
Missioner for Discipleship
984-263-5423
EMAIL
The Rev. Kelly Ryan serves diocesan congregations as the missioner for discipleship. The position was created as part of, and is made possible by, the $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. the diocese received in October 2024 to reconceive the way it supports congregations as they seek to form disciples of all ages. Instead of traditional programming, the project is designed to spark congregational imagination around intergenerational worship and its connection to holistic Christian formation, to support connections among congregations, and to equip and empower congregational leaders to design and lead inclusive, sensory-rich worship rooted in The Episcopal Church’s liturgical traditions.
Kelly previously served at Duke Divinity School as director of the Thriving Congregations Coordination Program and as senior director of Communications and executive editor for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, as well as a communications coach for Lilly Endowment grantees. For more than two decades, she has served children and their families as a catechist, tutor, mentor and hospital volunteer.
Since ordination as a vocational deacon in 2024, Kelly has served as deacon and children’s minister at St. Joseph’s, Durham. She holds a Master of Divinity, a certificate in Christian Education, and an MA in Christian Practice from Duke Divinity School, as well as a BA in journalism and political science from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
RESOURCES
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