The General Board of Discipleship has announced that grants up to $10,000 are available to help local United Methodist churches build ministries that strengthen and support racial and ethnic church concerns. Grant applications are due on Jan. 15.

Racial Ethnic Local Church Concerns (RELCC) grants will be available for each year of the current quadrennium.

“The GBOD board of directors will act on the submissions for 2013 at their regularly scheduled meeting in March,” said Cheryl Walker, GBOD’s director of black congregational ministry.

Although the grant application deadline for 2013 is in January, beginning in 2014 and for the following two years of the quadrennium, the RELCC applications will be due each year on Nov. 1, Walker said.

The ministry/project contained in the grant application must be a project of a local United Methodist church or of the United Methodist connectional system, and also must:

• Contribute directly to the mission and ministries of making disciples of Jesus Christ;
• Be consistent with the doctrine and social principles of the United Methodist 2012 Book of Discipline;
• Focus on developing and strengthening the racial ethnic local church for witness and mission;
• Involve racial ethnic church members in the planning, leadership and decision-making.

In addition, the ministry/project must be related to one or more of these essential services provided by the GBOD’s ministry areas:  accountable discipleship, Christian education, curriculum resources, evangelism, family and life-span ministries, lay ministries, leadership development, spiritual formation, stewardship and worship.

Priority will be given to new programs for the 2013-2016 quadrennium, rather than programs that were funded during the 2009-2012 quadrennium, Walker said. Funds are not provided for personnel and equipment.

For more information and to download a grant application, go to www.gbod.org/ethnic. Applicants with questions are encouraged to contact Walker by phone toll free at (877) 899-2780 Ext. 7167, or by email at [email protected].

Last Updated on August 8, 2018