New Orleans, LA – The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana has received a grant of $1,250,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to develop a creative, new approach to Christian Education. The Diocese of Louisiana will use grant funds to launch “Episco-parenting Care Kits,” a faith-based subscription service to inspire and equip parents to embrace faith practices in their daily lives.
This project 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.
The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana plans to create Episco-parenting Care Kits that can be customized to different faith practices that address important spiritual milestones and key moments of childhood and family life. These kits will provide spiritual guidance for families and include family activities. Certain kits will contain a food component in the form of meal delivery gift cards or bread-baking kits. Parents will be involved in the customization of their kits to meet their family’s needs. Subscribers will have access to a private online platform as well as an annual event to connect with other parents. All kits will be available in both English and Spanish to meet the changing demographic needs of our region and welcome new families into the Episcopal faith tradition. This project will result in reinvigorated faith for parents, new families entering the church, more children completing their sacramental milestones, better-resourced clergy and youth ministers, and a more inherently vital Christian community in Louisiana.
“We would like to express our gratitude to Lilly Endowment for this extraordinary opportunity,” states Bishop Shannon Duckworth. “The Episco-parenting project represents a bold new direction in Christian formation. For the first time, we can provide personalized spiritual content and connections for families wherever they are, on their schedule, and tailored to their unique situations. This approach will be a game-changer, helping to support families when faced with many of life’s most important questions. We believe this project holds the possibility of immense learning and discovery, not only for the 48 churches and 16 day schools in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana but also for any parents or caregivers seeking to pass on their Christian faith to their children in our rapidly changing world.”
The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana is one of 77 organizations that are receiving grants through this competitive round of the Christian Parenting initiative. Reflecting the diversity of Christianity in the United States, the organizations are affiliated with mainline Protestant, evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox Christian and Pentecostal faith communities. Many of the organizations are rooted in Black church, Hispanic and Asian Christian traditions.
“We’ve heard from many parents who are seeking to nurture the spiritual lives of their children, especially in their daily activities, and looking to churches and other faith-based organizations for support,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These thoughtful, creative and collaborative organizations embrace the important role that families have in shaping the religious development of children and are launching programs to assist parents and caregivers with this task.
Lilly Endowment launched the Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative in 2022 because of its interest in supporting efforts to help individuals and families from diverse Christian communities draw more fully on the wisdom of Christian practices to live out their faith fully and well passing on a vibrant faith to a new generation.
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Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.
The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana was established in 1839 and is part of The Episcopal Church which is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Our boundaries are made up of the 24 civil parishes in the southeastern portion of the State of Louisiana. Our diocese is comprised of over 15,000 Episcopalians and 47 worshiping congregations. The current bishop is the Rt. Rev. Shannon Rogers Duckworth ordained on November 19, 2022.