The Center for the Theology of Childhood has received a grant of $1.25 million dollars from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support Clearing the Way for Grace: Bridging the Gap between Practice and Theory to Nurture Children through Worship and Prayer.
The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. The aim of the national initiative is to support faith-based organizations as they help children grow in faith and deepen their relationships with God. “Clearing the Way for Grace” is divided into two components:
Supporting Practitioners: The first component is supporting practitioners by expanding on our Godly Play liturgical lessons to use with children twelve years and younger, providing Godly Play infused liturgical resources for communal worship, offering congregational toolkits including assessments for engaging children in worship and prayer, and providing grants for congregations desiring to expand their support for children in worship and prayer grounded in a Godly Play approach.
Supporting Scholarship: The second component is supporting scholarship through open-access publications (both peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed), hosting lecture series and gatherings, supporting research circles, and matching students and junior scholars with mentors, ensuring that those engaged in children’s ministry have access to the most up to date research regarding the challenges they encounter as they nurture the faith of children.