GrowthRings at Church and Home
Contact:
Rev. Kory Plockmeyer
616.268.0605
October 1, 2024
Movement West Michigan has received a $576,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help
establish GrowthRings at Church and Home, a collaborative project designed to aid local
congregations in the faith formation of the next generation.
The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and
Prayer Initiative, a national initiative designed to help Christian congregations more fully and
intentionally engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices.
GrowthRings at Church and Home will build collaborative learning communities in which local
churches will have the opportunity to experiment with new ways to incorporate children into
their worship life, as well as ways to support parents in the at-home faith development of their
children. It will also coordinate with and integrate into the broader work of Movement West
Michigan by facilitating workshops and learning opportunities for church staff members and
other Christian leaders to equip them with the tools and resources to better support the faith
formation of the next generation. This project is built on the framework of GrowthRings, a
developmental model that encourages families to draw from the ways in which children ask
questions in order to provide opportunities for spiritual engagement.
“We are excited to deepen our partnership with local congregations in order to serve and
strengthen the faith formation of children,” said Rev. Kory Plockmeyer, executive director of
Movement West Michigan. “In our work with local churches, we see a desire for collaboration
and a heart for the next generation. GrowthRings at Church and Home will allow us to work
through local churches to strengthen families, nurture faith, and empower parents to turn every
day interactions into opportunities for eternal impact.”
Movement West Michigan is one of 91 organizations receiving funding through the latest round
of the initiative. They represent and serve congregations in a broad spectrum of Christian
traditions, including Catholic, mainline Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, Anabaptist and
Pentecostal faith communities. Several organizations are rooted in Black Church and Hispanic
and Asian American Christian traditions.
“Congregational worship and prayer play a critical role in the spiritual growth of children and
offer settings for children to acquire the language of faith, learn their faith traditions and
experience the love of God as part of a supportive community,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly
Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These programs will help congregations give greater
attention to children and how they can more intentionally nurture the faith of children, as well
as adults, through worship and prayer.”
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic 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. The 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.