Westminster Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma has received a $1,211,022.00 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to establish Big Faith Resources, a new initiative aiming to bridge a gap by providing accessible resources and tools to churches addressing the inclusivity of neurodiverse children and their families in corporate worship, faith formation, and spiritual practices. Big Faith Resources will assist congregations in providing a space where all children can experience God’s love without hindrance.
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.
“Despite strides in inclusivity, neurodiverse and developmentally disabled children (and their families) often face a lack of support and experience exclusion in church, especially corporate worship, hindering their engagement in faith practices and fellowship. Meanwhile, pastors and Christian educators lack the tools and resources to respond to an everchanging neurodiverse landscape. It is why we’re thrilled to receive Lilly Endowment’s support, for which Westminster Presbyterian Church is immensely thankful, as it will get tools, training, resources and equipment directly to churches so children with special needs are empowered and fully engaged in worship, spiritual disciplines, and congregational life,” said Rev. Dr. Michelle Junkin, Co-Director of Big Faith Resources and Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Westminster.
Through a multifaceted approach, Big Faith Resources serves internally at Westminster Presbyterian Church (WPC) as a learning lab and externally as a website resource hub providing webinars, workshops, training and digital downloads. Big Faith Resources is tasked with distributing Big Faith Wonder Boxes, sensory-friendly materials, and traveling equipment to support churches in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas through collaboration with the Synod of the Sun, connecting WPC’s endeavors directly to 11 Presbyteries and over 700 PCUSA congregations.
“By removing barriers and providing tools, we are excited to help pastors, educators, and congregations welcome neurodiverse children while supporting their families in ways where they all can participate in worship, prayer, and congregational life without hindrance,” added Heather Selement, Assistant Director of Big Faith Resources and Children’s Ministry Director. 4400 N. Shartel Ave 405.524.2204 Oklahoma City, Ok 73118 www.wpcokc.orgBig Faith Resources will be strengthened by a newly forged partnership with The Oklahoma Autism Network and The Lee Mitchener Tolbert Center for Developmental Disabilities. These partnering organizations will be providing essential support, guidance, and research to bolster our efforts. A conference will be held at the 5-year milestone to share the latest resources and celebrate the joint venture.
“Westminster may be one of the first congregations to undertake such a ministry, but we are not the first organization seeking to serve neurodiverse kids and their families. The partnerships we’ve formed will help us accelerate our learning and more quickly ensure that God’s love is felt and spread,” said Rev. Landon Whitsitt, Co-Director of Big Faith Resources and Senior Pastor at Westminster.
Westminster Presbyterian Church is one of 91 organizations 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.”
About Lilly Endowment Inc
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.
