Sharing Christ’s love and joining in the work of the Spirit in our communities and beyond.
Diocesan Convention Video
Beginning a New or Strengthening an Existing Ministry
Tornado Packs Ministry at All Saints’, Storm Lake
$3,000
This new ministry will provide bags of nonperishable food for nearly 200 kindergarteners at a local elementary school to take home each weekend. In their previous work with the school, All Saints’ learned of critical food insecurity among the students and that other organizations were unable to fully meet this need. All Saints’ is partnering with the school to begin this new ministry to help meet the food needs of their local students. Grant funds are being used to purchase food, and All Saints’ will deliver bags to the school each week to be distributed by the teachers.
Center for Social Ministry Expansion, Des Moines in partnership with Rev. Jeanie Smith
$2,428
CSM provides poverty awareness and social justice education programs, and serves as a key resource to help individuals connect to programs, volunteer opportunities, and advocacy efforts. Previously, courses were offered in person, but the shift to online course offerings due to the pandemic has opened the possibility of expanding their reach throughout Iowa, seeding groups in cities and towns far outside of Des Moines. Currently they cannot financially support offering a class unless there are eight registered participants, so the grant will help to strengthen and expand their ministry. Grant funds are being used to subsidize smaller groups, and to offset additional staff support needed to provide assistance to facilitators.
St. Stephen’s, Newton/ “Connections” Blessing Box
$5,000
The “Blessing Box” was crafted by one member and located at the home of another, and for the past several years has been stocked with food, personal care and safety items, with the addition of protective clothing and shelter items during winter months. This ministry, and “Connections” – a Peer Drop-In Center for homeless and those suffering from mental health issues - grew out of a focus group of Newton residents who came together to discuss the needs faced by the homeless in their midst, including food insecurity. “Connections” is across the street from St. Stephen’s, and the two are partnering together to keep the project sustainable by moving the box to the “Connections” grounds, which will allow for additional storage space of goods and give “Connections” clients a sense of value and purpose as they will aid with stocking and maintenance. Grant funds are being used for supplies to stock and reopen the Blessing Box at its new location, strengthening this ministry and partnership.
Hygiene Pantry at St. John’s, Mason City
$2,500
The Hygiene Pantry ministry has been in operation for several years and allows those in need to have dignity with cleanliness. Located downtown, St. John’s had people coming in for various assistance, and though food assistance was available elsewhere, those in need mentioned that hygiene items were very limited, and food stamps could not be used to purchase hygiene items. The Pantry started in response to this need. In addition to offering needed hygiene items, a coat rack is also available, and that has shifted this year to include the offering of facemasks to the community. Grant funds are being used to strengthen this ministry by purchasing hygiene supplies in large quantities, and fabric for masks as the need continues.
Liturgical Space Renewal
A Sacred Path to Transformation: Walking the Labyrinth at St. Thomas’, Sioux City
$10,000
St. Thomas’ is renewing and reimagining its liturgical space by installing a permanent, full-sized labyrinth. They envision a variety of uses, including regular facilitated walks open to the public, candlelight walks, peace walks, retreats, Centering Prayer, small Eucharist worship services, yoga, ecumenical partnerships, and interreligious dialogue events. One of their members is a trained labyrinth facilitator and certified spiritual director who will coordinate programs and expand this ministry. Several groups are already interested in using the labyrinth once it’s done, including local ELCA and UMC congregations, and an agency that serves survivors of domestic violence. Grant funds are being used toward: professional services of a labyrinth designer and installer, and a wood floor restorer/installer, materials/supplies needed, and temporary storage of pews.
The Way Station Space Renewal in Spencer
$10,000
The Way Station, a diocesan ministry, is a worshiping community and mission outreach that seeks to share God's extravagant love with the community through radical hospitality in a variety of ways, including serving coffee and food, and through the use an art room, a book room, and a play room. They serve a lot of youth, including youth who are brought by Life-skills Coaches from Hope Haven, which serves adults and children with a variety of disabilities; and they serve older adults who are unable to travel far in the winter to other churches. Hosting a local ADA meeting alerted them to the challenges of the differently abled, and they realized that in order to be inclusive and accessible to all, this renewal of space is needed. Grant funds are being used to make the art workshop/party/gathering space accessible to all by building an ADA-compliant bathroom in the garage-turned art workshop and an ADA-compliant ramp on the front of the building.
Support for Newly Ordained Clergy
Clergy Support at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Des Moines
$24,000
In the past year, the Assisting Priest has been a boon for the Cathedral by adding new energy into both old and new ministries and offering pastoral and social continuity for parishioners. The energy, enthusiasm and technological skills gained by the Cathedral through their Assisting Priest has enlivened, energized and engaged St. Paul’s in such a manner that they now regard the position as key to sustaining stability, expanding growth and creating new ways of being in the Cathedral community. Grant funds will be used toward this clergy position’s compensation.
Formation for Youth or Young Adults
Simpson Youth Academy Scholarships, in partnership with Rev. Eric Rucker
$5,000
The Simpson College Youth Academy is a year-long, ecumenical program for Iowa high school youth grounded in the conviction that young people have gifts and power that are essential for the healing of the world now. Through college-level intellectual engagement, training in worship and prayer leadership, and reflective service around community issues, they help youth step into mature young adult Christian faith as they discern their particular callings as agents of justice in their churches and the world. In recognizing two critical needs in our communities – that the Episcopal Church in America is rapidly aging and shrinking and thus urgent, intentional investment in forming young Episcopalians is needed; and that American LGBTQ youth are faced with consistent marginalization at higher rates than non-LGBTQ youth by the general public and by religious communities and thus, offering financial assistance to such youth would be a prophetic statement of radical welcome for queer youth in the name of Christ, grant funds are being used to provide tuition scholarships to four Episcopal and/or LGBTQ youth for the program’s summer residency in 2021.
Evangelism
Compline, Beyond Compline, Zoom Kids, at St. John’s, Dubuque
$5,000
St. John’s desires to expand its evangelism and discipleship efforts by directly engaging with the online community with three new live worship and formation opportunities: (1) Start a live, weekly service of Compline, Sunday nights at 8pm, led by a team of trained officiants, which would offer a contemplative environment for people to pray in community. (2) Offer “Before Compline,” a monthly, live interview in a webinar format, discussing important topics for the Church and the world. (3) Offer “Zoom Kids,” a live, online monthly formation gathering for children and families, focusing on Biblical and liturgical themes related to the Christian year, in a fun and engaging format. Through careful use of digital and analog marketing approaches, these three opportunities speak to needs they have perceived in the parish and wider community, in Dubuque and beyond. Grant funds are being used in three areas: equipment and software, marketing, and to support an intern (from one of the local universities) to work with these new ministries.
Expanding Tools and Technology
Iowa MMJ Case Management System Project, in partnership with Des Moines, St. Paul’s Cathedral
$5,000
Iowa MMJ is an organization recently formed by the merging of Iowa Justice for Our Neighbors and Iowa American Friends Service Committee, whose mission is "To build movement for justice led by immigrants and refugees in Iowa by providing high-quality legal services and community empowerment through organizing." As a ministry group of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Social Justice Committee has been working with these organizations, and will continue working with the newly formed Iowa MMJ, striving for justice for our immigrant and refugee neighbors. In working together on this grant, both Iowa MMJ and St. Paul’s continue to build and strengthen their relationship with each other and the community. Grant funds are being used to purchase the necessary user software, set-up, data import, and training for the legal case management system, E-Immigration. This system gives them the powerful capacity to have updated security of case files following HIPAA standards, effectively manage case data, track case progress and manage an increase in caseload more efficiently, and is vital to the success of the newly formed Iowa MMJ, allowing for much needed time with clients to further their cases and advocate on their behalf.
Technology Upgrade at Good Shepherd, Webster City
$4,398
Good Shepherd would like to enhance their technology and electronic equipment so they can continue, and enhance, their online services during and after the pandemic and improve their outreach to the congregation, local community, and those searching for a community online. Currently, they’re using the technology they were gifted from the Diocese of Iowa in 2018 to keep their congregation engaged and to share twice weekly services with Grace Episcopal Church in Boone during the coronavirus pandemic, and they hope to be a model to other churches on how to work together. Grant funds are being used to invest in good, reliable electronic equipment, including a laptop, tablets, microphone, tripod, encoder, and SD card, and to fund yearly subscriptions that will be necessary to efficiently and legally live stream regular Wednesday and Sunday services.
Expanding Technology at St. Martin’s, Perry
$1,700
St. Martin's recognizes the opportunities to expand its outreach to its members and friends through the use of a variety of technological tools, including through the use of Facebook, YouTube, etc. The acquisition of these new technological tools will enable them to improve their communication and outreach and try new and innovative ways to communicate with members of their parish and the community. Grant funds are being used to purchase equipment including a camera and stand, ethernet adapter, charger, memory cards, switcher, carrying case, audio mixer, video microphone and accessories, and a PA system.
Enhance Mission Through Streaming Capabilities at St. Timothy’s, West Des Moines
$5,000
St. Timothy’s views their planned project to be broader than an expansion of tools and technology – it involves a transformation and renewal of their worship space, opportunities for enhanced Christian Formation, a new ministry, and a vehicle for evangelism to a larger audience than they can attract to in-sanctuary worship services. They plan to implement a technology-based infrastructure enabling participation in Sunday worship services by parishioners unable/unwilling to attend and by other underserved worshipers by streaming services to multiple locations such as their website, YouTube, and Facebook, and this infrastructure will serve as a foundation investment for future projects they have in mind. Grant funds are being used to purchase technology including cameras, a video switch, monitors, a personal computer to manage the video production, graphics and submission to the internet delivery providers.
Expanding Technology at St. John’s, Mason City
$2,500
St. John’s would like to secure the proper equipment needed to be able to stream services through various online platforms, going forward. Their current system is inefficient and cumbersome to manage, so they aim to make the online viewing experience better along with making it easier for St. John’s to operate in an online environment. While the primary focus is increasing the quality and efficiency of broadcasting from the main sanctuary, they intend to build in some flexibility that will allow for use of at least portions of the equipment in other locations such as the chapel, parish hall, and parish yard during outdoor gatherings. Grant funds are being used to purchase equipment including cameras, microphones, computer, input switcher, software, workstation, mounting hardware, ethernet cables, upgraded internet, and their installation aspects.