Press Release: GCORR Awards Over $325,000 in CORR Action Fund Grants
January 4, 2023
The General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) is proud to announce the awarding of $325,614 in grants to 38 projects that will increase intercultural competency and support vital conversations about race, cultural diversity, and systemic equity leading to action. The transformative initiatives supported through these grants will have far-reaching impacts both within the United Methodist Church (UMC) and throughout the world.
The 2022 grants, made possible through the CORR Action Fund, offers up to $10,000 as seed money. “By investing in these types of relationships, people have the opportunity to create spaces and cultures of diversity, inclusiveness, equity, and justice. These grants, along with the GCORR resources, will help develop interculturally competent, innovative, and equitable leaders, churches, and communities that are willing to participate in shifting cultures of injustice and indifference so that people and spaces reflect the kingdom of God,” said CAF Committee Chair, Rev. Dr. Stephen Handy.
"It gives me immense joy to read the applications and support projects that are innovative with the possibility of replication. I feel honored that we get to be a small part of their initiative and ministry. This cycle was most humbling because we supported several Central Conference projects during this cycle and I wish them the very best in their effort," said CAF Committee member, Rev. Alka Lyall.
Grant recipients include ministry settings in 26 U.S. Conferences, eight Central Conferences, two universities, one seminary, and one UMC caucus. A brief description of each follows:
#ClosingTheGap: Using Information to Facilitate Innovation and Action
Philippines Central Conference
Awarded $6,000
A large scale project that will take place in the Philippines to focus on the following topics: (1) Religion and Race (2) Religion and Gender (3) Religion and Disability. Through a combination of online and physical activities, this initiative will inform, equip, and mobilize to kickstart conversations and movements in the church and society.
AAPI Dinner Church Ministry
North Texas Conference, South Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
A ministry for AAPIs and their friends in solidarity to gather and honor their heritage over Asian food. Participants will explore their faith through AAPI perspectives and decolonize reading scripture to live out faith in a way that is congruent to their cultures. The initiative hopes to expose AAPI invisibility, heal from Asian hate and racism trauma, raise awareness of AAPI experiences, and pursue racial reconciliation through their faithful ministry presence in the DFW area.
Abolitionist & Antiracist Programming
Minnesota Conference, North Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
New City sees support from GCORR as an opportunity to integrate our antiracist programming and to greater incorporate its’ results into our offerings that are open to the public, such as weekly worship. While we want to maintain the racial caucusing component of our antiracist programming, we are also looking at how the programs may lean on and draw support from one another, and how to make the opportunities more visible to the community at large. The individual programs have been designed to answer the challenge of being in multiracial community that centers marginalized voices. To cultivate such an environment where marginalized folks are uplifted takes malleable and responsive programming informed by the experiences of BIPOC and queer folks worshiping at New City.
Anti-Racism Movie and Discussions Nights
Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $2,000
The quarterly movie nights will address the relative ignorance of many people to the plight of black communities and individuals related to inequities in the criminal legal system, health care, affordable housing, education, and economics. We believe that many people have the heart for this cause, but they are not aware of the harm that is still being done and that past harms have not been adequately repaired. As people learn more about this issue, they will be moved to act on these issues.
Beloved Community
Florida Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This initiative will host and organize monthly webinars to bring awareness to the Florida Conference and further equip clergy/laity who are engaging in the work of antiracism. The calls are recorded, saved on a website, and there is follow up with the participants. Churches can then use the webinars as an antiracism resource.
Beloved Community: Local Solutions to America's Divisions
Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This initiative seeks to address three specific yet synergistic challenges our community faces. (Divisiveness, White Supremacy, and Learning Gaps). Our initiative centers around the “People’s Supper” model of hosting meals and conversations. There will be tutoring for children at the suppers to help close the learning gap for Oak Ridge’s kids. The program will also host “Periodic Tables” (our name for People’s Suppers) at locations around Oak Ridge.
Conversation and Connection
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, North Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $9,000
An initiative that will take place both online and at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary that will serve as a catalyst for authentic community through opportunities for relationship building and storytelling over meals between board of trustee members, faculty, staff and students, as well as through raising self-awareness and awareness of the systemic effects of racism, through participation in GCORR trainings.
Cultural Truth and Love Distribution
North Carolina Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This initiative will host three outdoor “Culture Fair” resource distribution events. Individuals and families of diverse cultures are invited to attend well-planned, joyful, culture-exchange events increasing intercultural competency and supporting vital conversations about race, cultural diversity, and systemic equity while actively serving the community together. There will be music, art, dancing, storytelling, and food shared from our diverse cultures.
Decolonizing and Contextualization of Pastoral Training
Wisconsin Conference, North Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This initiative will equip instructors on contextualizing to explore, research integrate, and apply indigenous theological teachings and perspectives on biblical interpretation. Insights will be incorporated in their existing course content in 2023 and beyond. Collaboration will occur with multiple COS instructors and leaders along with General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) staff persons for contextualized ministries and worldwide theological education, to broaden the impact on the wider church.
Denton Wesley Foundation (Open Doors)
North Texas Conference, South Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $5,000
This initiative aims to transform the Open Doors gathering community into a more rich experience where students of different ethnicity and nationalities are given the opportunity to connect deeply with each other and the broader Denton community. Action items include adding more culturally diverse offerings to their Resource Room and Food Pantry (so that students can cook the food of their culture), purchasing food from local immigrant-owned businesses for their free lunch program, and hosting or supporting events where students can celebrate important holidays and rituals.
Discipleship Journey Towards Justice
Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This initiative will address the challenge of racism in our communities and within our Church and local churches. We will seek to offer deeper opportunities for antiracism ministry that build on each other intentionally and over the long-term. This will be a discipleship path towards justice that would move someone that may be interested in antiracism ministry from an interested disciple to a disciple spiritually committed to active justice ministry in a profound, sacrificial way.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Partners
Arkansas Conference, South Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $8,000
First UMC Little Rock's (FUMCLR) vision plan is to help individuals, the church, and community move from survival mode of the past couple of years to thriving in God's grace. FUMCLR is creating DEI leadership training for the church staff and lay leadership.
Faith in Action Youth Ministry Project
North Georgia Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $9,864
The faith-in-action youth ministry project will take place in the southwest district of the North Georgia Annual Conference. A cohort of 12 youth ambassadors will come from six African American Churches. They will participate in a learning experience over the course of seven months, where they will explore commemorative sites and social justice from the Civil Rights Era.
Great Plains Conference Justice Encounters
Great Plains Conference, South Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This initiative has set leadership development goals in efforts to raise up 26 leaders for racial justice work by 2026. In 2023, two Justice Encounters will launch to provide intensive, multi-day experiences with both domestic and international partner sites for learning, reflection, relationship building, networking and recruitment. The Justice Encounters are the first phase of the leadership development processes Great Plains is building to address the leadership gap.
Hands on Nutrition Education (HONE)
North Carolina Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $7,000
This initiative will take place at Pathway Elementary School and the farm at Spring Forest to address how childhood obesity exists when access to healthy food is limited or eating habits are substandard. The initiative will also address how childhood obesity can negatively impact health status, diet, quality, academic performance, and attention span in class.
Human Opportunity to Produce Equity (HOPE)
Virginia Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $5,000
This grant will fund training for the teachers at Hope Educational Centre, enabling them to teach, coach, and be examples for students there. They will also become examples for family members with addictions but looking for examples of how to overcome their serious habits, giving them hope as well. This health and life-changing training for teachers will expand the curriculum at HEC.
Intersectionality Vacation Bible School Curriculum
Northern Illinois Conference, North Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $2,000
This initiative will respond to recurring requests for resource materials that address the many gaps in Vacation Bible School and children's Sunday School. Resource materials will be created that have broad applicability in centrist churches seeking to understand intersectionality and justice. Learning opportunities will also be created for children, youth and adults.
Love Your Neighborhood
North Georgia Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
The Douglas County, Georgia "Love Your Neighborhood" initiative will specifically address outreach and evangelism using Asset Mapping. Asset Mapping addresses key community elements including organizational resources, local services, individual skill sets, physical space, and additional variables regarding local demographics and economies.
Loving Other Loving Myself
Southern Nigeria Central Conference
Awarded $10,000
By way of highly educated personnel such as Rev. Dr. Abel Nemuel Lamido, this initiative will provide knowledge and discipline in peace, governance, leadership, practical theology, and more. Taking place in Nigeria, the voices of the youth, women, men, people with special needs are heard in efforts to be inclusive in the decision making processes.
Management and Resolution of Community Conflicts
Oriental and Equator Conference, East Congo Episcopal Area
Awarded $9,000
Members of the Oriental and Equator Conference will organize seminars on the Management and Resolution of Community Conflicts (Land,Economic, Environmental and Tribal conflicts) so that people can know how to use good governance in the event of possible conflicts in the church, in particular and in society, in general. The initiative intends to (1) raise awareness among the population to participate in the different organized seminars on the conflicts; (2) hire "faithful" participants to serve as trainers and others for protocol services.
March Fourth Pilgrimage to the Equal Justice Initiative
Tennessee Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $7,000
The Hyde Park UMC Justice Team will take a pilgrimage to Montgomery, Alabama in March 2023 with at least 40 people to the Equal Justice Initiative's National Memorial for Peace and Justice and Legacy Museum. In an effort to include more members of a younger generation, they are partnering with Gator Wesley Foundation so that they are making a targeted effort to include college-aged students.
Masaai Missionary District
Tanzania Conference, North Katanga Episcopal Area
Awarded $10,000
This initiative will begin with six groups formed in an area of small churches to build capacities with an eye toward starting and operating small businesses together instead of being scattered. Funding will be given to each of the groups of people as a loan to facilitate and empower them to initiate small income generating activities that promote togetherness. The goal is to alleviate/eradicate poverty among families and improve the living standards of individual households in this community.
McAllen First United Methodist Church (Border Immersion)
Rio Texas Conference, South Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This initiative will meet two needs. First, the need among UMC believers to understand and be involved in ministry with people along the border. As issues at the border make headlines across the country, believers long to understand the situation. As people of faith, they also want to provide meaningful support and assistance to those who are suffering. Second, this program will allow pastors and lay leaders to gain cross-cultural skills and use the knowledge to reach people in their own areas more effectively.
Methodist Initiative Anti-tribalism IMAAC
Central Congo Conference, Democratic Republic of Congo Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This project will run workshops that will educate and equip Methodist leaders in the region (pastors and laity) to identify the sources of tribalism in local churches and their surroundings and create concrete plans to work with local leaders to strengthen justice, dismantle tribalism and discriminatory behavior at the level of church and society.
Mobilization of 9500 Young People for their Appropriation and Participation in the 2023 Electoral Process in Maniema
East Congo Central Conference
Awarded $10,000
The project aims to increase the rate of citizen participation of Pygmies and Bantus in electoral process of 2023 through strong mobilization and capacity-building training for 9,500 young people on the electoral and democratic process. Young Pygmies and Bantus, who will distinguish themselves during the training, will be selected and encouraged by giving power to be represented in all bodies and decision-making bodies. Other young people will be trained through the sharecropping system with a view to strengthening dialogue between governments and youth to achieve an inclusive process that will contribute to the progress of democracy.
Native American International Caucus
Awarded $10,000
Healing Across Generations will be the theme of the 2023 Native America Family Camp, which will bring together Native United Methodists from across the United States for spiritual grounding, healing hurt and trauma, and training church leaders to initiate healing groups, healing journeys, and healing worship experiences in Silverlake NY. This is a national initiative; intertribal and intergenerational in proximity to the Seneca Nation, the Canadian Border and the natural wonder of Niagara Falls.
Neighbors of Argentine
Great Plains Conference, South Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This initiative will expand the "Neighbors of Argentine" Program to hold intentional conversations at storysharing nights throughout the neighborhood where neighbors will share personal stories and engage in intentional conversation. They will expand the "Neighbors of Argentine" Program to their schools, where students can connect with people and begin to identify their own stories. Finally, they will expand "Neighbors of Argentine" to be a video series in which neighbors will share their personal experiences of joy, systemic oppression, culture, and hope.
Northern Illinois Annual Conference (NIAC) 2023 Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Northern Illinois Conference, North Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This program will take 35-40 NIAC church members to the heart of the Civil Rights movements to share and experience the history of those who fight for Civil Rights and to connect them to the social principles against racism and to encourage on-going engagement and advocacy upon their return.
NOVA District Do No Harm Initiative
Virginia Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $3,250
The Do No Harm: Embrace Difference Initiative is focused on the areas of experience and/or expertise in the area of cultural diversity and diversity training. The four areas under the initiative are 1)Race, racism and social justice, 2) Inclusion, diversity, equity and advocacy/access (I.D.E.A.), 3) Cultural competence and cultural humility, 4) Cross-racial cross cultural (CR/CC) ministry.
Nurturing Beloved Community (NBC) Workshop
Mountain Sky Conference, Western Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This initiative will prepare clergy to lead and teach in the ways that reflect United Methodist theology and social principles as well as maintain healthy relationships. They will complete the development of workshop content to expand the delivery to include all clergy in the Annual Conference.
Peace Building and Community Development
Philippines Central Conference
Awarded $10,000
This project intends to 1) Impact the lives of our Tribal communities in the village of Catablaran by alleviating poverty, 2) Enhance the eco-farming system of the villagers and eventually become a model of the neighboring tribal communities, 3) Increase villagers’ knowledge of basic cultural rights, technical learning, and self determination. This initiative will strive to raise committed local leaders as well as establish a peace building and community headquarters.
Pilgrimage to Montgomery
Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This program will partner with local leadership already doing this work, such as GCORR, and create a pilgrimage in which those who have little understanding of southern America's white supremacist history to engage with the trauma that will inspire them to support businesses owned by People of Color and to petition local, state, and national leaders to support policies and practices in the public sphere which dismantle institutional racism in every aspect of our society.
Texas Wesley Inclusion Initiative
Texas Conference, South Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
The challenge Texas Wesley is facing with regards to leadership and ministry development is the intention to adjust and re-frame engagement in ministry to focus on racial reconciliation, equity, and inclusion. Texas Wesley has never endorsed, supported, or accepted any form of racism. As they continue forward in nurturing future Christian leaders, they believe they need to do with the intention of racial inclusion and equity.
The Justice League (at The Journey Church)
Susquehanna Conference, Northeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This program will impact not only The Journey Church but also the surrounding neighborhoods and communities. This initiative will celebrate cultures and ethnic groups, host & facilitate conversations, present activities and host field trips to local and regional sites that have cultural impact, meaning and purpose. The goal is to change the idea that some people have with the church's involvement as it relates to these subjects.
Tribal Engagement Initiative
Dillard University, Southeastern Jurisdiction
Awarded $9,500
This high-impact initiative will engage "Gen Z" in cultural competency training and community engagement. Dillard University is a historically Black institution that cultivates leaders who live ethically, think and communicate precisely, and act courageously to make the world a better place.
Understand Cultural Diversity and Ensure Systemic Equity Initiative
Zimbabwe Conference Mission Work in Canada
Awarded $10,000
This initiative intends to: 1) Grow the Canada Mission Area (CMA) Zimbabwe UMC in Canada (ZUMCC). Program focus areas and regions have big immigrant communities. 2. Network with, not only the Christian community but the larger Zimbabwean community in the region. 3. Develop a plan for economic sustainability.
Wesley Wichita Falls Choir
North Texas Conference, South Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $3,000
In an effort to address the limiting opportunities for students to be able to worship collectively, particularly the BIPOC student community, The Wesley Foundation will restart The Wesley Choir. The Wesley Choir will revitalize students' ability to showcase their many talents and celebrate the cultural aspects that come with their faith traditions as well as create another worship opportunity on campus.
Wisconsin Conference Cultural Competency
Wisconsin Conference, North Central Jurisdiction
Awarded $10,000
This initiative will take place in the churches and the Wisconsin Annual Conference in efforts to establish a permanent sustainable program of cultural competency education and a standing committee dedicated to creating initiatives and programs that will instigate diversity and multicultural practices. The initiative will consist of: (1) A dedicated online training platform for cultural competency, (2) Training of trainers who will conduct cultural competency trainings in conference churches, (3) continuing assistance to the Bishop's Cabinet for placing pastors in cross-cultural appointments.