MANALAPAN, FL – The Executive Committee, meeting on February 8. 2017, prior to the program at the 26th Annual Leadership 100 Conference at the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, FL approved new grants for 2017 totaling $1,157,120 and prior commitments of $1,411,400 for a total of $2,568,520 in grants to be distributed in 2017. Total grants to date since the founding of Leadership 100 in 1984 now total $48,571,961.
The new grants included:
• The Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries – $270,000 for the Metropolis Camping Ministries program.
• The National Finance Committee – $144,300 for the continuation of the Orthodox Software Initiative to create and distribute a parish-based software management system that facilitates more consistent and accurate reporting, financial tracking, and communication at the Archdiocese and Metropolis levels.
• The Department of Greek Education – $106,300 to produce a new Greek-language textbook on “Greek History, Monuments and Culture,” whose contents will include the “global-reach accomplishments and contributions of Greek ancestors, the self-sacrifice of the Greek people for freedom, and indomitable Greek spirit against oppression, the preservation of the Greek language, religion and culture against all odds and over centuries, and the Greek civilizations, museums and monuments waiting to be discovered.”
• The Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations – $100,000, $90,000 for the organization of the Religious Freedom and the First Amendment conference, including the production of a video that highlights the importance of religious liberty for all people, and $10,000 to publish two volumes of the Faith Matters Series related to the Holy and Great Council, for distribution to every parish of the Archdiocese, as well as Orthodox seminaries and ecumenical religious leaders.
PHOTO: © GOA/DIMITRIOS PANAGOS
• Greek Orthodox Telecommunications (GO Telecom) – $90,690 to produce the “Speaking to God” 26-episode video series highlighting prayers composed by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America in his book, “Speaking to God.” The videos will each be about three minutes in length, and distributed via the Archdiocese website, all social media, and on DVDs sent free of charge to all Sunday Schools throughout the Archdiocese.
• The Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries – $62,000 to produce an “Introduction to Orthodox Christianity” 20-episode video series introducing youth, young adults and catechumens to the basics of the Orthodox Christian Church. No such video series currently exists specifically targeting these demographics.
• The Department of Stewardship, Outreach and Evangelism – $61,200 for the Home Mission Parish Grant, to provide monthly supplemental support for the compensation of full-time clergy assigned to seven (7) mission parishes, until the parishes become self-sufficient.
• The Center for Family Care – $47,000 for the Personhood and Sexuality Education Planning project (to be implemented in coordination with the Departments of Religious Education and Youth & Young Adult Ministries), to organize events, conduct research and provide Orthodox Christian responses in ministering to families and young children dealing with sexual identity issues.
• The Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries – $45,000, a second grant to continue Youth Protection Administration, to help provide minimum youth protection training and screening for all youth workers across the Archdiocese, not just for camps and retreats under current mandates.
• The Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries – $37,700, a second grant to expand and strengthen the Summer Leadership Institute of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) Campus Ministry.
• The Department of Religious Education – $15,930, working with the American Bible Society to distribute free Military Bibles to military personnel and Youth Bibles to Sunday School and Metropolis Camp students.
• Center for Family Care – $12,000 for the Clergy and Seminarian Couple Care to fund up to five clergy couples in greatest distress to attend the “Kairos” therapy program at the Pastoral Institute in Columbus, GA.
• The Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries – $15,000 to fund the third season of the “Be the Bee” retreats (or BeeTreats) which offer youth retreats and programs for parents, youth workers, and young adults in at least eight cities across the United States.
• Metropolis of Atlanta, Family Life Ministry – $100,000 to strengthen individuals, families and church families through creation of adaptable programs, blogs and educational materials as a means of fostering connection within home and parishes.
• Ecumenical Patriarchate – $50,000 for the Fourth International Conference on Pastoral Care in Rhodes, Greece.
The prior grant commitments included:
• Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations’ “Ministry Development and Enhancement Project”- $215,000, to include Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops ($150,000),The Holy and Great Council ($10,000),Orthodox-Catholic Theological Dialogue & Consultation ($45,000) and Ancient Eastern Oriental Orthodox Churches meetings ($10,000).
• Small Parish Program – $155,000.
• Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) – $36,000, for second year of “Mission Team Scholarship” program.
• Hellenic College / Holy Cross Scholarship Program – $1,000,000 annually (through 2018).
• Retired Clergy in Need – $5,400 annually.
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