Native American Ministries Sunday is one of the six special church-wide Sunday offerings. Through the Native American Ministries Sunday Offering, the General Board of Global Ministries provides grant funding for strengthening and development of ministries with Native Americans in annual conferences and target cities of the Native American Ministry program of Global Ministries. Grants are provided to assist local congregations and annual conferences to live into the four focus areas of ministries adopted at the 2008 General Conference. Grants can be used for outreach and community ministries, revitalization and discipleship formation, salary supplement, and building repairs and expansions.
Grants provided through the Native American Ministries Sunday Fund may be used for outreach and community ministries, revitalization and discipleship formation, salary supplement, and building repairs and expansions. Here are some examples of items funded this year:
- Native American Rock and Community Interaction event – a three-day event implemented by the Native American Ministries of the Tennessee Annual Conference. The event was created to deepen the understanding of Native American cultures and traditions with participants.
- Support for Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference Youth – funding helped to send 25 Native youth and leaders to the national Youth 2019 event held July 10-14, 2019 in Kansas City, Kansas.
- Support for Chihowa Okla United Methodist Church – the congregation needed funding to complete the final stage of construction on the new church building.
- UN Permanent Forum Delegation – funding for travel and lodging was provided to a thirteen-member delegation attending the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on behalf of The United Methodist Church.
- Intern support for Native Organization – funding was provided to support a stipend for a summer intern for the Native American Indian Association of Tennessee.
The 2019 grants ranged from $500 to $25,000. Grants have also been extended to entities beyond the denomination with projects that support or enhance the lives of Native American people.
It is important to note that grants for $10,000 or less can be approved on a monthly basis. Grant requests exceeding $10,000 will only be reviewed twice a year and require GBGM Board approval. Due to the 2020 General Conference schedule, all grant requests for more than $10,000 must be submitted by Jan. 1, 2020 for consideration at the March Board meeting. Only one-year grants are currently being considered.
For more information about the grants contact Dana Lyles, dlyles@umcmission.org.
