Allen V. Harris, Leadership Coach

Save the date for the Black Minister Fellowship 2025! 

BMR2025 is coming!!! More details are on the way, so be sure to check out discipleshomemissions.org for updates!

If you were wondering about our upcoming Spiritual and Emotional Care Training in August, this description and video will gopefully help you decide if it is right for you. Please share this freely.

Spiritual & Emotional Care Training

We mourn the sudden passing of the Rev. Dr. Janet Long on Tuesday, March 26th. Please receive these beautiful and comforting words from her Pastor, the Rev. Nathan A. Russell, Senior Pastor or Washington Avenue Christian Church where Rev. Dr. Long served for many years. Arrangements are pending and we will share those as soon as they are confirmed. May God hold us all in our grief.

Accompanying One Another Through Grief as We Remember the Rev. Dr. Janet Long

At the Historical Society we mostly focus on the preservation and study of documents, artifacts, books, and other similar items that are related to the Stone-Campbell Movement. However, our houses of worship, burial grounds, and other sites and structures that are important to our history should also be recognized for their significance, and efforts should be made to preserve them for future generations. Partners for Sacred Places (PSP, http://tinyurl.com/yse7t229) is a nonsectarian, nonprofit organization that exists to steward the preservation and rehabilitation of sacred sites in the United States. They provide and connect groups with grants and funding opportunities for preserving sacred sites for both continued religious use or general community use and benefit.

Grants and grant writing may not be familiar to many of our congregations. Applying for grants can be intimidating and groups like PSP are helping to make these funds more accessible. Several grants see few applicants due to so many either do not know these opportunities exist or see winning a grant as impossible and not worth the effort. However, there is nothing to lose and so much to gain when applying for a funding opportunity.

Partners for Sacred Places collaborates with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to host the National Fund for Sacred Places, an endowed fund created specifically to fund capital projects in houses of worship. Projects hosted by PSP, such as the National Fund (http://tinyurl.com/23593jfp), do more than just distribute money to faith communities. They also lead trainings and share resources on how to successfully plan and execute capital projects focused on the preservation and rehabilitation of sacred sites. Understanding “the whys and hows” of building preservation is just as important as implementing the physical repairs to the structure. PSP also helps educate groups on the importance of the community and the influences that the sacred site and the people involved with it have on the larger community. Understanding this relationship reveals how that structure and people can better engage with the broader community and vice versa.

Grant applications are typically very detailed and require significant planning. Though this may feel intimidating, it is actually great practice for churches in developing a project and determining if it is in fact feasible. Applications often ask for budgets, timelines, and information about the stakeholders involved.

Our sacred sites are important to preserve for understanding and celebrating the history and legacy of the Stone-Campbell Movement. While they require time and hard work, grants are an under-utilized opportunity to fund preservation projects for church buildings and other sacred sites.

For more information, contact Abigail Ayers, DCHS Associate Archivist, [email protected]

“It is worth remembering that the time of greatest gain in terms of wisdom and inner strength is often that of greatest difficulty.”
— Dalai Lama XIV

“Grief and resilience live together.” Michelle Obama, Becoming

"When the norm is decency, other virtues can thrive: integrity, honesty, compassion, kindness, and trust."

-Raja Krishnamoorthi, business leader, congressional representative of Illinois' 8th District

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."

- Angelou's Facebook Post (2011)

- What are some of your passions in life? When was the last time you indulged in a passion?

- Where have you seen or exhibited compassion recently? What are the conditions under which compassion is most possible?

- To whom do you go for a good laugh? When have you recently laughed to the point of crying?

- Do you have a style? If so, try accenting that style today or in the coming week, to hell with what others may think!

If we live life more like Maya Agelou did, we'll know what thriving truly is! ~AVH

Get ready! Allen V. Harris, Leadership Coach is launching soon! Watch this page for more details about this exciting new possibility for renewal, nurture, and deeper community!