PRESS RELEASE

Ministry in Rural Areas and Small-Towns Initiative

Contact: John C. Everett

704-636-6545 and jeverett@hoodseminary.edu

January 2, 2025

Hood Theological Seminary has received a grant of $1.5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative. The grant will support the Institute for Ministry in Rural Areas and Small-Towns at Hood Theological Seminary (HTS). The aim of the initiative is to provide resources to help churches in rural areas and small towns enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them.

The Institute for Ministry in Rural Areas and Small-Towns at HTS is designed to help rural and small-town churches in North Carolina as they prioritize and respond to very pressing challenges that Christian congregations and ministries are facing now and will continue to face in the future.

Rev. Damita Wilder, Program Director, and her program coordinator will lead the four-point grant initiatives:

1.Continuing Education Program and Workshops for Rural and Small-Town Churches

2.Rural and Small-Town Academic Programs

3.Rural and Small-Town Funding Center

4.Rural and Small-Town Information and Referral Center

Dr. Vergel Lattimore, President of Hood Theological Seminary stated that “He is grateful to the Lilly Endowment for entrusting Hood to be a part of a focused effort to support the many rural and small-town churches and ministries in North Carolina. Hood has a strong history of supporting churches and rural communities and looks forward to impacting these communities in a most positive manner”.

Hood Theological Seminary is one of 20 organizations from across the United States receiving grants through the initiative, including colleges and universities, denominational agencies, church networks, and parachurch organizations, among others.

“Our hope is that these grants will provide much needed resources and support to rural and small-town churches to help them address their challenges and enhance and extend the many ways that they serve their communities,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion.

About Lilly Endowment Inc

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A primary aim of its grantmaking in religion is to deepen the religious lives of Christians, principally by supporting efforts that enhance congregational vitality and strengthen the leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment values the broad diversity of Christian traditions and endeavors to support them in a wide variety of contexts. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion by encouraging fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of the positive and negative effects of religion on the world and lifting up the contributions that people of all faiths make to our greater civic well-being.

About Hood Theological Seminary

Hood Theological Seminary (HTS) is a graduate and professional theological school in Salisbury, North Carolina, dedicated to the education and preparation of women and men for bold and creative leadership in the Christian church and for a diverse world. In January of 2024, the Board of Commissioners of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) reaffirmed the accreditation of Hood Theological Seminary through 2034. The Seminary is approved for the following degree programs: General Theological Studies Certificate, Biblical Studies Certificate, Certificate in United Methodist Studies, Certificate in Christian Education, Master of Divinity, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Chaplaincy, Master of Arts in Christian Education, Master Arts in Christian Ministry, and Doctor of Ministry. The Seminary is approved by the University Senate of The United Methodist Church (UMC) and is the only Seminary in the United States sponsored by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AMEZ).