Baptist churches receive funding for youth and children's work

Five Baptist projects have received a funding boost to help them connect with young people, as part of the latest round of the national Growing Lives grant programme

The programme was launched by the Allchurches Trust (now called the Benefact Trust) in May 2019 with the aim of making churches and Christian organisations feel better equipped, inspired and confident in supporting young people in their communities to reach their potential, spiritually, and in many other ways.
 
Mount Zion Baptist Church – a lively, growing church in the centre of Cardigan, West Wales – has seen a 50 per cent  increase in young people attending in the last three years and will use its £9,500 grant to help fund a new, larger space for young people in the heart of the town.
 
A £1,400 grant will help Truro Baptist Church in Cornwall to buy new toys for its three weekly toddler groups.

For the past two years, Bentley Baptist Church in South Yorkshire has undertaken a social outreach programme from an empty betting shop in an area still suffering from the pit closures. The church will use its £1,100 Growing Lives grant to create an area for children and young people within the shop, including soundproofing and games equipment.
 
A £7,500 grant will help Hooe Baptist Church in Plymouth to upgrade its facilities so that it can run a youth café and cinema night. A trained counsellor will provide a listening ear at the café drop-in.

High Street Baptist Church in Tring, Hertfordshire, will use its £4,900 grant to increase the size of its worship area to create more community space for after school clubs and holiday events. It will also run an evening service for young people. 

Almost a million pounds has now been given to churches and Christian organisations all over the UK as part of the Growing Lives programme. In July, 21 projects received a share of £276,487 of funding in the first wave of grants to be awarded, and a further 65 received cheques in December totalling £644,975.

Allchurches Trust Director, Rachel Whittington, said, 'Our Growing Lives grants programme supports a wide range of projects, delivered by churches and charities, with young people at their heart. It’s always inspiring to read about the innovative ways in which the organisations we fund are working together to meet local need and realise the power of young people to strengthen community.
 
'In some of the UK’s most deprived areas, the church is likely to be one of the last institutions left standing and it’s so important that they have the resources to engage as early and as effectively as possible with the next generation. Applications for the programme are continuing to flood in and we’re excited about passing the £1 million milestone in 2020.'
 
Under Growing Lives, grants of up to £25,000 are available. The amount depends upon the cost of the project and the level of need in the community, ranging from 10 per cent of project cost to 80 per cent.


Image | Allchurches Trust
 

Churches can apply for a grant under this programme even if they have received funding from Allchurches in the last two years, as long as it is for a different project. Find out more at www.allchurches.co.uk/growinglives