Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 17 October 1996 — Page 19
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The Muncie Times, October 17,1996, Page 19
Lilly gives $53 million to set up Indianapolis Center for Congregations
A $5.3 million Lilly Endowment grant to The Alban Institute of Bethesda, Md., will establish a “first” for Indianapolis and a “first” for the country: the Indianapolis Center for Congregations. The center will be dedicated to helping Indianapolis area congregations find solutions to pressing practical problems by connecting them with the best resources available throughout
the country.
“Congregations in America are grappling with many issues,” said Craig Dykstra, vice president of the Endowment’s Religion Division. “Issues such as stewardship, worship and music, finances, staff management, long-range planning, board development, aging church buildings, pastoral transitions, Christian education and youth ministry threaten to overwhelm many congregations. The endowment has asked The Alban Institute to try to develop new ways of responding to the needs of local congregations in our city,” he said. The 22-year-old Bethesdabased institute is the country’s
leading national ecumenical organization directly serving local congregations. Through publications, educational events, consulting, training, and research, the institute provides resources and services to congregations and their leaders. “Over the years,” Dykstra said, “the endowment’s national grantmaking in religion has produced considerable knowledge and valuable connections across the country with people who have acknowledged expertise about congregations of our own hometown.” “The genius of the idea,” said James P. Wind, president of the Institute, “is that this center will become both a repository and a clearinghouse
for resources that will help congregations deal with these practical issues so that they can develop workable ways to address the problems and opportunities they face.” Dykstra said, “Designing a program to strengthen Indianapolis’ congregations, which number nearly 2,000, is a challenging task. We know that this center cannot be all things to all of Indianapolis’ churches, so the center will put its building blocks in place gradually. Because of the vital role congregations play in our community and in the Uves of its residents, we feel this attempt is certainly worthwhile.” Wind said that the center’s first order of business will be
to establish strong relations with Indianapolis’ congregations. These relations will be nurtured by project staff visits to a variety of topics and host a series of community-wide forums to bring important American religious teachers, researchers and scholars to Indianapohs. The heart of the center’s work will be its consultations with congregations—often one by one, sometimes in groups— helping them find ways to enhance the quality of their life and ministry. As the center gathers information through its work with Indianapolis congregations, much will be learned about what makes congregations function well and how
they stay strong and vital. “These lessons,” Wind said, “will be valuable to other congregations across the country. “This is an experimental proposition. It has not been tried anywhere else in the nation. We expect to learn a lot and what we learn can only strengthen Indianapolis congregations—and perhaps provide a model for similar efforts in other parts of the country. The Alban Institute will make sure that this wisdom is shared.” For more information about the center, write Indianapolis Center, The Alban Institute, 4550 Montgomery Avenue, 433N, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-3341, or call (301)718-4407.
Black women face greater breast cancer risk
INDIANAPOLIS—Breast cancer is a disease not bound by race or ethnicity. However, African American women have a higher breast cancer mortality rate than any other ethnic group in the country. Why? Because a large number of African American
women were diagnosed with breast cancer in its later stages, when the disease is more likely to be fatal. The goal of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to reach all women with the message that early detection and treatment of breast cancer
saves lives. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Now in its 11th year, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a time when the American Cancer Society reminds women of the importance of regular mammograms
in the fight against breast cancer. Each year, nearly 46,000 women nationwide die from breast cancer, but with early detection and advanced treatment, nine out of 10 women can survive breast cancer. see CANCER on page 22
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