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With the $1.25 million grant awarded through Lilly Endowment鈥檚 鈥淭hriving Congregations鈥� initiative, Hope will help area churches connect members in their early 20s with older members whose experience and perspective can help them as they figure out how their faith can guide the lives that they are building.

The project, 鈥�inVocation Fellows鈥� () has grown out of insights gained through 鈥淐alled to Lives of Meaning and Purpose Initiative,鈥� a program that Hope established with a 2017 grant from Lilly Endowment to support area churches in helping their members explore vocation 鈥� a sense of calling 鈥� in their lives. 鈥淐alled to Lives of Meaning and Purpose Initiative鈥� initially focused on helping the churches develop innovative projects that their members could find meaningful together. A few years in, based on participants鈥� input, the program broadened its scope to provide additional mentoring for younger members 鈥� a two-year pilot that has become 鈥�inVocation Fellows.鈥�

鈥淚n conversation with the congregations and their leaders, we identified a significant need: for young adults right out of college, ages 22 to 27, to have good opportunities to be formed in the Christian life and the Christian faith 鈥� what does that mean for them,鈥� said Dr. Andrew McCoy, who is director of the college鈥檚 Center for Ministry Studies and an associate professor of ministry studies at Hope. 鈥淭he inVocation Fellows program draws upon congregations partnering with us to equip and support these young adults through peer-to-peer engagement and intergenerational mentoring just as these young adults are beginning to make their way in the marketplace, non-profit organizations and neighborhoods where they reside.鈥�

The 鈥�inVocation Fellows鈥� program is designed to provide the 20-somethings with a network of support during a time of life-change that has likely involved losing access to the resources that they鈥檇 had before. In addition to mentoring, the program exposes participants to intentional workshops on vocational discernment, career development, financial stewardship and topics which connect work to a life broadly lived through Christian discipleship.

鈥淩ecent college graduates are key emerging lay leaders, but at this point in their lives, college faith formation programs and support systems often have come to a natural conclusion,鈥� said Beth Snyder, who as director of 鈥淐alled to Lives of Meaning and Purpose Initiative鈥� at Hope has had a first-hand opportunity to see both the need and the impact.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in college, you鈥檙e part of a community where resources are only footsteps away 鈥� professors, staff, resident directors 鈥� and that is all upended when you graduate,鈥� Snyder said. 鈥淲e heard fellows say things like, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 realize that my graduation was like getting kicked out of college鈥� 鈥� so there is really a felt need.鈥�

鈥淥ne of the young married couples that has been participating has described the program as kind of like their lifeline,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey had just moved to the area and didn鈥檛 know anybody.鈥�

The younger members, Snyder noted, aren鈥檛 the only ones who can gain. The experience is also intended to be meaningful to the mentors, who can reflect on their journeys while knowing that they are helping others, and ultimately to benefit the churches through the strengthened relationships and discernment.

鈥淲hile young adults are the focus, we believe the shared experience of cultivating ministry for young adults also benefits the spiritual engagement of older mentors as lay leaders and that this, in turn, creates a robust process to engage congregational calling, a sense of belonging, and aspects of Christian discipleship and practice over time,鈥� she said.

The new grant will provide funding through 2029. Two cohorts of fellows and mentors will spend two years learning together and cultivating new ministries. McCoy noted that the new grant augments the work of the previous grant, which in addition to its initial focus on innovation and calling supported two cohorts each with about 30 young adults. 鈥淐alled to Lives of Meaning and Purpose Initiative鈥� has engaged about 20 area churches, helping them develop relationships with the college that he is excited to see continue and grow.

鈥淥ne of the things that we feel like Hope is really well positioned to do is sustain a broad set of congregational relationships in ways that we can both help through those relationships and learn through them as an academic institution and increase learning opportunities with regard to Christian calling and vocation in general,鈥� McCoy said.

Lilly Endowment has supported a variety of initiatives at Hope during the past two decades. 鈥淐alled to Lives of Meaning and Purpose Initiative鈥� was one of two major programs established at Hope in 2017 with Lilly Endowment funding. Also in 2017, Hope established 鈥淕eneration Spark: Mentoring Tomorrow鈥檚 Church Leaders,鈥� which, like 鈥�inVocation Fellows,鈥� worked with individual churches to link youth with older mentors. In 2015, the college received a grant through Lilly Endowment鈥檚 High School Youth Theology Institutes Initiative to establish Awakening, a week-long summer institute during which students explore faith, worship and their gifts in the worship arts. In 2002, Hope received a grant through 鈥淧rograms for the Theological Exploration of Vocation,鈥� a national Lilly Endowment initiative at colleges and universities, which Hope used to establish its CrossRoads Program to encourage students to explore intersections of faith, career, calling and life. Many of the CrossRoads projects are now coordinated through the college鈥檚 Center for Ministry Studies.

About Lilly Endowment

is a private 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. While those gifts remain the 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鈥� wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment鈥檚 religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.