Announcement of Gathered: Inclusive Worship with Neurodivergent Children

The Episcopal Church in Minnesota has received a grant of $1,247,368 from Lilly Endowment Inc.. This investment will support Gathered: Inclusive Worship with Neurodivergent Children, a new project designed to support neurodivergent children and their families as they are formed as disciples of Jesus. 

The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. The aim of the national initiative is to support faith-based organizations as they help children grow in faith and deepen their relationships with God.

Neurodivergent children and their families frequently share stories of isolation – first for parents in playgroups and early childhood settings, and later for children who feel excluded or find that many spaces aren’t designed to meet their needs. Too often, these patterns also emerge in churches, causing families to leave beloved faith communities. When churches struggle to make space for these natural differences, neurodivergent children miss out on the community that is central to church and churches miss the unique gifts and perspectives these children and families bring.

To address the need for inclusive, welcoming spaces that affirm every person as a beloved part of the Body of Christ, ECMN is partnering with St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul. St. Clement’s has the passion and experience to create inclusive worship environments. Together, we will run a five-year project that will help churches across Minnesota and beyond become places where neurodivergent children and their families can find belonging, connection, and joy in faith. Through this grant, we will have the opportunity to learn from their efforts, and churches across the Diocese will be invited to actively participate in this work within their own congregations.

Over the next five years, we will: 1) create a worshiping community that’s intentionally designed with and for neurodivergent children; 2) offer training and support to church leaders across Minnesota who want to make their own congregations more welcoming and inclusive of neurodivergent children; and 3) develop easy-to-use online resources for any church anywhere that wants to be a place where neurodivergent children and their families feel truly at home.

The Episcopal Church in Minnesota is one of 170 organizations funded through three rounds of the initiative, which was launched in 2022. The grants are funding efforts to help organizations that serve congregations in a broad spectrum of Christian traditions develop new and/or enhance existing programs as they design worship services and prayer practices that more intentionally and fully engage children. 

We will share much more information about this project and opportunities to get involved as the work continues, so please stay tuned! If you have immediate questions or want to learn more, feel free to contact the Reverend Elizabeth Lienesch, Assistant Rector at St. Clement’s and Gathered Program Director at elizabeth@stcstp.org.