11/16/2022
As one of thirteen participating grantees in the Called to Lives of Meaning and Purpose initiative funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., Baptized for Life (BFL) has walked alongside 17 faith communities from six dioceses with a focus on forming Christians who are confident about their baptismal identity and vocation. Now at the end of our five-year project, representatives from across the country gathered at Camp McDowell Conference and Retreat Center in Nauvoo, Alabama (an hour outside of Birmingham) from October 12-16th to participate in a culminating residency experience. “Lectionary + Liturgy + Life” – the initiative’s overarching catechumenal touchstone grounded our time together. Spiritual hospitality, daily prayer, and fellowship were combined with intense and profoundly moving times of learning, sharing, and planning. Featured speakers included The Rev. Juan Oliver, former custodian of the Book of Common Prayer and author of the recently published Shaped by Worship: Liturgy and Formation, and The Rev. Chantal McKinney from Root, Thrive, Soar. The residency began by joyously sharing each faith community’s BFL journey and ended with the completion of mission plans to continue the work of baptismal living within each diocese and beyond. So ,what is next for Baptized for Life as a grant initiative? Now that our time with these lay-led congregations is complete, story gathering and resource sharing will be the project’s final focus, with the intent of informing other projects within Lifelong Learning, specifically one of the department’s most recent Lilly Endowment Inc. grants, the Mutual Ministry Initiative (MMi). [Participating Dioceses: Arkansas, Central Gulf Coast, Michigan, Northern Indiana, Spokane, Upper South Carolina]
