Children and adults in a room dancing or playing a game with their hands raised above their heads, smiling and enjoying the activity.

Lilly’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative

Nurturing Immigrant Children’s’ Faith Experiences En Familia

A colorful tree with children and adults holding hands and raising arms, with text that says 'Nurturing Immigrant Children's Experiences EN FAMILIA' inside a circular border.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this program is to nurture the holistic development of children within immigrant congregations, creating supportive environments in their churches that foster spiritual, educational, emotional, and physical growth.

By involving children fully and inclusively in the life and ministries of their congregations, the program seeks to empower children as leaders, strengthen family and community bonds, and address the complex challenges they face as children of immigrant families.

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WHAT WE AIM TO DO

  1. Identify and address the holistic needs of immigrant children—spiritual, educational, emotional, physical, and ecological.

  2. Engage children, parents, clergy, and church leaders in collaborative program design and implementation.

  3. Develop leadership skills among children and adults within congregations.

  4. Create sustainable models of ministry that can be adopted by other immigrant congregations.

  5. Document, evaluate, and share findings to expand the impact beyond participating congregations.

PHASES OF THE PROGRAM

  • Phase One (Year 1): Consulting, Designing & Planning

    - Engage children, parents, and church leaders in consultations.

    - Assess needs and resources in local churches and communities.

    - Build relational infrastructure to support child and family engagement.

    Woman holding a baby standing in church pews during a service

  • Phase Two (Year 2-4): Implementation

    - Put program components into practice.

    - Monitor and adapt activities based on feedback.

    A woman and a young girl are practicing Chinese calligraphy at a wooden table. The girl is wearing a pink vest and a purple hair accessory, while the woman is guiding her hand with a brush. Various sheets of paper with Chinese characters and drawings are spread out on the table.

  • Phase Three (Year 5): Sustainability & Celebration

    - Develop and implement plans for ongoing ministry beyond grant funding.

    - Deepen evaluation, record learnings, and prepare for research and publication.

    - Organize a "Gran Fiesta" to celebrate children's accomplishments and share results.

    - Refine the model to share with other immigrant congregations.

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Let’s work together

Interested in us working together with your Church? Please fill out the information below, and we will be in touch with you shortly.

We can't wait to hear from you!

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