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About Words of Worship

The Words of Worship initiative equips congregations and families with tools to nurture children’s faith through meaningful, age-appropriate engagement in worship and prayer. This program is made possible by a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Initiative Objectives

Words of Worship - Family reading together

Equip parents, caregivers, pastors, and church workers to pass along the faith to children from birth to age 8.

Words of Worship - CPH LSB hymnal

Develop companion resources to help families use the common language of faith at home.

Words of Worship - Family reading in church

Help children to express their faith by nurturing worship and prayer practices.

Initiative Timeline

2025

Grant awarded

Cohort Congregations Identified for Field-Testing

2026

First Round of Cohort Meetings

First-Wave Resources Developed

2027

Resources and Training Given, Cohort Feedback Received

2028

Second-Wave Resources Developed

2029

Training Materials Developed for Wider Use

2030

Nationwide Rollout of Resources and Training Materials

WordsOrWorship-BoyInChurchCurve-desktop

Resources in Development

This grant gives us the opportunity to develop the following resources for field testing and further development for the greater church.

  • Children’s books for use in the pew during worship
  • Family books and devotional materials for use at home
  • Parent resources for raising children in the faith
  • Resources for young musicians
  • Program training materials for pastors and leaders

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About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Philanthropic Foundation and Sponsor of Words of Worship

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 that supports the causes of community development, education, and religion. The Words of Worship initiative is funded through Lilly Endowment Inc.’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.

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