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DALLAS (SMU) – The Lilly Endowment-funded initiative at Perkins School of Theology, “Testimony HQ,” has selected 11 congregations for the third and final cohort of developing thriving congregations through the practice of testimony as community engagement.

The cohort includes:

• , Oklahoma City, Okla.
• , Aransas Pass, Texas
• , Rowlett, Texas
• , Lubbock, Texas
• , Searcy, Ark.
• , Garland, Texas
• , Eustace, Texas
• , Lawton, Okla.
• , Houston
• , Edmond, Okla.
• , Dallas

These 11 congregations were selected from applications submitted from churches within a 350-mile radius of Dallas.

“We carefully studied every church’s application and were inspired by the stories of resilience and creativity in many ministry contexts,” said Rev. Dr. Edgar Bazan, Testimony HQ Advisory Board Member and Senior Pastor, New World United Methodist Church, in Garland, Texas.

The cohort congregations will each receive up to $5,000 in grant funding to support their Testimony HQ work from January through December 2024.

About the Testimony HQ Initiative
SMU is one of 92 organizations funded through Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to strengthen Christian congregations so they can help people deepen their relationships with God, build strong relationships with each other and contribute to the flourishing of local communities and the world. The grants will support organizations as they work directly with congregations and help them gain clarity about their values and missions; explore and understand better the communities in which they serve; and draw upon their theological traditions as they adapt ministries to meet changing needs.

Over the five-year course of the grant, the Testimony HQ program will help 27 congregations master how to utilize testimony as community engagement; lead each cohort congregation in four concentric circles of learning communities; and establish the grant website () as the vehicle for sharing resources, such as podcasts, webinars, downloadable resources and written materials.

The Rev. Dr. Priscilla Pope-Levison, Research Professor of Practical Theology, and Bart Patton Director of the Office of External Programs, are the co-principal investigators on the grant. This is the second Lilly Endowment grant awarded to SMU to fund the work of Patton and Pope- Levison; the first was a $1 million grant awarded in 2018 to strengthen congregational ministries with youth.

Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of . Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and sons Eli and J.K., Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a 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’ wishes, the endowment exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development. The endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. The principal aim of the endowment’s grantmaking in religion 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 their pastoral and lay leadership.