NEWS RELEASE: $25,000 Grant Expands MTM Outreach
Ministerial families experiencing congregational conflict and/or termination will get more help because of a $25,000 grant to the Ministering to Ministers (MTM) Foundation. MTM, using this grant from the Richard D. Van Lunen Foundation, will launch a network of "friends" to compliment its "Healthy Transitions Wellness Retreats for Ministers and Souses." Since 1995, these intensive, five-day retreats, followed up by a network of counselors, have drawn nearly 500 participants from 26 states and the Bahamas and 27 denominational affiliations.
The new "Friends for the Journey Network," set for launch in March, will train 50 volunteer "friends" from various denominations and geographical areas.
MTM's goal over the next three years is to build a network of at least 150 such volunteers "to walk with ministers and their families during conflict and/or termination." said Charles Chandler of Richmond, Va., a Baptist minister and executive director of MTM.