Sacred Sorrow
The North Carolina Institute of Spiritual Direction and Formation receives $84,450 grant from The Duke Endowment
The North Carolina Institute of Spiritual Direction and Formation of the Triangle area has received a grant totaling $84,450 from The Duke Endowment to create and pilot a research-informed grief education and support program for rural clergy and congregations in the United Methodist Church.
Established in 2020, The North Carolina Institute of Spiritual Direction and Formation (NCISDF) is a nonprofit organization serving the Triangle and beyond through Spiritual Formation programs and a two-year training program in Spiritual Direction. The Institute has provided Grief Support Education and countless Spiritual Formation programs both in person locally and virtually to participants across the country.
The two-year Duke Endowment grant will be used to enable NCISDF to research the specific ways clergy and congregational leaders are experiencing grief in rural United Methodist congregations. This research will inform the creation of a tailored grief support education curriculum. This retreat-based program will welcome clergy and congregational leaders from the same churches to participate on two separate tracks. Participants will enjoy an opening and closing retreat as well as multiple virtual meetings in their cohorts. In between meetings, the clergy and congregational leaders will work together on plans for grief support in their own churches. Each cohort will build peer support while also expanding the ways each church responds to expressions of grief. This program will not only benefit our church leaders but will also impact how whole congregations offer support.
In a letter of support, Reverend Beth Hood, the Director of the Office of Clergy Life in the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church and a member of the North Carolina United Methodist Clergy Well-being Council wrote, “I see a significant need for this effort. While many clergy of the NC Conference are reclaiming their hope for the future of our denomination and their local congregations, many are grieving from significant losses. In recent years, United Methodist clergy have lost friendship, connection, and clarity of calling due to the COVID pandemic, disaffiliation, and the changing landscape of organized religion in the United States. The grief and loss are significant, impacting the health and well-being of clergy. The NC Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation is a highly respected organization that many of our clergy trust and utilize. Grief is real among all clergy yet rural clergy tend to have less awareness of resources and less access to the resources of which they are aware. A grant to the NC Institute would address these dynamics, potentially extending comfort, health, and vitality to rural clergy.”
Reverend Kelly Lyn Logue also lent her voice of support for the project writing, “As a NCISDF board member and a pastor in the United Methodist Church, I have been involved directly with the growth and development of this organization during the last year. We’ve spent a lot of time together as a board team planning for future sustainability. I’m proud of the work we’ve done and hopeful for the ways we will continue, with help from The Duke Endowment, to equip individuals, pastors, local churches and the larger N.C. community with spiritually formative opportunities and growth. This Grief Support Education program will have a direct impact on pastors, care teams, and congregations as a whole.”
With broad support and encouragement, NCISDF begins a new era of providing for the spiritual nurture of pastors and leaders in our congregations. Though grief abounds, NCISDF works to facilitate education and tools for trauma informed care. Thanks to The Duke Endowment, this new program will become a reality for our first pilot cohort.
Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed $5 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.
For more information on The North Carolina Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation or to learn how you can support this work, please contact our co-directors Khris Ford (director@ncspiritualdirection.org) and Sarah Capel (info@ncspiritualdirection.org), visit our website at www.ncspiritualdirection.org or sign up here to stay informed.
