The purpose of the Mustard Seed Fund is to test and scale promising new ministries and programs that inspire and motivate a new generation of Orthodox Christians to participate in the church. Microgrants will be awarded to Metropolis of Chicago clergy and stewards seeking to develop and implement new or existing parish-level initiatives that advance evangelism, welcoming and outreach.

Throughout the year, those who are selected to receive a microgrant will:

• Receive funding and support to develop their proposed initiative/ministry.
• Refine initiatives and evaluate benchmark progress toward goals, assessing effectiveness of programming.

Upon completion of the first year, participants will present their proposed ministries to Metropolis. By sharing presentations, participants will learn from each other’s experiences and be better able to implement their ministries within their own parishes. In the future, successful ministries will be implemented at other parishes within the Metropolis.

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Help Grow the Faith

The purpose of the Mustard Seed Fund is to test and scale promising new ministries and programs that inspire and motivate a new generation of Orthodox Christians to participatein the Church. Micro-grants will be awarded to Metropolis of Chicago clergy and stewards seeking to develop and implement new or existing parish-level initiatives that advance evangelism, welcoming, and outreach. 

Please consider making a gift to help us grow the faith together. 

10% of the funds donated to the Annual Vision Campaign will fund the Mustard Seed Fund or Project HOPE. 

Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Mustard Seed Award winners.  

Additional details can be found in the Annual report.  

• All Saints, Peoria, IL: Engagement and Evangelism efforts to support Vision for Growth through a Resource Center. 

• Holy Transfiguration, Mason City Iowa: Engagement, Evangelism & Philanthropy efforts to support the Vision for Growth.  

MUSTARD SEED FUND PRESS RELEASES:

MUSTARD SEED FUND 2022-23 GRANT RECIPIENTS 

The following parishes were awarded Mustard Seed Fund grants for 2022-23: 

• Annunciation, Milwaukee, WI: Outreach program for impoverished areas of Greater Milwaukee 

• Annunciation, Kankakee, IL: Church-based community theater troupe 

• St. Athanasios, Aurora, IL: Expansion of men’s group ministry – Read an Update on their progress!  

• St. Basil, Chicago, IL: Expansion of prison ministry 

• Sts. Constantine and Helen, Swansea, IL: “Spring Back to Church” outreach program 

• St. George, Chicago, IL: Bicycle repair class to help impoverished residents of the Chicagoland area with their transportation needs 

• St. George, St. Paul MN: Inter-Orthodox shared catechism program 

• St. George, Schererville, IN: Byzantine music youth group for girls and boys – Read an Update on their progress!  

• St. Luke the Evangelist, Columbia, MO: Billboard to raise awareness of Orthodox Church – Read an Update on their progress!