Azusa Pacific University’s Institute for Faith, Leadership, and Service (IFLS) awarded $80,000 in subgrants to five churches across California as part of The Cornerstones Initiative: Building Faith Through Service. Funded by a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc, through The Cornerstones Initiative the IFLS aims to impact more than 10,000 young people (ages 13-25) across the nation by fostering a deeper understanding of the relationship between faith, service, and human flourishing.
“Through The Cornerstones Initiative, we are investing in churches who are equipping young adults to connect their Christian faith with meaningful acts of service,” said William Whitney, PhD, IFLS executive director. “These subgrants support locally rooted projects that respond to real community and educational needs while helping young adults to reflect on how service strengthens their spiritual growth. We are grateful to Lilly Endowment Inc. for this support and eager to learn alongside our partners as we prepare this next generation to lead with compassion, faith, hope, and love.”
Subgrant recipients include:
- Beyond Church—Fontana, CA (1 year)
Beyond Church brings into focus the purpose-driven priorities that lead youth to flourish through service.
- Faith Community Church—Santa Cruz, CA (1 year)
“Restoring Hope Through Acts of Service” empowers students to become agents of hope by helping them recognize and respond to needs in their community through meaningful acts of service.
- Parable—Lakewood, CA (1 year)
Parable’s new initiative, “Campus Student Leadership Project,” aims to deepen the spiritual formation, leadership capacity, and service engagement of high school students across underserved communities in Long Beach and Los Angeles.
- The Hub OC—Orange, CA (1 year)
“The World Changers Project” is designed to cultivate spiritually grounded, community-focused young leaders who view their everyday roles in schools and neighborhoods as a form of ministry.
- Unidos South OC—San Juan Capistrano, CA (1 year)
Moving Towards Wholeness initiatives will serve as a lasting, faith-based space where teens grow spiritually, emotionally, and socially.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the 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 supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. The principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking 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 the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.
Since 1899, Azusa Pacific University, a top Christian higher education institution in the nation, has helped students discover their higher calling to impact the world for Christ. Featuring world-class faculty, an APU education leads to lifelong transformation and eternal impact. APU offers 59 bachelor’s degrees, 34 master’s degrees, 35 certificates and credentials, and 7 doctoral programs to more than 7,000 students at the university’s main campus in Azusa, several regional locations across Southern California, and online. Learn more at apu.edu.