517-258-0038 | To care for UCC clergy and churches in Michigan.
517-258-0038 | To care for UCC clergy and churches in Michigan.
2026: Worship and Prayer with Children in Nature
The Michigan Conference has received a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for $1,250,000.00 for the Michigan Conference Mitten Project: Knitting together children and adults in worship and prayer.
The future of the church depends on passing faith traditions down through generations and innovating to make traditions relevant in each new generation. Faith is caught as well as taught, and the Michigan Conference UCC is committed to using this funding for ongoing support in local churches to nurture and encourage multigenerational worship and prayer practices. To strengthen the future of our local churches, this 5-year program will invite congregations to engage children in worship, so that all of us, in each generation, can leave church more deeply connected with the spiritual and ready to find the sacred in our everyday lives.
The Mitten Project is just one resource for our youth ministry. For more resources, visit the Children, Youth, and Families Page.
Program Objectives
The two main objectives of the
Michigan Conference Mitten Project are:
1) to strengthen worship and prayer practices that attend to and respect how children (age 0-12 years old) experience God and express their faith
2) to enhance worship and prayer practices that more intentionally connect with the daily lives of children and families in the Michigan Conference UCC
Our goal is to inspire a deep cultural shift in the Michigan Conference UCC to include children in worship and prayer. We wish to nurture the gifts and leadership skills of children, and to equip ministry leaders, parents, and caregivers to invest in training for forming faith in children under the age of 12. The relationships that will be built in the congregations of cohort churches, among pastors who learn together, children’s ministry leaders who support one another, and parents & caregivers who can more deeply engage with their children, will each have a sustainable impact on the worship and prayer practices of children in the Michigan Conference UCC.
For everyone in the Michigan Conference: 2025 Survey will be active from August 1 – September 28, 2025 This survey is intended for pastors, church leaders, parents, youth (ages 13-18), children (ages 3-12), and all others in Michigan Conference UCC congregations. We hope you will share your experience of worship in your local church setting, and ask everyone in your church to fill it out too! The survey includes a mix of multiple-choice and open-ended questions and should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
Your responses are valued and will help shape our next steps in creating worship and ministry that reflect the gifts, voices, and faith journeys of all generations. Your responses are anonymous. Please be honest and know that there are no right or wrong answers. Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey about the roles of children and youth in worship and congregational life.
Engagement opportunities range from passive to deeply committed, with targeted learning for five unique audiences each year – parents, children, children’s ministry leaders, pastors, and churches. Yearly programs will include:
1) Themed resource kits for all Michigan Conference UCC churches
2) On-site one-day events for parents, caregivers, children, pastors and ministry leaders to learn together
3) Online training for Pastors
4) Online training for Children’s Ministry Leaders
5) Online training for parents & caregivers
6) 12 local churches will receive $5000.00 in grant funding to implement Children’s Ministry research in their setting, and up to an additional $5000.00 for their implementation-cohort team to participate in additional training and a weekend retreat. Pastors, Children’s Ministry Leaders, parents, children and supportive adults from the 12 cohort churches will also be required to participate in onsite and online learning/training events listed above.
As we move through the 5 years of the program, there will be new and relevant content that encourages and invites continued participation from all settings in the Michigan Conference. Yearly Themes are:
2026: Worship and Prayer with Children in Nature
2027: Worship and Prayer with Children through Music and Art
2028: Worship and Prayer with Children through our Bodies
2029: Worship and Prayer with Children by Storytelling
2030: Worship and Prayer with Children in Mission and Community
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