Great Rivers Fellowship

Celebrating Lesley Ratcliff's 15 years of Ministry at Northminster Baptist Church and praying for her new position as Pastor os University Baptist Church

ATTENTION

The GRF Disaster Response Meeting, originally planned for October 11, has been cancelled.

For more information, please contact Shane McNary or Jim Kirkendall.

Great River Fellowship Community Engagement Grants

Is your congregation looking for support for a community engagement project? The Great River Fellowship Community Engagement Grant program is an opportunity for financially contributing member congregations to turn new ideas into meaningful ministry and community impact.

Before submitting a grant application, each congregation must send a representative to one of this year’s GRF Grant Application Orientation sessions via Zoom. Attendance at last year’s orientation does not satisfy this year’s requirement.

Mark your calendar and join one of these sessions:

October 6 at 3:00 PM CST
Join Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87030258254?pwd=aHTWQwBxB79w09KjW2plVqFYZlp4ne.1

October 15 at 10:00 AM CST
Join Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84840324779?pwd=tQ2mOR6C8cdHcRGDlLfRlqjGQa5SGj.1

Eligibility:
Only financially contributing member congregations of Great River Fellowship are eligible to apply.

If your congregation is a financially contributing GRF member and you have an idea for a community engagement project, we encourage you to attend one of the orientation sessions and learn more about the application process.

Come ready to learn, connect, and explore how your congregation can strengthen its community engagement.

📢 Community Engagement Grants: Information Sessions

Great River Fellowship (GRF) is offering Community Engagement Grants to support member congregations as they develop meaningful ways to engage their communities and strengthen their ministries.

💡 Interested in learning more? Join one of our upcoming Zoom information sessions:

October 6 at 3:00 PM CST
🔗 Join Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87030258254?pwd=aHTWQwBxB79w09KjW2plVqFYZlp4ne.1

October 15 at 10:00 AM CST
🔗 Join Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84840324779?pwd=tQ2mOR6C8cdHcRGDlLfRlqjGQa5SGj.1

⚠️ Eligibility: Only financially contributing member congregations of Great River Fellowship can apply for these grants.

If your congregation is a financially contributing GRF member and you have an idea for a community engagement project, we encourage you to join one of these sessions and learn more about the application process!

FROM AN EMPTY LOT TO A HOME OF HOPE

This fall, Together for Hope and the Fuller Center for Housing are coming together in Greenville, Mississippi, to build a 1,200-square-foot affordable home in Washington County, one of the nation’s counties experiencing persistent rural poverty.

And they need volunteers!

There will be three build weeks between September 27 and November 7, 2026, and Week 1 (September 27–October 3) is especially in need of volunteers.

This is more than building a house. It is an opportunity to build community, create stability, and put faith into action alongside our partners and friends at Together for Hope.

📍 Greenville, Mississippi
September 27–October 3, 2026
🏠 Affordable Housing Build

For more information about volunteering, please contact Breana Patterson at [email protected]

🗳️ Faith & Voting: Let’s Get Engaged!

We’re excited to share an upcoming joint webinar with the Alliance of Baptists focused on voting engagement and how communities of faith can encourage meaningful participation in our democracy.

Thursday, September 10
💻 Online Webinar

This is an opportunity to learn, connect, and reflect on the role our faith communities can play in encouraging civic participation and making sure every voice has the opportunity to be heard.

We invite you to join us and share this opportunity widely with your churches, communities, and networks!

Disaster Preparedness and Response Training

Is your congregation prepared to respond when disaster strikes?

Great Rivers Fellowship invites you to a special Disaster Preparedness and Response Training designed to help churches prepare for natural and human-caused disasters in their communities.

October 10, 2026
📍 Emmanuel Baptist Church – Alexandria, LA
430 Jackson Street, Alexandria, LA 71301
🕚 11:00 AM–3:30 PM
🍽️ Registration includes lunch

Our region is especially vulnerable to hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding. Communities can also experience other traumatic events, including infrastructure failures and acts of violence.

This training will provide practical insight and steps to help your congregation improve its readiness and prepare to minister to communities experiencing trauma after a disaster.

We encourage pastors, church leaders, and members of safety and missions committees to join us!

Registration information:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScPGqfshv_4rZUd2M__9xXOkbt4Hvq2whrBqVfWxkiOwrS4PQ/viewform

Great Rivers Fellowship Update - September 2026 - https://mailchi.mp/greatriversfellowship/september2026

Great Rivers Fellowship Community Engagement Grants (2026/27)

Following the redesign of our Community Engagement Grants by The Center for Church and Community Impact at Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, we are excited to open applications for our second grant cycle under the new rubric!

Whether you plan to apply or simply want to explore valuable ministry resources, everything you need—including application details and community engagement tools—is available on our website:
🔗 cbfgrf.org/community-grants

Required Grant Application Orientation:
All interested congregations must send a representative to attend an annual orientation session via Zoom before applying. Please note that attending last year's orientation does not satisfy the requirement for this cycle.

Orientation Options:

Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 3:00 PM

Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 10:00 AM

The Zoom access link will be provided in our upcoming October newsletter and posted across our social media platforms. Mark your calendars and join us!

📝 Ministries Council Ministry Grants Application Now Open!

The Ministries Council Ministry Grants Subcommittee is now accepting applications from congregations for ministry grants!

In keeping with CBF’s focus on equipping churches, this year’s grants will prioritize ministries that promote well-being—both within congregations and throughout their broader communities.

Application Deadline: September 18

Don’t miss this opportunity to support innovative ministries that strengthen churches and make a meaningful impact in their communities!

🔗 Learn more and apply here:
https://cbf.net/ministries-council-grant-application/