YOUTH MINISTRY: East Bay Lutheran Youth Program, Oakland: Rev. Craig Minich; $1,000

The East Bay Lutheran Youth Program (EBLYP) is a joint youth ministry program made up of four congregations. The program ministers to a great diversity of folks and families in terms of ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic realities, and family make-up. The program works with youth and their families from birth to post college. This ministry has been thriving for 12 years and is served by Rev. Craig Minich.

How will this ELM grant help you in your ministry?

Pastor Craig: Since I minister to the youth and families from four Lutheran churches in the East Bay of California, as well as with the youth of our 200 plus ELCA congregations in the Sierra Pacific Synod (Northern California) there is not a lack of need and ministry opportunities in our inter-generational, gospel-centered, youth-leader-training ministry. Our challenge has been in closing our budget gap for funding this ministry fully. We have vibrant congregations who give us their time and are spiritually full, but candidly are not financially affluent.  The ELM grant helps us keep our ministry thriving and gets us closer to being fully funded. We have been self-sufficient for most of our 12 years, and we hope to regain self-sufficiency in the near future. As happened in our first years, the ELM grant helped us then and helps us now bridge that financial gap. We thank you with gusto and sing praises for ELM’s generosity.

This grant will support the program by ensuring Craig can continue working in a much needed full time capacity. During this time of economic instability for families and youth in the East Bay many are having a hard time making ends meet. This ministry is needed now more than ever.

For more on ELM’s Ministry Grant program go to: https://www.elm.org/elm-grants/