April 16, 2007, New York, NY – The Episcopal Church Foundation has awarded three new grants under the Fellowship Partners Program to the Rev. Devon Anderson, Ms. Rima Vesely-Flad, and the Rev. Daniel Velez-Rivera.

In December 2006, ECF announced the expansion of the former Doctoral Fellows Program to include both academic and transformational ministry grants. With emphasis on the idea of partnership, the Foundation will provide monetary grants, while the new Fellows will be expected to share their knowledge, experience and best practices with the wider Church in practical ways. "We believe that a transformational ministry is one that not only brings about measurable change, but also serves as a model that can be adapted in different settings," said Ms. Antoinette "Toni" Daniels, Director of Learning & Leadership at ECF. "We hope these wonderful, new Fellows will not only inspire, but guide others in their mission and ministry."

The new Fellows are engaged in ministries that will have important impact in their communities and beyond:

Millennium Development Goals (MDG): Hoping to help realize the enormous potential of working towards the U.N. MDGs, the Rev. Devon Anderson, former Associate Rector at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, MN, will work to equip people in the Diocese of Minnesota and beyond to implement global mission projects in their congregations. "Focusing on the micro-level is the key to keeping a movement rooted, sustained, and faced toward the future," noted Ms. Anderson. "This fellowship will equip hands-on coaching, training and support for congregations."

Prison Ministry: A doctoral student in Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, NYC, Ms. Rima Vesely-Flad is the founder and director of the Interfaith Coalition of Advocates for Reentry and Employment, and hopes to educate communities of faith about the criminal justice system, engage them in advocating for people with criminal convictions, and assist congregations in developing prison and reentry ministries. "This fellowship will provide support to enable me to carry out the next stage of my work," stated Ms. Vesely-Flad, "publishing and continuing to engage communities of faith in systemic criminal justice reform."

Women’s Empowerment: Abuelas, Madres y Más (Grandmothers, Mothers and More), co-created by the Rev. Daniel Velez-Rivera, is a lay ministry working with Latinas utilizing a popular storytelling tradition. This project will engage facilitators and participants in creating curricula that will help women learn to work in groups, provide theological foundations for their ministry, and become compañeras y mentoras (companions and mentors) to a multigenerational population of women. "I love the work that God has given me;" explained Mr. Velez-Rivera, "we are planting seeds of inclusion, openness and empowerment for all of God’s children."

"Through our programs, products and services, ECF serves ministries of all sizes," said Mr. Donald V. Romanik, President of the Episcopal Church Foundation, "but we are especially committed to working with those that have fewer resources. Through the work of our Fellows we will be able to empower many Episcopalians for mission and ministry."

ECF will also continue to support three 2005 Fellows through the next academic year, The Rev. Christopher E. Griffen, the University of Chicago, Mr. Mark J. McInroy, Harvard Divinity School, and Ms. Regina L. Walton, Harvard Divinity School.

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