News & Announcements

The Envision Board is happy to announce that the Community of St. Dysmas has been awarded a two-year grant totaling $20,000 to expand its ministry in Maryland.

People in prisons are a very underserved and forgotten community. The rate of recidivism is markedly lower among those in a faith community. The Community of St. Dysmas is a Lutheran ministry serving people incarcerated in the Maryland Department of Corrections. The ministry has recently received a $50,000 grant from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and they have a co-pastor who has been mentored for 2+ years. This grant will partially fund a St. Dysmas co-pastor for two years.

This grant provides new opportunities for faith-based community and pastoral support to inmates throughout Maryland state. With it, St. Dysmas will expand its ministry to additional facilities in Maryland.

Envision Grants are awarded every year to incubate new and innovative initiatives that extend beyond the church’s annual programs and budget. Grants are awarded as seed money for new projects or programs, not for day-to-day operating expenses. Proposals must fall under at least one of these categories:

• Ministry Development: To identify new or expanded ministry areas for a congregation or congregations
• Service: Local, national, or international humanitarian activities
• Social Justice Advocacy: Work for social change to remove obstacles for all people

Learn more or apply now at catonsvillepres.org/envision.