Church Offers Grant for Kids

A Brighter Future for Children and Youth is a grant offered by the United Methodist Church. This grant offers up to $4,000 for projects and programs addressing kids between 5 and 18 in the areas of violence and abuse prevention. The average grant is about $2,500. Grants submitted in Spanish are accepted. The deadline for this grant is July 1, 2011.

Atlanta Church Facing Eviction To Serve Free Thanksgiving Meal

The looming threat of eviction is not stopping a metro Atlanta church that provides multiple programs for at-risk youth from feeding the hungry for Thanksgiving. The Atlanta Urban Foursquare Church (AUC) is facing eviction from its building owned by the United Methodist Church, but church leaders say they still plan to move forward with its annual Thanksgiving meal for the poor next week. “We want to invest in souls; that’s the purpose of this church, to invest in souls,” says Pastor Mark Anthony Mitchell, a former drug dealer who turned his life around and earned a masters degree from Harvard Divinity SchoolSchool.  Watch CNN's interview with Mitchell:

Under Mitchell’s leadership, the church has earned a reputation as a “beacon of hope” in the economically challenged Lakewood community and surrounding neighborhoods. It’s been particularly welcoming to area residents who have served time in prison and need help re-entering society. AUC also houses a free pre-school and after school program along with hosting a mentoring and sponsorship program for ex-offenders.