Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Receives Grant from Wartburg Theological Seminary’s CaSTLE Project to Support Rural and Small Town Congregations
Allentown, PA – Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is honored to announce that it has been selected as a grant recipient through The CaSTLE Project: The Country and Small Town Lived Ecclesiology Project, a five-year initiative led by Wartburg Theological Seminary to support renewal in small town and rural congregations.
With this grant, Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod will receive funding to enrich the Licensed Lay Ministry (LLM) program through the four required retreats, where Lutheran formation is the focus, through preaching, theology/confessions, worship and pastoral care in small town/rural contexts. The project seeks to deepen baptismal identity and cultivate thriving, Spirit-led communities of faith in rural contexts.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Wartburg Theological Seminary and The CaSTLE Project,” said Deacon Chelle Huth, Director of Leaders. “This grant will allow us to strengthen the LLM program Lutheran formation components for these cohorts, equipping our future LLM leaders for a future rooted in hope and purpose.”
The CaSTLE Project, funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc., aims to renew a baptismal ecclesiology for the long-term flourishing of rural congregational life. Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod continues among a growing cohort of synod grantees, shaped by mutual learning, community building, and innovation.
“We are excited to walk alongside the leaders of Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod in this journey of renewal,” said Rev. Ramie Bakken, Director of The CaSTLE Project.
For more information about The CaSTLE Project, visit: wartburgseminary.edu/the-castle-project and www.thecastleproject.org
Deacon Chelle Huth
NEPA Synod Director for Leaders
610-266-5101 ext. 115
