Through its innovative Small Church Initiative, the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee demonstrated that a congregation does not need a massive membership roll to make a monumental community impact. At the heart of that effort was the Do Good & Share Ministry Grant Program, a two-year initiative inspired by Hebrews 13:16: “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have.”
Through Experimental and Sustaining Grants, the program encouraged congregations to listen closely to their communities, build relationships, and respond creatively to local needs. While the grant program concluded following the 2025 funding cycle, its legacy remains visible in the ministries and partnerships that continue across West Tennessee.
Among the churches that received grants in both 2024 and 2025, four congregations offer particularly compelling examples of how outreach can grow when churches commit to learning from their neighbors rather than simply serving them: Grace Episcopal Church in Paris, St. Thomas the Apostle in Humboldt, St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Memphis, and Ravenscroft Episcopal Chapel in Brighton.
Grace Episcopal Church (Paris): Meeting Neighbors Where They Are
At Grace Episcopal Church in Paris, the Loaves & Fishes ministry’s evolution reflects the heart of the grant program’s mission. The ministry initially received an Experimental Grant in 2024 with hopes of providing hot meals and creating opportunities for conversation and relationship-building within the church itself. Church leaders envisioned gathering neighbors around a shared table and learning from those interactions.
What happened instead became a lesson in listening.
As participation lagged, leaders began asking why. Transportation barriers and discomfort with entering an unfamiliar church environment prevented many neighbors from taking part.
Instead of giving up, the congregation adapted.
“We were wanting originally to start a program where we would actually feed people in-house … and no one came,” Patricia Easley recalled. “We quickly shifted gears that very first year, and we started doing a mobile food mission where we would just actually go out and deliver.”
The ministry relocated its efforts to a nearby low-income housing complex, delivering food, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, and other necessities directly to residents. Volunteers intentionally scheduled deliveries near the end of each month.
As Easley explained, “…even if they have government-subsidized funding like food stamps or the SNAP cards or whatever, they usually run out of those benefits toward the end of the month.”
The relationship continued to deepen. In addition to food deliveries, the ministry expanded to include backpacks filled with school supplies and handmade prayer journals for local children. What began as an experimental project grew into a responsive ministry shaped by ongoing conversations with the people it served.
For Easley, seeing children receive those resources remains one of the ministry’s most meaningful moments.
“Thinking of kids going to school and not having what they needed the first day … that was probably one of the proudest moments,” she said. Remembering photos parents later sent of their children with new backpacks and supplies, she added, “…that just warmed my heart.”
Ultimately, the ministry’s greatest success may not be measured in meals delivered or supplies distributed, but in the congregation’s willingness to change course.
“We had to leave [the in-house plan] behind because, as I said, people weren’t comfortable coming in,” Easley reflected. “But it’s still rewarding because we know that we are providing a need … meeting them where they are instead of expecting them to come to us.”
St. Thomas the Apostle (Humboldt): Investing in Local Youth
For St. Thomas the Apostle in Humboldt, the grant program provided an opportunity to strengthen a growing partnership with the local Boys & Girls Club.
The congregation’s first grant helped support a playground project, creating a recreational space for local children and youth. By the following year, the church had deepened its commitment through the “World Without Technology” initiative, which sought to improve technology access and educational opportunities for club participants.
While the projects themselves changed, the underlying partnership remained consistent.
“In the initial year of the grant … what our grant money enabled them to do was rework the concrete pad and install a portable adjustable basketball goal,” said Rev. Deacon Tommy Rhoads. “And in the second year, they were redoing their STEM center … and our grant money enabled them to purchase updated laptop computers.”
For Rhoads, one of the most significant outcomes of the partnership has been its effect on the church’s visibility and relationships within Humboldt.
“We have had great local media coverage of the grant,” he said. “And so, we have really raised the profile of the church in the community. The broader community outside of the church community has gotten to know us and who we are because of our involvement.”
That visibility has translated into deeper engagement. Beyond grant-funded projects, parishioners now participate in the club’s Angel Tree ministry and annual fundraising events, creating year-round opportunities for connection. The relationship that began through financial support has grown into an ongoing partnership rooted in shared investment in local youth.
St. Mary’s Cathedral (Memphis): Building on Relationships Already Formed
At St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, both grant projects emerged from relationships that already existed through the cathedral’s longstanding outreach ministries.
The cathedral’s 2024 project focused on helping neighbors access urgent healthcare services. Through years of regular interaction with residents experiencing poverty and housing instability, volunteers repeatedly encountered individuals facing medical concerns but lacking transportation, insurance, or other resources needed to obtain treatment. The project sought to connect those neighbors with care through Church Health and other local providers. The initiative grew directly from needs identified through face-to-face ministry.
By 2025, the cathedral had turned its attention toward another concern raised by neighbors: access to fresh food. Through the “Hope & Food: Fresh From the Farm” initiative, St. Mary’s partnered with Alpha Omega Veterans Services to make fresh produce available during its weekly outreach ministry. The project built upon an existing ministry that already welcomed more than 150 guests each week and responded to repeated requests for healthier food options. The goal was not simply to distribute food but to provide fresh fruits and vegetables that were often difficult to obtain in the surrounding neighborhood.
In many ways, the cathedral’s two grant projects illustrate a similar pattern. Rather than beginning with predetermined programs, ministry leaders listened carefully to their neighbors, identified recurring needs, and then designed initiatives around those observations. Healthcare access led to one project. Food access led to another. Both grew out of relationships already established through years of presence and trust.
Ravenscroft Episcopal Chapel (Brighton): A Partnership That Continues to Evolve
Long before participating in the grant program, Ravenscroft Episcopal Chapel in Brighton had cultivated a strong relationship with nearby Drummonds Elementary School. Church members volunteered in classrooms, supplied books and school supplies, helped maintain gardens, and supported school events.
The congregation’s 2024 grant project expanded that relationship by concentrating on family support and education. Through the Family Tools for Success initiative, parents participated in sessions focused on topics such as financial literacy, educational engagement, attendance, child development, and employment readiness. Rather than offering one-time assistance, the church sought to provide resources that could strengthen families over the long term.
As the partnership matured, church and school leaders gained a clearer understanding of their community’s evolving needs. The result was a different approach in 2025.
The chapel’s second grant focused on encouraging student achievement through a series of academic incentive programs. Reading challenges, mathematics competitions, and proficiency awards celebrated educational milestones and encouraged students to develop confidence in their abilities. Working closely with school leadership, the congregation identified ways to motivate and support students while remaining deeply connected to the life of the school.
The transition from family-focused programming to student achievement initiatives demonstrates the flexibility that characterized many successful grant projects. Like other recurring recipients, Ravenscroft continually adjusted its efforts based on what it learned from its community partner.
A Legacy of Listening
Although the Do Good & Share Ministry Grant Program concluded after the 2025 funding cycle, its impact continues through the relationships it helped strengthen.
At Grace Episcopal Church, volunteers learned that ministry sometimes means changing plans and delivering assistance directly to neighbors. At St. Thomas the Apostle, a partnership with the Boys & Girls Club became a visible sign of the church’s commitment to local youth. At St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, outreach projects emerged from years of trust built through weekly ministry. At Ravenscroft Episcopal Chapel, collaboration with a local school evolved as new needs and opportunities surfaced.
Together, these congregations embody the central lesson of the Do Good & Share program: effective ministry begins with relationships. By listening carefully, adapting faithfully, and walking alongside their neighbors, these churches demonstrated that even the smallest congregations can become powerful agents of transformation in their communities.
Gabriella “Gabi” Flohr is a senior at St. George’s Independent School in Collierville, Tennessee, where she is the Editor-in-Chief of the student publication, The Lodge.
