Second Fruits
“The gifts Christ gave…were to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ….” Ephesians 4:11-12
First Cycle of Second Fruits Grants is Closed—What's Next?
Hello Friends in Christ!
I wanted to share an update on our Second Fruits Grants. Our first application season closed on August 15th, and we received over thirty applications across the four granting categories! As I have browsed the applications, I am overjoyed at the creativity in our synod and the desire to love and serve our neighbors. The Spirit is moving, and I’m enormously grateful for the thought, prayer, and discernment that has gone into these applications.
Over the coming weeks, the Second Fruits Discernment Team, comprised of the at-large members of Synod Council, will:
- Evaluate the applications and discern which ones will be recommended to Synod Council to receive grant funding.
- Some will receive full funding, some will be offered partial funding, some will be encouraged to reapply in the future, and some will not be funded.
- Applicants will be notified in early November, and funds will be disbursed mid-November.
Thank you for your prayers during this first cycle. We are learning from this great experience and implementing changes that will hopefully make the next cycle even better. I want to give a special word of appreciation to the Second Fruits Discernment Team. They have wonderfully challenging work ahead of them, and I know they welcome your prayers as they discern these applications.
We look forward to seeing just how the Holy Spirit will work through these grants to impact neighbors, ministries, and leaders in your community, opening new ways for us to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout our synod!
Gratefully,
Pastor Chris
Director for Evangelical Mission – North, and Synod Minister for Generosity
About Second Fruits
The Second Fruits Fund of the Rocky Mountain Synod was established by the Synod Assembly in 2026. The Fund will steward proceeds from the sale of property donated to the synod, donations by congregations that have concluded their own ministries, remaining funds from the RMS Next Faithful Steps Campaign and Seminary Scholarship Fund, legacy gifts and congregational gift tithes, and the remaining funds from the 3E Lilly Grant. The initial amount in the Second Fruits Fund was approximately $1.97 million. Some of these funds will be utilized to offset relevant costs in the annual budget of the Rocky Mountain Synod. The goal of the Second Fruits Grants is to disburse the remainder of the principal of the Second Fruits Fund within 5 years. Each year will consist of 2 granting cycles. The first granting cycle may disburse larger amounts, depending on merit.
Grant categories and annual disbursements are as follows:
Grant Process
The Synod Council is responsible for the distribution of all funds. It has established a Second Fruits Discernment Committee to recommend grant recipients to the Council, which will have final approval. The Second Fruits Discernment Committee will be overseen by the Synod Council and will give regular reports.
First Cycle of Grant Applications is Closed.
Get in Touch
Do you have questions about Second Fruits? Fill out the form below and Pastor Chris Davis, Synod Minister for Generosity, will reach out to you. You may also email Pastor Chris Davis in the Office of the Bishop at cdavis@rmselca.org or 303-970-0243.
Second Fruits Stories
