StoryMakers supporting efforts to strengthen faith at home and inspire intergenerational creative worship

The Parish of Calvary-St. George’s has been awarded two generous grants from Lilly Endowment, Inc. to equip families and churches with creative resources that make faith formation engaging, playful, and accessible. StoryMakers NYC, a nonprofit creative studio committed to sparking faith through imagination, is collaborating with Calvary-St. George’s on the grant-funded projects.

With funding through Lilly Endowment’s Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative, StoryMakers is now entering the second year of its Spark Faith at Home project. The project has already shown remarkable impact: more than half of surveyed families reported growth in talking about faith with their children, praying together, and playing together as a result of engaging with StoryMakers’ materials.

Building on this momentum, StoryMakers is launching the Creative Worship Edition, supported by Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children through Worship and Prayer Initiative. This new initiative will invite congregations nationwide to apply for a three-year cohort that provides training, support, and innovative worship resources designed for all ages. By weaving play, imagination, and visual storytelling into services, StoryMakers aims to help churches foster intergenerational worship where both children and adults can encounter God’s story together.

“Our mission has always been to support families and churches with tools that make faith formation accessible, creative, and joy-filled,” said Melina Luna Smith, Executive Director of StoryMakers. “These generous grants from Lilly Endowment allow us to dream bigger and walk alongside parents, caregivers, and congregations in shaping the next generation’s faith through prayer, play, and worship.”

For more information about StoryMakers or to learn how your church can apply for the Creative Worship Edition cohort, visit storymakersnyc.org/lillychurchcohort.