Last September we began spreading the news about a Lilly Endowment-funded Thriving Congregations Initiative at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), Orienting With the Word. This opportunity is now available to congregations in your conference. We have made some changes to the program by shortening the congregational time commitment, centering the practice of Bible study, and making more explicit the program’s leadership development aim. I have attached new Program Description and Frequently Asked Questions documents for your information. 

Orienting With the Word (OWW) is now accepting applications for Cohort 1 which will run from August 1 through December 21, 2025. The Compass Bible Study Retreat and Training Seminar for Cohort 1 will be held from September 25–27 at Laurelville Retreat Center in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania. 

Applications for the second Cohort, which will run from January 1 through May 24, 2026, are also being accepted. The Compass Bible Study Retreat And Training Seminar for Cohort 2 will be held in March of 2026 at AMBS in Elkhart, Indiana.

As a grant-funded program, there is no fee for churches to participate in the program. Congregations that you serve may be eligible for either of these Cohorts. Please help us by passing this information along to any congregation you believe would be a good fit for the Orienting With the Word program.

For more information and application visit Orienting With the Word.