CONWAY, Ark. (October
7, 2019) — Hendrix College has received a $231,250 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
to continue the Hendrix Youth Institute (HYI). The College operates HYI, which
is geared toward teens discerning a call to ministry, under the direction of
the Office of the Chaplain and through a grant made by the United Methodist
Foundation of Arkansas to the Center for Calling & Christian Leadership,
part of the Office of Religious Life on campus.
The Lilly
Endowment grant will ensure that Hendrix can continue providing the two-week
HYI summer program for the next five years. HYI began in 2016 and was launched
with initial funding from Lilly Endowment through its national initiative, High
School Youth Theology Institutes at Colleges and Universities.
“We are grateful
for this generous gift from Lilly Endowment to continue the Hendrix Youth
Institute for high school students who are discerning a call to ministry and
leadership in the United Methodist Church,” said Hendrix College Chaplain the
Rev. J.J. Whitney, who also serves as director of HYI. “With our partners at
the United Methodist Foundation of Arkansas and the Arkansas Annual Conference
of the United Methodist Church, we will continue to cultivate this culture of
call in young adults throughout Arkansas.”
HYI invites
rising juniors and seniors in high school to come to the Hendrix College campus
to take religious studies classes with Hendrix professors and Arkansas United
Methodist clergy, participate in an orientation to ministry with the Arkansas
Annual Conference, plan and lead worship, explore their spiritual gifts through
guided exercises, and engage in service-learning opportunities. The second week
of HYI features a mission trip to a different location within the United States
each year, where HYI participants work through local United Methodist congregations
to meet needs in their surrounding communities.
“Having the
opportunity to participate in the Hendrix Youth Institute for two weeks this
summer was one of the most exciting, influential, and reassuring things I’ve
ever done,” said Phoebe Sanders, a member of Pulaski Heights UMC in Little Rock
and a participant in HYI 2019. “Whether it was allowing myself to be vulnerable
within small groups about troubles or doubts with my faith, taking classes in
the morning to learn about the historic importance of each aspect of worship,
or visiting churches around Arkansas and learning from their purpose and
mission, HYI quickly became a place where I was able to confidently explore my
faith and discern my call to ministry.”
HYI 2020 will
take place from June 14-27, with the first half on the campus of Hendrix
College and the second week on a mission trip to Chicago, Illinois. Applications
are due by Feb. 1, 2020. Learn more about the Hendrix Youth Institute at www.hendrix.edu/hyi.
About Hendrix College
A private liberal
arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns
recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is
featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change
the Way You Think About Colleges.
Its academic quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix
as a fixture in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876,
Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn
more, visit www.hendrix.edu.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private
philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and
J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly
and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment,
the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing
board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment
supports the causes of community development, education, and religion. Although
it funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of
religion, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and
home state, Indiana.