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Beloved & Empowered Capital Campaign

The Future: Our Turn to Provide for the Next Generation

Beloved & Empowered: Growing Faith, Growing Futures is a $5 million endowment campaign to fund youth and young adult ministry in perpetuity.

This is not a short-term fix. It is long-term stewardship. We invite you to make a gift that reflects both your faith and your foresight.

A gift to this endowment creates permanence, protects youth and young adult ministry from economic swings, removes financial barriers, and strengthens the Church in the present and the future.

The vision is clear. The need is real. The opportunity is ours. Now is the time to step forward and build something that lasts.

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FAQs

About the Campaign

Beloved & Empowered: Growing Faith, Growing Futures is a $5 million endowment campaign launched by the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis to permanently fund youth and young adult ministry across the diocese.

  • $4 million — The Diocesan Endowment, supporting diocesan-wide youth and young adult ministry
  • $1 million — The Waycross Endowment, supporting Waycross Camp & Conference Center

Three main priorities:

  1. Endowed Diocesan Youth Minister — permanent leadership providing support to all parishes in the diocese
  2. Young Adult Program Expansion — retreats, mission trips, campus ministry, and new engagement efforts grounded in Episcopal faith
  3. Youth Resources — scholarships for diocesan youth events, mission trips, retreats, and Waycross summer camp and programs, removing financial barriers to participation

Waycross Camp & Conference Center, located in southern Indiana, has offered a place to encounter God through nature since 1957. It plays a central role in youth formation, discernment, and community-building for the diocese. The campaign commits $1 million to support Waycross’s broader $2.3 million goal (to be reached by 2030).

Waycross’s $2.3 million goal is being met through a combination of sources. A portion of the Beloved & Empowered campaign ($1 million) is being matched by a generous gift from Lilly Endowment, Inc. Waycross is also expected to launch its own capital campaign in the coming years to help reach its full goal.

  • Waycross’s $2.3 million Rebuilding cabins to include accessible restrooms
  • Renovating an existing property into a guest house for staff, volunteers, and leadership
  • Updating the swimming pool for accessibility for visitors of all physical abilities
  • Building a permanent bridge across the creek to White Oak Trail, improving year-round trail access and emergency responder access

Why Give?

Today’s youth face mental health challenges tied to heavy social media use that previous generations didn’t face. Research cited in the case statement includes findings that teens with the highest social media use are more likely to rate their mental health as poor, and that a large share of depressed and suicidal youth report problematic social media use. The diocese sees the Church’s mentorship, real relationships, and shared community as a direct response to that reality.

Youth engagement has expanded from 22 participants in 2022 to 103 in 2024, with projections of 500 by 2028 and 1,000 by 203. Currently more than 100 youth participate in diocesan programs each year, and nearly half require scholarships to attend. As participation grows, scholarship need is expected to grow as well — which is part of why the Youth Resources fund is a priority.

No. As Diocesan Youth Ministry expands, the campaign is also intended to help equip local congregations to build ministries that meet the specific needs of their own young people — not just centralized, diocesan-wide programming.

A gift creates permanence, protects youth and young adult ministry from economic swings, removes financial barriers to participation, and strengthens the Church’s capacity to serve young people now and for future generations.

125 Monument Circle
Indianapolis, IN 46204

(317) 926-5454  /  fax: (317) 926-5456

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