Author
Les Carpenter
Rector
The Rev. Les Carpenter became the rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in a suburb of Houston, Texas, in December 2012. Previously, he served as associate rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Indianapolis with a focus on young adult ministries. He received his M.Div. from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and his B.A. from the College of William and Mary with a double concentration in economics and religion. Carpenter studied improv comedy in Indianapolis, where he also played on a professional team. He has performed improv in several venues around Houston, including Station Theater and Beta Theater.
Lilly Endowment Inc. announces Exploring Christian Practices Initiative
The Exploring Christian Practices Initiative aims to multiply opportunities and increase access to settings that help individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds explore and engage in Christian practices to address their spiritual interests and questions, find and build community with others, nourish their religious lives and grow in faith.
In this open and competitive initiative, the Endowment invites charitable organizations to submit proposals for grants of up to $2.5 million each that may be used for up to a five-year period to develop new and/or enhance existing programs that present promising strategies for advancing the aim of the initiative and provide compelling and thoughtful responses to its guiding questions. The Endowment anticipates awarding approximately 60 grants and announcing grant awards in December 2026.
The Endowment will host four virtual information sessions (February 17, 19, 24, and 25) to discuss the Exploring Christian Practices guidelines for submitting a proposal. An Interest Form and Letter of Interest are due March 25, 2026. Complete proposals are due May 18, 2026.
Learn More and register for information sessions