Chautauqua Grant: Would you like to attend in 2025???

Applications may be made from now until September 30, see more details below. Have you heard about the Chautauqua Institute? A number of our congregants have attended one or more of its weeklong sessions, many have gone several times.  An anonymous member has gifted the church with a grant which will cover most of the expenses for someone to go every year for the next several years!   But what is Chautauqua, and why should you be excited about going there?

Check out this 3-minute video below and read more about our process, eligibility, and funding below! 

The Chautauqua Institute is a small, gated community on the shore of Lake Chautauqua, NY. It began as a summer camp for Methodist Sunday School teachers in 1874. It is filled with small houses, cottages, hotels and apartment houses. Practically every American religious denomination has a house there with an attached chapel. The community is centered on a village green, which is surrounded by a few cafes, stores, and an excellent book shop. If you're momentarily worn out by all the activities, the green makes an excellent spot to recharge your batteries with an ice cream cone. Plenty of benches in both sun and shade allow you to relax and enjoy the sight of bicyclers, or young families playing with children and dogs.

The Chautauqua season runs every summer for nine weeks. Each week has a different theme.  Some of the themes in 2025 include Building Community through the Arts, Comedy Now, Future of the American Experiment.  Each week also has an interfaith theme.

The day can start with denominational services at each chapel at 7:30. If you'd rather sleep in, the day can kick off for real at 9:15, when the week's guest chaplain hosts an interfaith Christian service in the Amphitheater (seats 5000).

The rest of each day is filled with talks, lectures, plays, shows and concerts. Speakers are nationally and internationally known and has something fascinating to say about America, its people, its religions, and its history. 

Cindy Cox, our past grant recipient, (before COVID shut it down for a while) had this to say about her experience: “I absolutely loved Chautauqua. The speakers were spectacular, I understand why the gate pass is expensive. My week's theme was "Shifting Global Power, The Power of Soft Power". It was a week of lectures of how we operate as a society which has become so divided and how do we become a unified society again. It was a week of reflection on conciliation and compromise. A week of reflection of all that is good in our society and how do we foster a sense of community and healing in this deeply divided society. I particularly enjoyed Bill Moyers and Robin Wright's lectures. I actually purchased the videos of both lectures, thinking they might be good for adult ed. On Monday after her lecture, Robin Wright actually sat next to me at the symphony that night. My best description of Chautauqua, "Disney for Nerds". I loved every minute of it and hope I can go back. I'm so appreciative of the anonymous donor's extravagant gift, without it there would have been no way I could have afforded such a wonderful week of spiritual renewal!” We all owe our anonymous friend a huge vote of thanks for making this opportunity more widely available. More will be said through the coming month at church.

To learn more about Chautauqua opportunities and accommodations, please click here.

OUR PROCESS

Our Chautauqua awards team is accepting applications from now until September 30.  An application form is attached and copies are available in the narthex. If you're interested, please fill one out and send it to the church or drop it in the labeled box in the narthex.   The awards team will review the applications and the winner will be announce by the end of November.

Chautauqua Application: Click Here to Download the Application

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The intent of the grant is to be able to send the equivalent of one person every year while the original funds last.  This could also be 2 people every other year, or perhaps a small family or group, once in a while.  To be eligible:

-       You must be a member of FCC for 2 years before the date of the trip

-       You must not have attended Chautauqua Institute within the last 5 years

-       You must be able to plan and navigate your specific trip independently

FUNDING

For traveling in the year 2025, the amounts of the grant would be $2500 for one person, $4250 for 2 people, or $5500 for more.  This is meant to cover the vast majority of the expenses (entrance fee, accommodations, food, travel) if handled economically.  Additional monies spent are up to the travelers.  Two thirds of the money would be provided by year end for making reservations.  One third of the money would be provided the week before departure.  If the trip must be cancelled for any reason, any money not yet spent on the trip would be expected to be returned to the church. 

Reservations for specific weeks and for accommodations open in early January – in order to reserve economical rooms (some of which include shared bathrooms and a shared kitchen), reservations must be made essentially immediately as they fill up very fast.  The committee can point to websites but the planning and execution will be left to the travelers.

This will be discussed at church and in the epistles throughout the month of September.  Feel free to reach out to anyone on the awards team with any questions.  This is a lot to digest but worth the effort!

Good luck! 

From the Chautauqua awards team,

Karen Walker, Carol Sowle, Gini Coomer, Steve Leatherman, Wendy Baldwin, or Pastor Sarah Lund.