Best Friend Grant Recipients
Part of our 2023 Christmas Offering was designated for our “Best Friend Grants” initiative, an idea to help connect our church's generous spirit with individuals in the congregation who are seeking ways to bless and love our local community in various ways.
A diverse advisory panel composed of covenant members of Ironwood Church listened to and engaged with each applicant's presentation. After prayerful discussion and consideration, the advisory panel chose to award six grants totaling $25,000.
Below is the information for each approved grant and the contact information for the folks who are leading these different projects. Please join us in praying for them, and feel free to contact them directly if you are interested in serving alongside them.
1) Loving the Unborn of Arizona
This project involves a multifaceted effort to engage our church and local community in the fight against the unprecedented push for increased abortion access in the upcoming November 2024 ballot. The initiative is an extreme measure that would allow abortions up to the minute of birth, take out basic medical care requirements as well as parental rights of minors, and could force medical professionals to take part in abortions or face legal action. The “Loving the Unborn of Arizona” project will take action to stop this bill by amplifying education about the evils in the bill and mobilizing a variety of people and resources to help vote it down in November. Contact Aaron Lynch for more information: aaronlynch1977@gmail.com
2) BCA Pastors/Wives Scholarship
Biblical Counseling of Arizona is a local non-profit Christian counseling center that has blessed our community for many years. This grant allows them to offer scholarships and significantly reduced counseling costs to local pastors and their wives. What better way to love and bless our community than to offer support to help other local church leaders be healthy? Contact Joe Leavell for more information: jleavell@biblicalcounselingaz.org
3) School Search Workshop
This project will put on a workshop to serve families by helping them wisely navigate the overwhelming number of school options available to them, informing them of the strengths/weaknesses of those different options and the resources that they offer. This will bless families in our community by helping them identify the best educational setting for their children. Contact Brittany Master for more information: brittanyceremaster@gmail.com
4) San Tan Valley Incorporation
San Tan Valley has historically been a very neglected and marginalized community that has regularly been on the receiving end of corruption and corporate greed. As a rapidly growing unincorporated city, San Tan Valley faces a number of challenges, among which is the reality that Pinal County is legally prohibited from providing a number of crucial services that only an incorporated city can provide. Funds from this grant will assist in the process of providing the voting public citizens of San Tan Valley the ability to choose for themselves by election ballot initiative if they want the benefits of creating their own self-governing municipality. Contact Tyler Hudgins for more information: tahudgins@gmail.com
5) Bella Via Block Party
This project will help an Ironwood family extravagantly bless their local neighborhood by hosting a block party with food, games, and activities for about 150 people. While many are hesitant to attend an event at a church building, this event provides an opportunity for friends and neighbors to connect even in the midst of busy family schedules. Contact Jordan and Rachel Babb for more information: rbabb3@hotmail.com
6) Precipice
Precipice will be a support group for women to process reproductive trauma (infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, infant death, PPD, abortion, etc.). The hope is that this project will integrate the love of God and direct words from Scripture into the processing of intense loss, thereby reconnecting broken souls to their Healer. Funds from this grant will be used to develop curriculum, resources, and training for group leaders. Contact Gabrielle DeLong for more information: gabriellerdelong@gmail.com