01 Sep 2025 Methodist Foundation awards $15,000 to launch LifeQuest in Conway

Posted at 7:39 PMh in News by

CONWAY — The Methodist Foundation for Arkansas (MFA) has awarded a $15,000 gift to First United Methodist Church Conway to support the launch of LifeQuest at Conway, a new satellite campus of LifeQuest of Arkansas, the state’s largest educational nonprofit serving older adults.

“We are extremely honored to be a partner with LifeQuest and Hendrix College for such an important and vital ministry which will foster community among older adults,” said Rev. Nathan Kilbourne, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church, the host site of LifeQuest at Conway. “The Methodist Foundation’s support is key in making the launch of LifeQuest at Conway a possibility.”

With a mission to establish and manage charitable funds to strengthen and expand Methodist ministries across Arkansas, the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas manages over $220 million in endowment funds and other charitable assets that benefit local churches and other United Methodist ministries. Founded in 1963, the Foundation has grown into one of the largest United Methodist foundations in the country, managing more than 800 funds that support Methodist ministries. To learn more, visit methodistfoundationAR.org.

“Active, engaged seniors make valuable contributions to a healthy community, and community health is one of the eleven priorities that guide our grant-making program at MFA,” said Rev. J. Wayne Clark, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “LifeQuest at Conway brings three wonderful organizations together to offer the city’s older adults new and meaningful opportunities, and the Foundation is glad to support this partnership.”

LifeQuest’s fall term runs Sept. 15 through Nov. 11, with Conway classes held on Mondays at First UMC, 1610 Prince Street. Classes are also held in Little Rock at Second Presbyterian Church, 600 Pleasant Valley Road, and online classes may be attended from anywhere.

Courses cover a wide range of engaging topics that are taught by volunteer instructors and are designed to keep older adults socially connected and intellectually engaged. Registration is now open at lifequestofarkansas.org. The $85 registration fee provides access to all LifeQuest classes — in Conway, Little Rock or online.

With Arkansas’s population of adults over 65 nearing 540,000, and with more than a quarter of Arkansans projected to be age 60+ by 2030, programs like LifeQuest play a vital role in promoting healthy longevity and active aging.

“Demand for quality educational opportunities will continue to increase as we live longer, healthier lives,” said Dr. Karen Petersen, president of Hendrix College. “At its core, liberal arts education is about creating curious, lifelong learners, making our partnership with FUMC and LifeQuest a natural extension of what we do on campus every day. We are proud to join our neighbors in making Conway an even better place to live for all.”