The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Communities Churches (MCC) requests a five-year grant for its Thriving in Ministry program.  Seeking to break down the isolation experienced by many pastors in the denomination, this program aims to recruit, empower, and support clergy from diverse communities and theological traditions in forming a national ministerial network for mutual peer-support.  The program will focus on pastors who are in the midst of a professional transition and pair them with wise pastor-mentors.  The pastors will participate in a series of retreats to explore together practices of pastoral leadership and deepen their relationships with each other.  To sustain this effort, MCC will ask participants to contribute to offer the program to future participants, incorporate costs into the operating budget and raise funds from donors.