Endowment can start small and be effective

by Jim Cullumber, Christian Church Foundation

The Rev. Brian Daly of Pacific Beach Christian Church has some simple words of advice for congregations without permanent, or endowment, funds: Get started now!

Daly puts it this way: "It's easy to think you don't have enough resources to start a permanent fund or that your immediate needs are greater than your long-term needs. It took our congregation over 50 years to start a permanent fund and we started it with a $2,000 gift given by one of the charter members of the church who wanted to contribute to something that would bless the church long after she was gone. While it wasn't a large gift, we celebrated it (and her) as if she had given us a million dollars. It was something new and different and provided people an opportunity to think about ways of giving beyond their weekly or monthly offering."

Key to the process was a permanent fund policy. With assistance from the Christian Church Foundation, Pacific Beach Christian Church created a policy that works for them.

"The primary boost to our permanent fund came when we specified in our policy that 'undesignated' gifts to the church via bequests would automatically be directed to the permanent fund," Daly said.

"After we clarified our policy, we received three significant bequests within a year of each other," he said. "Rather than tempting us to debate how and where to direct the money, those gifts were invested directly in the permanent fund. During this time we were also beginning to articulate a vision for the church that included the hiring of an associate pastor and the launching of a home for those recovering from addictions. The timing was such that the congregation is beginning to see how the permanent fund is helping us take huge steps forward toward fulfilling this vision."

The Rev. Marilyn Fiddmont, the Christian Church Foundation vice president whose territory includes the Pacific Southwest Region, said the congregation located near San Diego is a shining example of what can happen with permanent funds.

"The church leaders took the time to develop a strong policy with the Foundation's help, and now they are seeing the benefits of having a thriving permanent fund," she said.

Added Daly: "So don't wait. Help is available and you will be surprised at the kinds of unexpected gifts you will receive along the way. In the 15 years since we started our permanent fund it has grown to over $475,000 and lots of other seeds for potential gifts have been sown that will likely bear even more fruit in the next 15 years and beyond."

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Leadership Academy provides training opportunities for social entrepreneurs

by NBA and HOPE staff

When Rev. Sharyn Cosby came to Hope Partnership's Leadership Academy last year, she came hopeful, but with a tired spirit.

 

"The work we are doing is needed," said Cosby, president and director of the social justice organization Oklahoma Family Empowerment Center. "Yet, I was getting weary-not of the well-doing, but in trying to do well with little resources and support."

 

Through the Social Entrepreneur Track, offered by the National Benevolent Association (NBA), Cosby received useful tools to lead her organization and the encouragement needed to continue her justice work.

 

"I experienced a turnaround in my spirit. My commitment strengthened," said Cosby. "I knew I was now able to receive what I needed."

 

Leadership Academy, held  Sept. 21-24 in Indianapolis, is an immersive, multi-day learning experience for leaders in new and transforming congregations, as well as social entrepreneurs of faith starting health and social service ministry projects. Open to Disciples clergy and lay leaders, this event will inspire, teach, and encourage people as they lead courageously in their local settings.

 

"All of the components of Leadership Academy are geared toward the passions, imaginations, hopes, and dreams of those who desire to lead God's people and are committed to further development in their roles as bold innovators working as a part of the 21st-century church!" said Shernell Edney, minister of educational services at Hope Partnership.

 

For the second year, Hope Partnership and the NBA are collaborating to offer the Social Entrepreneur Track.

 

"This partnership honors the reality that there are many new and imaginative ways to do ministry today. Adding a new cohort helps to support those whose ministry is to attend to the physical, emotional, and social needs of the communities around us," said Ayanna Johnson Watkins, director of the NBA Incubate Initiative. "Best of all, it allows these visionary leaders to gather and grow together."

 

To learn more about Leadership Academy and resources related to congregational leadership and community transformation, contact Shernell Edney. For more information about the Social Entrepreneur Track, contact Ayanna Johnson Watkins.

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