Eight months into my time as your Senior Minister, I am still learning! This week, I attended my first Foundation board meeting. The Foundation of First Baptist Greenville was created in 2004 and offers a way for people to supplement their annual giving to the church by making endowment gifts. The principal amount is invested, and the interest or earnings create a lasting source of financial support.
The Foundation currently has five primary funds; the most well-known is the Faith Fund, which supports missions locally, statewide, nationally and internationally. Each year on Foundation Sunday, we celebrate the impact of the Faith Fund by inviting local nonprofits that have benefited from its grants to join us for worship where we honor their remarkable work. The other four are less well-known:
• General Fund: Supports Church ministries or special projects
• Leadership Development Fund: Provides for the education, training or skill development of both laity and clergy
• Property Fund: Covers major maintenance or capital needs for Church property and facilities
• Tithe Fund: Helps with the general operating expenses of the Church
Gifts to the Foundation can support the church’s general work or specific areas of interest, allowing those who care about First Baptist to make a lasting and transformative impact both during their lifetime and long into the future. I liken it to planting trees for future generations to enjoy, as a gift to the Foundation allows you to make a lasting impact that benefits others for years to come!
During our first Wednesday night block, from September 4 through 25, I’ll teach a series titled “Exploring Heaven, Pondering hell.” In the conservative evangelical church in which I grew up, almost every sermon I heard was about heaven or hell! I don’t preach or teach about the afterlife that often because the core of our faith isn’t about getting into heaven. The center is Jesus, and Jesus’ primary message was not about going to heaven. Instead, it was about bringing the kingdom of God to earth as it is in heaven. At the same time, a lack of discussion about the afterlife can create a void where popular culture—movies, books and films—shapes our perceptions of heaven and hell. In this series, we will explore the historical development of these concepts and delve into what Scripture reveals (or doesn’t reveal) about the afterlife. Since none of us have experienced the afterlife and we can’t know for sure, we will approach the subject with humility and curiosity. I hope to see you there!
—Carol