Funds That Benefit You And...

Manna Fund

The Manna Fund is Church Extension's Annual Fund that provides for research and development of new services and the improvement of current services to better serve congregations according to their cultural context and stage in their life cycle.  The fund is like God-given Manna providing nourishment during the journey as Church Extension seeks to serve Disciples congregations in better ways.

"God rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.:  Psalm 78:24

Mark and Jennifer contributed to this fund and shared "we were happy to do whatever we could to support Church Extension because the ministry was there for us during a very difficult time for our congregation."

As Jim Powell, President, shares "with gifts of $100 we can make 100 phone calls to congregations during our research and development phase of a new service.  Contributions totaling $1,000 help Church Extension's ministry cover the cost of a focus group to review a new service as it is being created.  $5,000 gifts help with the needed pilot studies and contributions up to $10,000 help cover the cost of a launch of a new service like the New Beginnings assessment service.  This service assists congregations in the later stage of their life cycle and has already helped more than 60 congregations and it was just launched in January of 2007!"

Interest Free Loan Fund

When Disciples congregations experience natural disasters like a flood, hurricane or tornado, Church Extension can help.  One of the ways is with the Interest Free Loan Fund where donors can contribute to help make loans possible that are provided for a period of time at an interest free status.  Plus, new congregations can tap this fund as well.  As the pastor of New Direction Christian Church shares, "Church Extension came through for us.  We are a young congregation with little credit history but phenomenal growth.  Church Extension allowed us to borrow money, some of it interest-free, to keep growing and reach more for Jesus."

Accessibility Loan Fund

Gifts made to the Accessibility Loan Fund assist Church Extension in making 3% loans to Disciples congregations when they address physical barriers like inaccessible rest rooms, or work to install elevators or ramps.  As George from Oklahoma shares "We want people's visits to be a blessing to them - not a hardship.  Having observed so many people (including my wife) having difficulty getting in and out of a church building, I know firsthand that we need to make our churches more welcoming."  This fund helps us do just that!

New Church Ministry

Disciples are celebrating the historic start of more than 500 new congregations in just 6 years.  "People are thumbing their way through the Bible for the first time in their lives in our new church starts" shares Rick Morse, lead minister for New Church Ministry.  More than 38,000 new Disciples are finding the love of God in these new churches and donors to New Church Ministry are helping to make all this happen.

Site Acquisition

Each year grants are made to congregations for the purpose of acquisition of their initial property that will be their primary center for worship and other church activities for the new congregation. Gifts to this fund make acquiring that first site possible.  Certainly as this fund can grow, Church Extension can provide not only more grants but in larger amounts as we seek to turn a new congregation's dream into reality.  As John from Missouri shares, "My late wife and I were about supporting the Site Acquisition Fund, as it is an important step in the establishment of a new church where the gospel of Jesus Christ will be shared with many."

Undesignated Gifts

With gifts that are not designated for any specific fund, Church Extension can broaden the base from which it serves congregations with their capital projects.  As Carolyn shares "I remember my father saying that he really liked to support the ministry of Church Extension in general so it could grow and serve more congregations in better ways."

Whether the gift is for the Interest Free Loan Fund, Accessibility Loan Fund, New Church Ministry, Site Acquisition or Undesignated, the donor can establish a Memorial Fund ($500 minimum), Named Fund ($5,000 minimum) or Extenders Fund ($25,000) and add to the fund over time until it is fully established.