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 Fall 2008
| International Ministries: Investing in the World Shared Interest Program | 12 Reasons for Capital Campaigns | News You Can Use Laddering Investments | The Cornerstone Team |
Reaching Your Goals Goals give you something to shoot for. The loftier the goals the sweeter it is to achieve them. My daughter wants a PlayStation 3. She has been saving up Best Buy gift cards from birthdays and Christmas for quite some time. Eventually she will have enough to reach her goal. By then she may want a PlayStation 4. And yes, I kind of want her to reach her goal as well. Anything worth having generally comes with some sacrifice. Many of you will have just watched the Olympics and would have seen Michael Phelps attain his goal of winning eight gold medals. Mr. Phelps did not just jump in the pool and come away with eight gold medals. Although he has been blessed with the perfect swimmer’s body, it was more than genetics that brought him the gold. He also trains hard, averaging seven miles a day, 365 days a year, in the pool. That’s incredible dedication. Many of you who have set goals realize you have to do more than just set them to achieve them. Paul says in 1 Cor. 9:24 you must “...run in such a way as to get the prize.” You must work to attain them. Paul’s goal was to bring the gospel to a lost world, and he did what it took to accomplish that. “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (vs. 25). “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air” (vs. 26). We want to be able to offer financing to every Converge Worldwide (BGC) church that needs it—to finance new buildings or additions that will be used to bring the gospel to many. To do this we work hard to provide good service and a competitive product and programs for our investors and our churches. The Shared Interest Program has recently been developed to assist other Converge Worldwide (BGC) ministries attain their goals as well. We remain vigilant in our efforts to stay competitive as we grow the Fund to reach our goal. Our goal is clear enough, and we are always looking for better ways to communicate the message. To those of you who are our partners, thank you. Together we will reach our goal.
Investing in the World The BGC Cornerstone Fund is a strategic investment in world missions. Converge Worldwide (BGC) now has 159 missionaries serving in 25 nations and is still growing. At our first biennial meeting this past June at Bethel University, we commissioned our largest class ever of new appointees. These choice men and women will join their co-laborers to multiply disciples, leaders and congregations throughout the world. A wonderful new opportunity in the Cornerstone Fund is the Shared Interest Program. Among its many features is the ability to use interest gained through your investment to help support a missionary and also to support special mission projects. Imagine using this tool to bring the gospel to an unreached people group, or to help in the building of a church, or to bring medical care to a child. Our missionaries carry out an incredible variety of ministries with the goal of expressing the love of Christ in tangible ways so that men, women, boys and girls can have the opportunity to know him personally.
The support of missionaries comes from our churches and our people who have a heart for the world. The prayers of intercession for our workers come from those same churches and individuals. Each year hundreds of our church members serve in scores of nations on strategic short-term ministries in which they build relationships and help expand the Kingdom. As our churches are healthy, growing and reaching out, so our international ministries grow, are healthy and continue to reach out. Again, now is the time for all hands on deck. The Cornerstone Fund is such a significant part of allowing our churches to expand and take new ground for the Kingdom. Together, we have the responsibility and joy of helping fulfill the Great Commission in our generation.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: Laddering Your Investments Savvy investors keep a portion of their portfolio in fixed-income investments where it’s not subject to the ups and downs of the stock market. Strategy of Investment Laddering Laddering investments can help you beat lengthy low-rate cycles because it allows you to take advantage of interest rates spread over months or years while keeping some liquidity. Laddering takes advantage of the fact that almost always, the highest interest rates are paid to the longest term investments. In other words, a five-year investment is almost always going to have a higher rate than a one-year investment. An investment ladder can be as long or as short as you like, but for this example let’s use a five-year ladder with five rungs. If you have $20,000 to invest, you would invest $4,000 in each rung. You could put $4,000 in a one-year investment, $4,000 in a two-year investment and continue up to $4,000 in a five-year investment. After a year, the one-year investment occupying the first rung matures and each of the other investments has one less year until maturity. In other words, the two-year investment now matures in one year; the three-year is two years from maturity, etc. The money from the one-year investment that has just matured is rolled over into the now vacant five-year rung. Every year you’re replacing the rung that’s farthest out — in this case the five-year rung. By always replacing the longest maturity, which is the top rung on the ladder, you’re reaping the benefit of earning the highest interest rates. If interest rates slump one year, you’re only reinvesting a portion of your investment when yields are low. And you don’t have to try to guess when rates are at their highest because you’re constantly reinvesting. The most important thing to keep in mind when laddering investments is to make sure the maturities jibe with your cash needs. It’s no good having a one-year investment if you have an emergency halfway into the term and are in a cash crunch because your money is tied up. Penalties for early withdrawal will squash your returns. Make sure there’s enough cash in your emergency fund to carry you until the shortest rung on your ladder matures. In other words, if the first rung is a one-year investment, you need enough cash on hand for one year of living expenses. Although a five-year ladder allows you to take advantage of the best interest rates offered, your ladder could be shorter if it makes you more comfortable. The rungs should be whatever maturities suit your cash flow needs. In an extremely low-rate environment, it’s best to keep a ladder short. In that scenario, you could have a two-year ladder with emergency funds in a demand account and ladder your investments at rungs six-months, one-year and two-year terms.
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We have the largest group ever of appointees developing their ministry partners right now. 
The church is the hope of the world as it expresses Christ’s love. I often think about how blessed we are as a movement in America. As I consider International Ministries, I realize that all our resources come from our wonderful churches. Missionaries are sent in response to the prayers of God’s people. In Matthew 9:35-38 we are told to beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest fields. As the church prays, God sends out his workers.
Thom and Ellen Schotanus are Converge Worldwide (BGC) missionaries serving in Cameroon, West Africa. The two photos above are from Thom’s March 2008 visit to the Saicham people. The bed makes a great “children’s section,” with a place to keep the offering plate, Bibles, etc., during the worship service.
12 REASONS FOR CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS