 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 Spring 2008
the semi-annual newsletter of BGC Cornerstone Fund | 2nd Half for Him | Giving Confidence | "Four P's" of Estate Planning | The Cornerstone Team |
Preparing for Next Steps I hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter. As we launch into the next chapter of ministry, I want to pause and thank our 1778 investors for your part in making this work possible. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to help churches with the resources you provide through your investments in the Fund. As we look to what is next for the Fund, I want to fill you in on what we see coming up. We have 103 loans in place, totaling $87.3 million. We expect to make an additional $22 million in loans in 2008. We have about $112 million in assets. We expect to grow to $125 million by the end of this year, based on recent trends. We gave $1 million to BGC ministries in 2007. We plan to give another $1 million in 2008. Our purpose remains the same. As we prepare for what is ahead we will work to keep our core focus of quality service to churches and investors in the forefront. We know our distinctiveness depends on keeping a humble and faithful attitude, while diligently working to protect our investors’ interests and striving to serve our churches well. We are fortunate to have a group of staff members who love God and work hard to accomplish this mission. As our volume of investors and church loans grow, we will add to our team to ensure that our current staff is not overloaded and those we serve continue to receive a high-quality experience. We will invest in technology and people to keep pace with the new opportunities that will emerge. We celebrate the privilege it is to work with a growing, thriving group of churches in which the demand for our services is expanding at such a rapid pace. As we consider the implications of a move in late-2009, when part of the BGC ministry operations will move to Orlando, Fla. and the rest to the Elgin, Ill. area, we will work hard to accomplish a seamless transition. Because our move is close by, and we have a quality team of information technology people, we expect our service needs will be met and you will not feel any negative impact. We will, of course, give you the new address well in advance of our move. God has positioned us well for these next steps in ministry. We have a solid net asset position, an effective staff who share a common mission and a good attitude, a qualified and active board of directors, a group of investors who share our values and believe in our ministry and churches who value the services we provide as they seek to respond to the ministry opportunities that God has placed before them. We believe good things for the future, in keeping with the promise in Jeremiah 29:11. As you prepare for your next steps, we trust that God will lead you in wisdom and grace. He is proven and trustworthy. We look forward to the opportunities ahead to serve you and to share in this good work together.
Helping people invest in LIFE The ministries of Converge Worldwide (BGC) focus on investments. We invest in communities by planting and growing churches. We invest in lives by developing leaders. We invest in the world by sharing cups of cold water in the name of Jesus. The BGC Cornerstone Fund is where people associated with the BGC can invest financial resources in ways that bring about personal benefits and help meet real ministry needs in churches across the country. The majority of Cornerstone investors are age 50+, and are blessed to know their financial planning (enabling them to invest) has helped churches expand their ministry capacity. Converge Worldwide (BGC) 2nd Half for Him is also about investments. The article below paints a picture of what nurturing that investment looks like. ‘So, what’s next?’ It’s a question we delight in contemplating at certain times of our lives. Like at graduation, or our wedding or the birth of a child. Possibilities for one’s future at those times project forth in brilliant colors like the surrounding images in an IMAX theatre. But the question takes on a bit of a cynical tone when asked of someone anticipating retirement. We’re conditioned to the same answers: “Going fishing.” “Buying an R.V.” “Working on the golf swing.” We’ve come to expect that people in the second half of life will fulfill the dictionary’s definition of retirement: “To leave a place, position or way of life and go to a place of less activity.” Not so for this generation of older adults! The retort to “What’s next?” is more likely to include: “Going to college.” “Spending two years in Central Asia in missions.” “Tutoring children in my community.” What some are coining the name “Encore Generation,” today’s adults age 50+ are seeking opportunities to come back on stage and serve their world with the gifts, skills, resources and knowledge they’ve acquired over years of life and experience. The mind-set of this generation is to seek a life filled with significance and purpose. That doesn’t happen automatically. While we may develop a financial plan for our retirement, few of us plan emotionally or spiritually for our later years. That is a tragedy because the results are twofold: 1) we see individuals meandering through their later years without purpose, feeling depressed, disheartened and devalued; 2) the potential this generation possesses for impacting the world for Christ is wasted. How does one become more intentional in developing a path for long life? Spiritual and emotional energy is breathed into long life through a deliberate look at where God has been at work in one’s life in the past, acknowledging what he is doing in the present and casting an unfettered vision for the future. Converge Worldwide (BGC) 2nd Half for Him is committed to helping local church leaders develop environments to foster spiritual growth in the lives of people over age 50. As individuals take time to reflect and refocus, they can develop intentional paths for spiritual and emotional growth and significant ministry. As churches create ways to deploy these people into ministry, we will see the world impacted for Christ. Come Over to Macedonia to Help Us (A letter from Lucious Fullwood, senior pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church, Chicago, Ill.) In an effort to expand our ministry to our wider community, we at Bellevue have invited the BGC Cornerstone Fund to join us. We are located on the far south side of Chicago and it is our mission to reach our community for Christ. It is our goal to bring the members of our Church in contact with the residents of our community for the purpose of sharing the love of Jesus Christ. It is our goal to accelerate what we are already doing by creating a setting for ministry on a larger scale. We plan to build a $3.5 million ministry center complex where our members can interact with non-believers throughout the week. This center will have a full-size gymnasium with meeting rooms, classrooms, office spaces, a full-size kitchen and other recreational areas. Some of the ministries we envision for our center are: hot meals for the homeless, clothing for the needy, crisis counseling, ministry to unwed mothers, an abstinence program for teens, recreational and Bible classes for community youth, a literacy program for adults, tutoring for students in math and reading, job counseling for people out of work, etc. Our main goal for these ministries is to place believers in contact with non-believers with a positive witness. We want to meet people at their point of need with the love of Jesus Christ. Only good things can happen when Christians are involved in their community in a redemptive way. We celebrate what God is already doing through our outreach ministry and we celebrate what he is going to do through us as the BGC Cornerstone Fund joins with us in this project by granting a loan to build our center. “Come over and help us” was the Macedonian call to Paul on his second missionary journey. His obedience to the call opened the door to a fruitful ministry of expanding the gospel and making new converts for the kingdom of God. Giving Confidence for Building Churches If you feel God calling your church to renovate or expand facilities to enhance your ministry effectiveness, you might want to consider a Capital Campaign to help fund this endeavor. “Giving Confidence” provides full-service capital funding assistance to our churches. If you are considering a capital campaign for ministry expansion purposes, you might want to consider the following questions:
If you answered yes to the above questions, we suggest you begin conversations with Doug Peck, Cornerstone’s Capital Campaign Services Consultant, approximately 12 to 24 months in advance of a planned capital project. Contact Doug at (847) 879-3519 or dpeck@baptistgeneral.org.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: "Four P's" of Estate Planning Planning is a life-long process, not a one-time event. Circumstances change over time and so may your plans. A simple way to begin is with the “Four P’s” (or five if you include don’t procrastinate!).
The size of your estate may grow (or diminish) over time. Plus, tax laws and family dynamics may change. Advisors suggest that you review your estate plans every two to three years.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BGC 2nd Half for Him ministries is involved in helping people age 50+ discover vital ways to invest the second half of their lives in new areas of ministry.
For more information contact Dick and Leona Bergstrom, co-directors, Converge Worldwide (BGC) 2nd Half for Him
Senior pastor Pat Krause reached for the phone with the urging of John Marrs (BGC Mission Advance Team) and unlocked what the leadership and people had only dreamed of for many years. Doug Peck (pictured), executive director of BGC’s Cornerstone Fund Capital Campaign Services, answered that call, resulting in a consulting arrangement that empowers the church to raise $1.5 million this fall.
For more information, contact Lee Jantzen at 1 (800) 323-4215 ext. 3215 or email: 
