A Foundation for the Future

by Bill Reist

The Foundation of the Great Lakes Conference (GLC) was chartered in 1997 by the Ohio Conference of the Churches of God, General Conference (forerunner of the GLC) with proceeds ($6.5m) from the sale of Winebrenner Village. In the intervening 25 years since the first nine grants were awarded (1999), The Foundation has awarded over 300 grants totaling $6.8m and holds assets without donor restrictions in excess of $7m. The Foundation is larger now than when it first began even after distributing the equivalent of its original balance!

The Foundation’s mission is to “stimulate lifechanging ministry.” As a catalyst precipitates or incites an event, The Foundation encourages and supports transformational ministry throughout the Conference. One of the former directors—now in Glory—suggested during a planning meeting that the sole reason of The Foundation’s existence is to see more people in heaven! In that spirit, The Foundation exists to support those who equip people to follow Jesus.

Slightly more than half of the grants have been awarded to local congregations; the remainder were awarded to the GLC Executive Board, Commissions, and Camps. In addition, The Foundation manages $1m in church finances under the Investment Facilitator Program and $235k of endowments and assets with donor restrictions. The Lord has incredibly blessed the Conference through the work of The Foundation.

The Foundation awards two types of grants. For most of its history, The Foundation received Preliminary Grant Applications in January, and by invitation, Formal Grant Applications in March. Awards were announced in May for the year beginning June 1. These traditional grants are awarded for both capital projects as well as ministry and programming projects. They do not necessarily require a match by the congregation.

With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, The Foundation began to award Fast-Track grants, designed to bless the community, either inside or outside the congregation. These Fast-Track grants could not exceed $5k per congregation and were generally matched by the requesting body. In 2021, The Foundation continued the program with Micro Grants, providing resources to stimulate missional outreach and/or reproducing disciple-making in congregations and agencies of the Conference. Micro Grant awards will not exceed $5k and are generally matched by the requesting body. Multiple grants may be submitted by the same congregation or agency in any one calendar year.

Especially in the early years of The Foundation, grants were awarded for new construction and renovation of existing congregational and camp facilities. Numerous capital campaigns were supplemented by support of The Foundation, helping take meaningful projects over the top. But congregations are only as strong as their witness and The Foundation is focused on stimulating personal discipleship and spiritual growth, equipping people to follow Jesus.

This year has been quite fruitful as The Foundation awarded 25 traditional and micro grants totaling over $400,000. Most of these grants were for programs and ministries—as opposed to brick and mortar—thereby directly benefiting individuals. The grants underwrite such programs as ministry on the University of Findlay campus; camping ministry at Otyokwah, in Michigan, and even in Alaska; support of pastors and families for sabbaticals or pastoral care; children headed back to school; and food and supplies in places of food insecurity. The Foundation is blessed to be able to join congregations and affiliates in supporting these transforming ministries for the singular purpose of helping people live increasingly like Jesus.

The accompanying photo below shows participants at the GLC Youth and Family Camp (GLCYFC), held June 20-23, 2023, and supported by a modest Micro-Grant from The Foundation. The camp focused on “fostering an atmosphere in which the Holy Spirit could break through barriers to inspire spiritual growth.” In addition to campers and staff from the Michigan congregations, interns from Campus Ministry at the University of Findlay were invited to provide music and small group leadership throughout the week. The grant also provided scholarship money for unchurched campers to participate in the week and hear the Gospel.

A number of GLC congregations built bridges into their communities by hosting a back to school extravaganza, providing students with backpacks and school supplies, sponsoring a community movie night, upgrading the church’s playground equipment, or sending unchurched children to camp. In addition to GLCYFC mentioned above, Wooster, Risingsun, Ridgeway, Wharton, Mendon, and World Wide Living Faith congregations were all awarded grant support to focus on summer activities that served children and their families in the congregation and across the community.

The Foundation is an integral part of the life and ministry of the Conference. It is in early conversation to begin a significant financial campaign that will broaden ministry support. As The Foundation completes its first quartercentury of existence it looks forward to stimulating even greater transformational ministry that results in many more people in heaven. To God alone be the Glory!