I had a great time at the bi-annual Brethren in Christ gathering last weekend. As pastors and leaders gathered from all over the country and the world, it was cool to see the unity we share and the common passion for Jesus. At the conference, we heard reports from the many ministries that we do together as the BIC. One unique thing that we have is the BIC Foundation. I’ve wanted to share this organization with you all for a while but, as it has financial implications, it feels strange to share it from the pulpit. Nevertheless, as part of the BIC, we have such a unique resource available to us through our larger church family and I want to at least make you aware of it.
“The Brethren in Christ Foundation exists to serve the BIC U.S. by offering investment, planned giving, and financing opportunities for congregations and pastors. As a service organization, the BIC Foundation provides a way to partner together to expand BIC ministries. Faithful stewards invest with the BIC Foundation, which in turn enables congregations to borrow funds for ministry purposes. Whether funding facility purchases, expansions, renovations — or even charities — the BIC Foundation financially empowers transformative ministries.” – bicus.org
In other words, if you are looking for a way to invest your finances, the BIC Foundation offers the ability to both save for your future while utilizing your savings to fund church ministries and outreach. They offer the equivalent of savings accounts (TAPs), CD’s (SICs), as well as IRAs and HSAs and the rates tend to be better than your local bank.
To be clear, I am not trying to tell you how or where to invest your hard earned money. I simply want to share about this unique option that is available as part of the BIC family.
On another note, as we explored Colossians 3 yesterday, I had mentioned how the sermon could have easily been one focused on sex with the first of Paul’s specific lists of sins to seek out and put to death. This morning, I was listening to a sermon podcast from one of the pastors I enjoy listening to and his sermon yesterday actually was on sex. It was a really good sermon and I thought I should share it for those of you who were interested. Pastor Chris Brown does a wonderful job looking at God’s design for sex and applies it well for both married and unmarried individuals alike. If you’re interested, you can check out the sermon here.
Wow…money and sex…not my normal weekly update! Next time I’ll try to get back to the “regularly scheduled program.” 🙂 Have a great week and hope to see you Wednesday night at the Dwelling Place!
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Jan