BICF Testimonials

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Testimonials

Investing in the Church

An investor with the BICF since 1976, Rev. Earl Herr, remains “very positive” about his experience. While attending Palmyra BIC he learned of the opportunity, described as a “good way to invest money for your sake and for the work of the church,” and desired to participate.

He, along with each of his five children, has since remained an active participant. For the complete story click here.

A teacher's gift

When Ethel Climenhaga passed away on September 7, 2004, she left behind an estate larger than anyone, even those closest to her, could have expected. As a recipient of a portion of Ethel’s estate, the BICF has seen Ethel’s legacy continued through planned giving. A Christian educator for the majority of her life, Ethel often sought to lead by example. For the complete story click here.

One helping hand

Opening a charitable gift annuity after her house sold in 2003, Joyce Lehman “wanted to put her money somewhere it could be helpful” while also benefiting from it. “When you give, God gives back to you in numerous ways—maybe not always in money—but He blesses you in other ways,” Lehman explains. For the complete story click here.

Home base home

In order to make an impact on your local community, people have to know you are there. Pathway Community Church in York, Pa., learned this during the construction of their new building in 2002. “It was like saying to our neighborhood, ‘here we are,’” explains head pastor, John Cressman. For the complete story click here.

A child inspired faith

“Giving was built into the DNA of this church,” explains Pastor Steve Lehman of Horizon Community Church (HCC), Oklahoma City, OK. And yet, the congregation “would still be raising the money and wouldn’t have the facility” if not for the BICF loan fund. “Borrowing funds was a bold step for our congregation,” says Lehman, explaining that under a previous leadership team the congregation had committed to remaining debt-free. For the complete story click here.

Crossing lines divided

Set in the urban center of Moreno Valley, Calif., Valley Christian Church recently paid off its first loan with the Brethren in Christ Foundation (BICF). They celebrated with testimonies of the Lord’s faithfulness during the reimbursement process, “Our congregation is not big and for us to be able to pay off a loan that was originally $450,000, is pretty cool,” says senior pastor Ed Slattery. “You always have altars, memorials to the Lord, that help you say, ‘this is what God has brought us through, now we can trust Him for even more in the future.’” For the complete story click here.

Acting out their story

When Fred Miller and his wife, Cathy, moved to Dillsburg, Pa., to pastor Cumberland Valley BIC (CVC) in 1997 they came from a church that rented space from a school, and were thrilled the congregation had a building of their own. “We felt, wow, cool! We don’t have to set up chairs every week,” Fred shares. It was not long before this simplistic thankfulness transformed both Fred and Cathy into creative visionaries for their new space, to minister to the community, and demonstrate the “value the building has for the ministry,” explains Fred. For the complete story click here.

A little hope goes a long way

A small country church in East Berlin, PA, Morning Hour Chapel had a vision to open its doors to a broader community. But in order to do that, their church home needed to be a little more welcoming. So, in 2005, Morning Hour embarked on a remodeling project that included the installation of air-conditioning, an elevator for handicap accessibility, an enlarged nursery facility, a new lobby area and carport, two new classrooms, a new roof, and a paved parking lot with a loan from the BIC Foundation. While each of these parts of the project may seem small, they have come to affect all aspects of congregational life in a big way. For the complete story click here.

URL: www.bicfoundation.org/corp/testimonials.htm