Foundation Newsletter, February 2022

“The Foundation plays a vital role in launching new initiatives by mobilizing ministries of compassion, developing ministry to the under-evangelized, and pioneering ministry among the unreached," comments world missions pastor Dan Burns, "all of which comprise 2PC’s vision."

Grants of $4,462,000 have been made to world outreach initiatives from the Foundation over the last 23 years. Many related grants have also been made from Donor Advised Funds.

---

Meet two of our Foundation Visionaries: father and son, Bruce and Carter Campbell. Bruce and Carter have each served the Foundation in different seasons of life—both in terms of their own lives and the life of the Foundation.

Bruce was a member of the initial Board of Directors and was the first Chair of the Grants Committee. Carter has served on the Grants Committee and is the current Chair of its Scholarships Sub- Committee, which oversees everything related to our seminarians, among other things.

Reflecting on his dad, Carter shares, “I remember Dad talking about the 2PC Foundation, and he was so excited to see young folks going into full-time ministry. I recall him describing how the Foundation played such a pivotal role in allowing these folks to attend seminary. His involvement with the Foundation certainly impacted me and my interest in serving when I was approached years later.”

---

Did you know that giving a memorial or honorarium is a meaningful, thoughtful, and simple act that can be used strategically to advance the gospel?

When you choose to memorialize or honor a friend or family member through the Foundation, you choose an effective way to give by leveraging a small amount of money toward a large cumulative impact. This strategy is yet another way in which individual amounts are pooled and invested in the spread of the Gospel. 

---

Current Fellow James Ryan is supported this year in his job placement at Second in part by the Foundation through its Music Ministry Internship Fund. James conducted in our church’s annual Festival of Carols of service on December 12.

Click the video below to watch!

---

Christian Kauffman, a committed 2PC member and youth volunteer pictured below, explains the Foundation’s Seed Money program to the current Youth Inquirers Class. 

The Seed Money program, funded by the Foundation, encourages youth charitable giving by providing funded Donor Advised Funds for them when they join the church on Maundy Thursday.

---

May of 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the Foundation.

The Stewardship Committee is drawing up initial plans for celebrating this milestone. Pictured below are a few posters from years past. 

---

Your generous giving makes all of this (and more) possible!

Our Commitment to World Missions

As our church focuses on World Missions during this season, it is a good time to see how the Foundation complements this important ministry component. Here are some highlights.

• The Foundation has granted $4,462,000 to world outreach initiatives since its inception in 1998. That represents just under 33% of all grants other than those from Donor Advised Funds, from which many other grants were made to world outreach ministries.

• Over 30 ministries have received $3,326,000 of that total. Click here to view those ministries.

• The remaining $1,136,000 was granted from a thus designated fund (Sherman Fund) to the church’s World Missions Committee for their use and further deployment.

• This year the Grants Committee considers $270,000 in new grants. 

Associate Pastor and World Missions Director Dan Burns comments on the role of the Foundation in regard to world missions: “The vision of World Missions at 2PC is to engage in holistic ministry in three overlapping areas: ministries of compassion, ministry to the under-evangelized, and ministry to the unreached areas of the world. The Foundation plays a vital role in launching new initiatives in each of these areas, by mobilizing ministries of compassion, developing ministry to the under-evangelized, and pioneering ministry among the unreached.”

Gifting Memorials to Give Gospel Life

Did you know that giving a memorial or an honorarium is a meaningful, thoughtful, and simple act that can be used strategically to advance the gospel?

When you choose to memorialize or honor a friend or family member through the Foundation, you have chosen an effective way to give by leveraging a small amount of money which cumulatively reaps a large impact. This strategy is yet another way in which individual amounts are pooled and invested, resulting in the spread of the Gospel.  

Memorials and honorariums are a way to easily support our church’s Foundation at any level. It is also easy to do. Gifts of any amount may be made by check or by accessing the Foundation’s web page at www.2pcfoundation.org and clicking on the “Give a Memorial” button at the bottom of the home screen. You can also scroll to the bottom of this page and click the “Give a Memorial” button. In either case, simply let us know:

• who the gift is in memory or honor of

• who to send an acknowledgement to 

• whether the gift is designated or undesignated

Most memorials or honorariums are undesignated as to their use. This means that the interest earned from the Undesignated Fund is used in perpetuity to annually support significant grants that are made in the three arenas of Christian Leadership Development, World Outreach, and Domestic Outreach. 

However, you can designate to which Foundation fund you would like your gift to be made. For instance, if you feel or the person being recognized felt strongly about world missions, you could designate your fund toward the Gospel’s global advance. Any Foundation fund may receive gifts of this nature. Some of the designated funds that most often receive these sorts of gifts are the Willson Church Planting Fund; the T. Russell Seminarian Fund; the Burch World Missions Fund; and the Meredith Fox Scholarship Fund. You can learn about the various designated funds through the website’s FUNDation STRONG page, which lists the funds and explores the history, purpose, and results of each one.

Since the Foundation was established in 1998, a total of $427,570 in undesignated memorials have been made. Additionally, various amounts of memorials have been made to a variety of designated funds. That represents thousands of individuals, both church members and nonmembers, whose contributions have been harnessed and utilized to bear fruit. 

An option exists for those desiring a permanent memorial to ensure lasting remembrance of a spouse, relative, or dear friend and to further Christ’s work. Gifts have a range of commitment levels for the donor and are based on what the donor desires to achieve should a memorial be established. If you would like to discuss a potential gift to the Foundation for this purpose, contact Vicki Simmons at (901) 454-0034, ext. 193 or vsimmons@2pc.org.

Foundation Visionaries: Bruce and Carter Campbell

Members of Second Presbyterian Church since 1987, Bruce and Judith Campbell are the parents of Carter Campbell as well as son Bruce, who lives in Houston, Texas. They have five grandchildren. They are long time members of the Sojourners Sunday School class.

Bruce served as Chairman and CEO of the Board for National Bank of Commerce until early 1993. After retiring from full time service at the bank at that time, he continued to serve on the Board and he also served as the Executive Committee Chairman for a number of years. SunTrust acquired NBC in 2004.  

He was a member of the Foundation Board for 13 years over the time frame of 1998-2012, serving as the inaugural Chairman of the Grants Committee. Bruce was known for his insightful vetting of grant applications and his ability to offer sound principles for the operation of not only ministry partners but the Foundation itself. This was particularly helpful as the Foundation began to figure out how it was going to develop policies and implement practices across multiple areas including grants, investments, stewardship, and general operations.  

Hear from Bruce about his involvement with the Foundation:

Some years ago, I was fortunate to join Second`s Foundation Board.  I knew of the Foundation`s establishment, but it was only after being involved that I began to understand what an important and vital role it served in the life and mission of our church.

The Foundation was established thanks to the foresight of elders Herbert Rhea, Monte Weaver, Jim Boren, and others.  It was created in part to complement the church with grant activities beyond the year-to-year capacity of the annual church budget.  Very wisely, the founders restricted the Foundation from contributions to the church’s annual budget - which historically has become a real problem for some wealthy churches in other parts of the country.

Annual giving is good and necessary for the life of our church but the time horizon for gifts to the Foundation is in years or decades.  Those gifts will be doing good works for the Kingdom long after you are gone. The Foundation supports church members attending seminary plus multiyear support of foreign and home mission activities in coordination with the church.  Foundation funds are responsibly managed by professionals and overseen by the Foundation’s Investment Committee, which is comprised of members of Second with financial experience.

It is for these reasons that Judith and I have included the Foundation in our estate plans.

Members of Second Presbyterian Church since 2002, Carter and Bowie Campbell are the parents of Frazer (Vanderbilt), Eleanor (University of Virginia), and Carter (Memphis University School). They are members of Cornerstone Sunday School class.  

Carter has previously worked in banking and started a new business several years ago. National Property Concepts is oriented around repurposing excess space in existing bank branch locations.

He currently is a member of the Foundation Board, serving for six years since mid-2016. He currently serves on the Nominating and the Grants Committees and as Chair of the Scholarships Sub-Committee, which oversees among other things everything related to our seminarians. 

Hear from Carter about his dad and the Foundation:

Dad had a wonderful influence on so many people; myself included. He genuinely loved the people who worked at the bank, and he treated them accordingly. One the biggest lessons Dad taught me was how to treat others. He was by no means perfect, yet I learned how to treat people by listening to him at the dinner table and observing how he interacted with people at the bank and in everyday life.   

I remember Dad talking about the 2PC Foundation, and he was so excited to see young folks going into full time ministry. I recall him describing how the Foundation played such a pivotal role in allowing these folks to attend seminary. His involvement with the Foundation certainly impacted me and my interest in serving when I was approached years later.  

As a believer in Christ and His kingdom, it has been incredibly rewarding and encouraging to learn through the Foundation about the things God is doing around the globe to extend His kingdom of mercy and grace to a hurting and broken world.  

Through this involvement, my views on the needs in the local community and the world arena have been impacted. I would say I have been thoroughly encouraged.  This broken world aches on every level of life, and the answer is the gospel of Jesus Christ, who came to save lost sinners.  It is easy to get discouraged.  However, I have been immensely encouraged by what God is doing around the world, and serving on the Foundation has encouraged my heart.  Whether its supporting folks pursuing seminary degrees, foreign missionaries, or local ministries, God has blessed the 2PC Foundation with the privilege of supporting a variety of initiatives to expand God’s kingdom.   

For those who might be considering becoming involved with the mission of the Foundation I would say that if you desire to support the expansion of God’s kingdom at home and around the world, I’m not aware of another entity like it.  I would encourage anyone to consider including 2PC Foundation in their estate and gift planning. From wonderful resource stewardship to strategic and targeted missional support, 2PC Foundation is a unique vehicle to support initiatives oriented around extending God’s kingdom.  

Foundation Newsletter, October 2021

Only about 1 in 3 adults have a will, and many people do not realize a will is only part of an estate plan.

National Estate Planning Awareness Week is an opportunity for us all to be reminded about the importance of an estate plan for ourselves and our loved ones. Our plans should accurately reflect our values and goals.

We continue the new series that lets us hear directly from individuals present and past who have volunteered their time and talents to promote gospel advancing efforts through the Foundation.

Marion Quinlen is highlighted this month. She is a current member of the Grants Committee, the Scholarships Committee, and is Chair of the Berl Olswanger Music Scholarship Committee. Over the years, she has served as Chairman of the Grants Committee and as a member of the Foundation Board of Directors. 

Her dedication and faithfulness to this work for over two decades can be gleaned from her own words. “When I leave a Grants Committee meeting, I marvel at what God has done with the funds we have been able to give to these ministries.  I also wonder who is going to give the Gospel to all those people that we at Second are not reaching.”

Tim Russell had a passion for the Word of God and the sharing of it. He dedicated his life to education at many levels. That life inspired many donors to continue that mission.

The fund established just over one year ago in Tim’s memory is already at work, the proceeds of which are supporting Bradley Morrow as he pursues a Master of Divinity.

A significant amount of grants were made during this last fiscal year.

Between undesignated funds, designated funds, and donor advised funds, more than $1 million was distributed to mission efforts in our city, country, and around the world.

Estate Planning — Now is the Time

WHY PLAN?

You should take the time to make sure you have a properly prepared and complete estate plan in place that accurately reflects your values and goals, including a will or trust; powers of attorney for financial and medical decisions; and a living will. 

Do not delay in updating your documents and beneficiary designations. Maybe set a deadline to get everything updated by the end of the year. Getting this done will give you peace of mind. If the opportunity arises as you update things, you might consider including our church – through its Foundation – in your final plans. There are favorable tax laws that support those who exercise charitable intent.

If you have older plans in place, you might consider that there have been recent tax law changes; if your named executors, trustees, and guardians are still appropriate; or if the number of your children or heirs have changed.

If you have newer plans in place, you might check to see if there are any gaps in your plan and if it accomplishes exactly what you intend.

For anyone with existing plans, you should confirm that your beneficiary designations on all life insurance and retirement accounts compliment your will and/or trust.  

NEED TO DISCUSS?

Always consult your professional, tax, and legal advisors about the suitability of any of these strategies on your personal situation and how to carry them out effectively.

If you would like to learn more about the Foundation or discuss ways in which you can participate, contact Vicki Simmons at (901) 507-7898 or vicki.simmons@2pc.org. 

2020-21 Grants

The following grants were made during this last fiscal year. They include grants from the undesignated fund and many designated funds. Additionally, grants were made to eligible ministries from donor advised funds.



First Recipient of Fund Established in Memory of Tim Russell is Named

The Fund

The T. Russell Seminarian Support Fund was established September 2020 in memory of Reverend Timothy Lowell Russell (1957-2020). Tim Russell lovingly served among the congregation as pastor, preacher, teacher, mentor, and friend in two separate seasons of time.

In recognition of Tim’s adeptness at and love for reformed theological education, the purpose of the fund is to provide financial support for students who are accepted for enrollment at an approved seminary. Due in large part to the generosity of many donors, the balance now stands at $64,000.

Support under this Fund is specifically for African American or Hispanic members of our congregation or any member seeking a degree in urban ministry or any degree coupled with a clear calling for use of that degree in urban ministry.

The First Recipient 

Bradley Morrow is the first beneficiary of the fund. He is a native of Jackson, TN, and graduated from the University of Memphis where he met his wife Bri Morrow. While in college, he was involved with Campus Outreach and began to suspect a future in vocational ministry. Upon graduating, Brad joined the Memphis Fellows Program, during which he worked part-time in youth ministry for the Binghampton Development Corporation. It was these experiences that aided in discerning his call to vocational ministry. Brad is now serving as a Pastoral Resident at Second and working towards his Master of Divinity from Memphis City Seminary. The Foundation also supports the Pastoral Residency Program at Second.

Brad states, “Even though I did not have a relationship with Tim, I admired him from afar. While I desired to attend seminary and pursue a calling in ministry, the idea of doing that in a majority white context was challenging for me in many ways. Getting to watch Tim faithfully serve in his role at Second was such an encouragement for me, and the Lord used his life to help me to trust Him in my calling to ministry.” 

This fund continues in the tradition of a strategic mission of the Church and Foundation, while targeting support for an area that was close to Tim’s heart. Tim served as the Church’s pastoral liaison to the Foundation regarding seminarians. The fund is reflective of both Tim’s devotion to reformed theology and his love of counseling many young members of the congregation as they sought discernment regarding seeking a seminary education.

Church member and Director of Communications for Second, Robb Roaten, is a mentor to Brad. He said, “Tim Russell was passionate about equipping young pastors and spoke often about the importance of developing leaders for Gospel ministry. Being a close friend of Tim, it has been such a privilege to honor his legacy by getting to know Brad Morrow through serving as his seminarian mentor.”

The Future 

The Foundation welcomes the receipt of funds from members of Second and the community at large for the purpose of providing support for this effort. If you would like to make a contribution, simply direct your gift to the attention of Second Presbyterian Church Foundation: T. Russell Seminarian Support Fund or donate here. If you would like to learn more about the Fund or discuss ways in which you can participate, contact Vicki Simmons at (901) 507-7898 or vicki.simmons@2pc.org. 

Foundation Visionaries: Marion Quinlen

Marion Quinlen knows Foundation grants. 

This homemaker, grandmother, and volunteer has been consistently informing herself and others on the Foundation’s Grants Committee, Scholarships Committee, and Berl Olswanger Music Scholarship Committee for over 20 years. She joined the Board in 2001.

Her contributions to the Grants Committee and others that she serves on include the gifts of continuity and a working knowledge of their history; tirelessly overseeing the development of effective systems and policies that remain the underpinning of the granting process; and humbly and consistently doing the sometimes hard work of focusing and discernment. She has worked with four separate Grant Committee Chairs, and also served in that role from 2008-2012.

Marion and Bill Quinlen

She and husband Bill joined Second in October 1979. They are members of the Jeb Russell Congregational Community. Marion has volunteered in many areas of the church, including Women in Ministry, as well as volunteering at the Church Health Center, My Cup of Tea, and serving on the Board of Multinational Memphis.

Bill and Marion are the parents of daughter, Kathleen and son, Thomas. Thomas and his wife Natalie now are members of The Avenue Community Church. Their children, who grew up at Second, are Addie, William, and Amelia.

Hear Marion tell her history with the Foundation:
 

A Tug Toward Missions

I grew up in the Southern Baptist tradition which had a huge focus on missions and taking the Gospel to the whole world. Every year when we had our Foreign Missions Week, even as a child, I would go each night to hear the missionaries and think how wonderful and exciting their lives were. I was sure I wanted to be a foreign missionary. Thankfully, I later realized that my early impressions were not what being a missionary was like or what God had planned for my life, but that did not extinguish my strong interest in missions.

I was asked to be on the 2PC Foundation Board and on the Grants Committee about three years after the Foundation was started, and I was thrilled. I was so thankful for the opportunity to have a more intimate knowledge of what 2PC was doing with domestic and foreign missions, and what God was doing within 2PC.

It is such a privilege and faith-producing experience to work with the Foundation and with the Grants Committee. The committee members themselves have helped me grow in my faith through observing their lives and faithfulness in their commitment to this work.

The Work

At every meeting, the Grants Committee meets in person with various recipients of funds and those requesting funds, something that is important to Foundation donors. We hear first-hand how the funds being requested will be used, and how funds given have been used and what the results have been. In addition, the committee receives regular written reports. We hear some exciting stories, as well as stories of great difficulties, dangers, lack of resources and funding, and discouragement. We also hear how God uses those hardships to strengthen faith and perseverance and produce fruit in the most unlikely places.  

On Getting Involved with the Foundation

Being a part of the Foundation has allowed me to meet many members of 2PC who are dedicated to the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout our city, our country, and the world. These board and committee members have so inspired me to want 2PC to be a leader in our city and our denomination to get the Gospel into every neighborhood and every corner of our world.

The Needs in Domestic and Global Arenas

Being on the Grants Committee has allowed me to meet many dedicated Christians who are giving their whole lives to being the hands and feet of Jesus, giving lost people the Good News. They are in Memphis. They are in seminaries all over our country. They are in slums, war zones, refugee camps, the capitals of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and places we cannot name, in order to keep them safe. Their stories break your heart and fill you with hope. When I leave a Grants Committee meeting, I marvel at what God has done with the funds we have been able to give to these ministries. I also wonder who is going to give the Gospel to all those people that we at Second are not reaching.

A Resource for Ministry Advancement

As Christians we all need to be a part of spreading the Gospel, and there are various ways to do that.  Many organizations are familiar to all of us, but the entities funded by the Foundation may be unfamiliar to the members of Second. Having been on the Grants Committee, I have seen first-hand how careful the Foundation and the Grants Committee is in researching the missionaries, seminarians, various programs, and ministries they fund.  The Foundation can help point you to areas of interest where you don’t know of a trustworthy organization. The Foundation also allows your undesignated gifts to be used to fund a varied array of Christian agencies, close to home as well as on the other side of the world, agencies whose beliefs and goals are aligned with those of 2PC.

Effectiveness of Charitable Giving Through the Foundation

The 2PC Foundation has made me aware of how effective pooling resources is in accomplishing big ideas and big plans. What may seem to be small bequests or gifts to the Foundation are pooled with other gifts and make a large impact.

Becoming Involved with the Mission of the Foundation

Read Marion’s 2015 comments about the Foundation’s Youth Stewardship Fund.

Becoming involved with the mission of the Foundation allows you to become involved with something world-wide in scope, yet very personal to your faith and walk with Jesus Christ. It is located in an office at your own church, where you may go and sit down with Vicki Simmons, the Foundation Executive Director, and discuss what types of missions you are interested in and the different ways you can use your resources to support the Foundation. You may also easily find Board members and Grants Committee members who would love to tell you about what the Foundation is doing. They can give you the information you need to make decisions on how you want to proceed with investing in this Gospel endeavor.

Foundation Newsletter, October 2020

Anyone who engaged with Tim Russell or heard him speak knew of his passion for the Word of God and the sharing of it. He dedicated his life to education at many levels.

 It is fitting that a new fund has been established using the gifts received in his memory as seed money for the T. Russell Seminarian Support Fund.

We continue the series that lets us hear directly from individuals present and past who have volunteered their time and talents to promote gospel advancing efforts through the Foundation. 

Smoky Russell is highlighted this month. Serving a total of nine years with the Foundation with three of those as the Board Chairman, his leadership always shown brightly in a wide range of areas as he navigated the development of practical solutions for an emerging organization through his work related to investments, communications, administration, and many more.

He guided a young, adolescent organization through its administrative growth spurt by building out an even stronger foundation to the Foundation. Smoky provided humble and loving servant leadership that was strategic and comported with a more effective board, administration, granting process, investment policy, and stewardship approach, including the creation of the website and the issuance of charitable gift annuities.

A significant amount of grants were made during this last fiscal year.

Between undesignated funds, designated funds, and donor advised funds, more than $1.5 million was distributed to mission efforts in our city, country, and around the world.