Bridgeton Fund grants totaling $28,000 were allocated this week by the Bridgeton Fund committee to three Disciples congregations.
The largest allocation was $15,000 to Community Christian Church of Jefferson City. Their property was severely damaged by a tornado on May 22 last year.
A $10,000 allocation was made to Woodson Chapel Christian Church of St. Joseph to support repairs caused by a broken drainage pipe under the floor of a 1960s addition to the church property, severely damaging the building.
The third allocation was $3,000 to Community Christian Church in Manchester to help support a creative new ministry to the church’s neighborhood, construction of a large community garden for both members and non-members of the church.
The committee received 10 grant requests, totaling almost $161,500, but had only $28,000 available for grants this year.
The Fund is an endowment created by the former Bridgeton Christian Church when it closed in 1995. The fund has been invested with the Christian Church Foundation. No more than 5% of the previous year-end’s closing balance in the fund may be awarded in any year, in order to keep the fund in perpetuity.
Purpose of the fund, as stipulated by the congregation, is three-fold:
To meet monetary shortfalls due to unexpected strife in a church;
To help a church underwrite “revitalization/renewal” of its congregation;
To help meet property/structural damage caused by an act of God or other circumstances and not caused by neglect.
Guidelines stipulate that the Fund shall be used to meet a church’s temporary financial need, as long as the need was not created by “overextension of a budget or repetitive under-funding of a budget by the congregation”.
In no case did the committee disagree with a congregation’s need, but was limited by the amount available to allocate. Even with the three allocations that were granted, none met the total amounts requested.
Submitted by Mid-America Treasurer Tom Wood,
who serves as the chairperson of this committee.
[Note: Applications are due each year by January 31.]