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Andy Craske, the foundation’s vice president of loans and investments, shares valuable insights into the 2023 market thus far. The information should be useful to FUMF Funds account holders, or anyone looking to know the state of the market right now. The economy’s forward path has become even more complicated with recent high-profile but isolated

Gary and Sherry Eldred are a clergy couple who have been in ministry since graduating from college. Gary works as an ordained minister, most recently at Christ United Methodist Church in Leesburg, while Sherry worked as a high school teacher alongside her involvement in the church. “He is the pastor,” said Sherry, “Although, to be

Over the course of fifteen years, an endowment with initial balance of $50,000 could generate an additional $88,000 in funding for ministry.* First United Methodist Church of Dade City recognizes this kind of potential. That’s why they established the My Legacy Endowment Fund, in partnership with the Florida United Methodist Foundation, to make gifts to

The Florida United Methodist Foundation’s goal is to support congregations by providing them with the resources they need to carry out their faithful Christian ministry. We rely on the resources, goodwill, and trust placed on us by our partners to raise up our fellow stewards, which is why we strive to demonstrate our impact with

Despite a strong fourth quarter, which saw every category finish in positive territory for the quarter, it only served to blunt the damage already done earlier in 2022. For the year fixed income finished the year down -13%. Equities, or stocks, ranged from being down -14% to -20.4%. Real Estate was down -25.2%. This was

My seven-year-old daughter has been working hard at saving money. At her age, money comes from Christmas and birthday gifts as well as the ever-faithful Tooth Fairy. Recently, she asked my wife and I about opening a bank account with her saved money. One of the options she asked about was the “account at Daddy’s

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of meeting with new candidates for ordination in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. The process of becoming ordained as an elder in full connection takes several years. It’s a journey filled with formative steps that support the candidate’s discernment, preparation and understanding needed to fulfill

Just as the COVID-19 pandemic started to cool down, another situation was heating up inside the sanctuary at Merrell United Methodist Church. Patricia Tabois, a lay leader at the Lauderdale Lake church, describes the uncomfortable situation. “When Pastor had wanted to come back to face to face, the AC just decided it was not going

Stocks and bonds climbed in the first half of the quarter as concerns about inflation abated, but the Federal Reserve brought investors back to reality with aggressive interest rate policy and messaging. After an initial rally, U.S. stocks ended the quarter near 2022 lows. Small-cap stocks fared a little better than their large-cap counterparts; growth

When single mother Tavia Holloman experienced a family crisis coming out of homelessness, she found the Learning Empowered agency, and it changed her life. “They always made sure my family had the resources we needed, connecting me with different services,” she said. “They taught me about community and engagement and empowering others. “It’s about what