What started out as two projects at Isle of Faith United Methodist Church became five. And then members started funding others.
The Rev. Will Clark said it was like a loaves-and-fishes miracle. The catalyst? A $225,000 loan from the Florida United Methodist Foundation’s Development Fund, coupled with the congregation’s creative hard work to stretch the funds even further.
The Jacksonville church first fixed the roof and kitchen. “Then we found we could do three or four more major projects,” Clark said.
The influx of capital from the loan, plus the commitment to making the church space more inviting, encouraged members to be generous.
“Someone heard we got the loan and would be in a position to fix things,” he said. “Now we have a new church sign.”
The member couldn’t afford to pay for the roof, but the sign was doable.
“All this adds a level of confidence,” Clark said. “The community sees improvements at Isle of Faith and knows we’re serious about this.”
And any funds left from the loan, along with the money the church saved by going with the foundation’s low-interest loan, can be reallocated.
“I feel every member of leadership has this sense of understanding that it’s God’s church,” said Nat Cole, the church’s finance chairperson and a member of the mission leadership team. “And so we just want to be good stewards and to try to do the right thing. We want to do God’s work.”
That work includes redoing the parking lot, another project on the church’s list.
“There’s a school next door, and parents park here to access the school,” Clark said. “When people see the potholes in the parking lot, are they going to want to come Sunday morning? So we see the parking lot as mission, too. We want people to see we care about the community.”
Cole agrees. “We had an old roof, and we had inefficient windows,” he said. “The air conditioning was out, and it was not comfortable in the child development center. Plus, the kitchen is extensively used to support ministry. … When people try to decide on a church, they do what I call a windshield appraisal of the property. We had a smorgasbord of capital issues.”
Clark admits helping people grow in their faith isn’t about paint and lighting, but those things are “very much relevant.”
The goal, Cole says, is to continue making the campus inviting so it’s seen as part of, not apart from, the community the church serves.
All about the mission
Isle of Faith has always engaged in ministry that stands the test of time — child development, food pantry, community assistance, Boy Scouts.
But the congregation has seen a lot of change in the community, Clark says. Megachurches have moved in, the area has become more transient, facilities are showing wear and tear.
“All this adds a level of confidence. The community sees improvements at Isle of Faith and knows we’re serious about this.” — Rev. Will Clark
Still, the church is committed to sharing the gospel message and good news, albeit in different ways.
“We want to have our mission connect us to the community — church as an extension of the community,” Clark said. “To that end, Isle of Faith’s culture has shifted to meet the mission of engaging the community. We’re on the same page in the leadership team, moving into the future together.”
The loan is helping by alleviating some of the anxiety over finances.
“Now we’re not worried about paying for the new roof, and we can really focus on mission. All those obstacles are off the table,” Clark said. “We have a lot of potential here. We are financially secure, and we are seeing fruits of our labor already.”
Making ministry easier
Cole, who spent one career in government and another in consulting, said he has dealt with “a lot of financials” in his lifetime.
“I do not ever recall a borrowing experience that was this easy,” he said. “The loan was efficiently handled and straightforward. From my perspective — and I had more involvement than anyone else — I couldn’t say more strongly how they (the foundation) were just a pleasure to deal with.”
Isle of Faith keeps a balance of funds in the foundation’s investment options, Cole said, and “it only made sense” to deal with the foundation when it was time to secure a loan.
The Development Fund is a “win-win,” says Andy Craske, the foundation’s vice president of loans and investments, because it’s designed to support the mission of the church.
He points to its above-market interest rates for investors and below-market rates for churches borrowing funds, which frees up more money for ministry.
It’s all to support one goal, he says: “With our loan portfolio size, we want to see all the deposits — and there is money available — put to work to extend the Kingdom of God.”