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THE WEST ViRGiniA UniTED METHODiST • www.wvumc.org


FALL 2010 Are your investments doing good?


By Jeff Taylor, United Methodist Foundation of West Virginia


Whenever you hear that ques- tion, you probably jump to the investment returns—the bottom line. A grammarian, you might remind me that if I want to know how the invest- ments are doing, I should cor- rectly ask, “Are your invest- ments doing well?” Just keep reading. Basically, there are two ways


to invest money. You can in- vest money by loaning (bonds) or by owning (stocks). When you buy bonds, you are loan- ing your money to a com- pany or government to use in furthering its agenda. In exchange for the use of your money, you get interest in the form of periodic payments. When you buy stocks, you have an ownership interest (equity) in a company. In ex- change for giving you a share (equity) in the company, it uses your money to further its enterprise. You invest, hoping that the company will do well


and be able to pay periodic dividends to you and all the other shareholders. You also hope that over time the com- pany will grow, and the value of your shares will increase. Whether you invest in bonds


or stocks, or a diversifi ed com- bination of both, you hope that your investments will do well; that you will receive steady income payments in the form of interest and divi- dends, and that over the long term the value of your initial investment will grow. But are your investments do-


ing good? Jesus said, “For where your


treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:34. When we invest, either by loaning or by owning, we are putting our money toward the furtherance of some corporate or governmental enterprise. Sometimes, it is easy to get so focused on the bottom line in- vestment return that we forget to ask some questions. What about the churches’


money? T ose of us who are on local church boards of


trustees or fi nance commit- tees, or those of other Confer- ence agencies and ministries might consider that we have a duty to look beyond the bot- tom line from an investment return standpoint. For exam- ple, I know of a local church that had some investments in a blind trust. T e church lead- ers were embarrassed to learn that one of the properties in the trust was leased to a bar that was a frequent scene of violence. Perhaps we need to take the blinders off . Are our investments doing good, that is, are we promoting those causes and enterprises that expand God’s kingdom? Are we avoiding investments in those companies whose bot- tom line is incompatible with our United Methodist Social Principles?’ Most of us could look at a portfolio, and be- cause there are so many large conglomerates whose names can be deceiving, we would not know whether our invest- ments are consistent with our faith or not. So how can the churches and ministries of


our Conference invest in a so- cially responsible manner? Easy! Let us do it for you. At


the United Methodist Foun- dation, we are committed to practicing socially responsible investing. We employ a con- sultant who helps us select money managers who, in addi- tion to being some of the best in terms of generating reason- able returns, will also agree to abide by our socially respon-


sible mandate. Contact Kim Matthews or me to see how the Foundation can help your church or ministry not only do well, but also do good. Consider the possibilities.


Jeff Taylor is president of the Unit- ed Methodist Foundation of West Virginia. Learn more about the work of the Foundation on their website: umfwv.org, or call them toll free: 1-800-788-3746 ext. 45


Older Adults Remember ‘Fire for Christ’


Susan Belcher


If Bishop Lyght preached his opening sermon from Annual Conference this past June at GlenWood Park Retire- ment Village, he would hear amen’s from residents who remember a time when communities were on fi re for Christ. Young and old alike gathered to worship God with singing, clapping, waving arms; and shouts of praise. Zelda Elkins, 86, and Helen Shapard,


91, have fond memories of going with their families to tent revivals and camp meetings. “Every summer there would be two or three tent revivals,” recalls Zelda. “Whole families went. We sat on wooden benches, chairs or stools every night for a week and usually at the end of the revival, everybody


would bring a big pot of something to eat. T ose are good memories.” Helen’s father made the arrangements


when a tent revival came to their coal mining community, and her sister played the pump organ for the servic- es. “When we heard there was going to be one, we were so excited because we liked to go,” says Helen. “T e tents were fi lled; people would be standing outside. If it rained, sawdust was put down on the grass to keep it from get- ting muddy, but everyone still came.” Zelda and Helen were touched by


the preachers’ messages from an early age. “T ey taught the word of God and people accepted it,” said Zelda. “T ey preached heaven or hell, and every night there would be several people saved.” Helen remembers “a lot of con- versions” following the “fi re and brim- stone” sermons. “T ey brought a mes- sage that told you what would happen if you weren’t right with the Lord.”


T e women agree that the spirit in


many churches has changed drasti- cally in the past 75 years. “When you go to church now, you don’t feel much spirit,” says Zelda. At the tent reviv- als, the preacher “would give an altar call and people would be lined up for prayer. Now you can’t even get them to hold their hands up.” Helen recalls the shouting, singing and


clapping that took place during servic- es she attended in her youth. “Now if you go to a ballgame you jump up and shout, but if it happens in church, it makes everyone uncomfortable.” Both women experienced the fi re and pas- sion emphasized by Bishop Lyght, and their faces still light up when they talk about the impact those services had. “T ey were joyful and enlightening for everyone,” says Helen. At a revival I attended recently, the


preacher pointed out how comfort- able our churches are now, many with


air conditioning and padded pews that are seldom ever full. T en he re- ferred to the old camp meetings and the wooden benches, sawdust and standing-room-only tents that Zelda and Helen remember. His illustration showed that as our accommodations for worship have improved, our inter- est has waned. T e Merriam-Webster dictionary de-


fi nes revival just as Helen and Zelda described, “an oſt en highly emotional evangelistic meeting or series of meet- ings.” T at defi nition may not fi t the services we know today, but part of the defi nition for revival could still apply – “a period of renewed religious interest.” It’s up to us. Aſt er all, it only takes a spark.


Susan Belcher coordinates marketing and gift-planning for GlenWood Park Retire- ment Village. Contact her at susangwp@ inetone.net.


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