Message from the Executive Director Sid Johnston

Thank you for visiting our website. I’m honored to be a part of this great Church and enjoy serving you as Executive Director of the Foundation.

The purpose of the Foundation is – and always will be – to assist in preserving the church’s magnificent facilities and supporting the vital programs and ministries of the church body.

If you have any questions about our Foundation, or would like to make a donation, please feel free to contact me personally. My phone and email are under the Contact Us button above.

May God bless you.

Sid Johnston, Blog Posting March 19, 2018:

Coming Together in Fellowship - Learn About the Foundation in Your Sunday School Class

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Matthew 18:20

“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

Romans 15:7

Many of you know that the Church has a Foundation and have even heard a few facts about how the Foundation works to benefit the Church. Would you like to know more though…?

The Foundation upholds a high standard of complete transparency. We strive to share any and all information about the innerworkings of the Foundation so that Church members and donors can feel informed about such an important part of the Church – the financial support.

We provide an abundance of information to the Church throughout the year. We are eager to share as much information about the Foundation as we can. One of the ways that we get to know our fellow Church members is through Sunday School presentations. We find that in a smaller forum such as a Sunday School class, it is easier to directly answer the questions that you have about the Foundation.

The Foundation has many working parts and a lot of different ways to contribute to it. The Foundation also provides financial support to the Church in a variety of different ways. Sometimes it can get confusing… Let us simplify it for you and answer all your questions.

Here are a few facts that you can expect to learn about the Foundation during a Sunday School, small group, or bible study gathering:

Last year the Foundation distributed $2,164,183.78 to the Church throughout the year. Only a portion of this money, the annual ministry funds, is designated money. The designated amount for the annual ministry fund in 2017 was $99,981.78, which leaves $2,064,202.00 in undesignated funding the Church in 2017
In the last 8 years, the Foundation has provided over $8,000,000.00 to the Church with an annual average of about $2 million. We are honored that the Foundation has been able to open so many possibilities for the Church through this significant amount of money given in the recent years. Speaking of history, since the inception of the Foundation in 1964, the Foundation has generously been able to distribute $52,799,836.77 to the Church.
Currently, the Foundation has over $66,000,000.00 in assets with gains of about $6,000,000.00 last year alone. This amount will be used to determine the amount that will be distributed to the Church in 2018 through our IRS 990 form that is completed during the summer. So far this year, we have given $400,000.00 to the Church in January along with Annual Ministry Distribution in February which was $118,843.52. There will be another distribution to the Church in April in the amount of $400,000.00. Once we receive the overall distributable amount in the summer, we will subtract the $800,000.00 already paid out and split the remaining amount into 2 payments that will be distributed to the Church in October and December.
Did you know that our Foundation is one of the Top Methodist Church Foundations in the U.S.? Here is a breakdown of the top 10 Methodist Church Foundations in the country:

This is just a fraction of the information about the Foundation that is covered in a presentation to small groups or Sunday School classes. Through transparency and sharing of information, we hope to keep the Church informed on what is happening with the Foundation and how the money is being used to benefit the Church in perpetuity.

If you would like to schedule a Sunday School presentation or have a Foundation Q&A with your small group, please contact the Foundation offices at 817.339.5072 or email Sid Johnston at sid.johnston@fmcfoundation.org. We are always eager to share information and keep the Church informed on how to contribute to the Foundation and what happens with the money when you do decide to generously donate to the Foundation.