25th Anniversary Event Highlights & Matching Fund Results

Event Highlights

On April 28th of 2023, 400 people gathered Under the Stars–and a clear top tent–for a fun-filled celebration of all that God has done through the establishment of the Foundation by the congregation on May 17, 1998 and its subsequent implementation.

The evening started off with Don Batchelor humoring the crowd and Mary Raine Ivy emceeing a Foundation-themed Kahoot Trivia Game, which gave the top 30 winners a chance to designate money to a Foundation fund of their choice. Then, Vicki Simmons gave a state of the Foundation overview, Sandy Willson gave an inspiring historical perspective, and George Robertson casted an exciting vision for what the Foundation could do going forward. After a delightful meal “under the stars,” the evening was concluded with a concert by Sandra McCracken.

The guests also saw three videos which gave a closer look at the fruit of Foundation giving: Christian Leadership Development, Home Outreach, and World Outreach.

486 unique gifts totaling $4,990,543.

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Matching Fund Results

WOMEN IN VOCATIONAL MINISTRY FUND

$517,086 raised with match

A group of six women led by Debbie Perkins raised awareness of the fund which was created in December of 2022, resulting in 77 gifts. This helped secure permanent funding toward one full time resident. Plans are in place to secure funding for a second resident. Our initial and current resident – Jessica Uke - is funded by the Foundation from its Undesignated Fund.

GILLESPIE PASTORAL RESIDENCY FUND

$1,010,687 raised with match

One of the oldest Foundation funds, the Gillespie Fund has partially supported 11 pastoral residents such as Chuck Jacob, Barton Kimbro, Mike Davis, Josh Preston and now Brad Morrow. The balance of the support came from the Foundation’s Undesignated Fund. The gifts made and matched along with other recent gifts provide reliable funding for the position and a good start has been made toward a second position.

MUSIC MINISTRY INTERNSHIP FUND

$59,000 raised with match

Fourteen interns have served Second through the music ministry due to this fund, which was started in 2011 simply through a non-music related couple in the congregation who cast the vision and made a contribution to get it going. The funds raised make progress toward having future full time internships. Our own James Ryan came to Second through a combination of being a Fellow and receiving this internship position.

JOHN OWEN RECREATIONAL FUND

$115,600 raised with match

Established as a tribute and memorial for a grandfather who volunteered for his granddaughter’s recreational sports team in a variety of ways, the fund generates aid for youth to participate in 2PC Sports. It provides scholarships for both members and nonmembers from all over the city who otherwise could not participate and creates an incredible outreach opportunity.

IGLESIA PRESBITERIANA ESPERANZA CHURCH FUND

$1,028,139 raised with match

A couple who has supported Esperanza for many years kicked off the campaign for this newly created fund by providing a $250,000 challenge match of their own. Over 72 individuals, 37 of which are not members of 2PC, met the challenge. Members of Esperanza Church personally engaged at a remarkable level including through yard sales and food sales. While the anticipated earned annual interest will support the church, the vision is for Esperanza Church to use the bulk of the Fund to plant another Latino church in Memphis.

THE COLLEGIATE SCHOOL OF MEMPHIS FUND

$1,000,199 raised with match

Located in the Highland Heights neighborhood, the school offers a grade six through twelve college-preparatory, Christian education in a highly structured nurturing environment to children from all around the Greater Memphis community whose families cannot afford the traditional costs associated with this level of private school education. This Foundation fund serves as the school’s endowment for scholarships.

A Word from Executive Director Vicki Simmons

Dear Second Presbyterian Church Family and Friends,

May of 2023 marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Second Presbyterian Church Foundation. The commemoration spanned eighteen months and included sponsoring six parish events with 211 in attendance; four unique designated fund events with 303 in attendance; an unprecedented congregation- wide event with 400 in attendance; and a matching fund opportunity.

With all praise to our God, strategic and significant impact is the concluding result of these efforts. While the tenacles of this impact are intricate, have longevity, and bear eternal fruit, the broad perspective includes the following.

Ministry Impact

• $4,990,543 generated and channeled for ministry purposes of 2PC and its ministry partners.

• A similar matched amount released for the benefit of specified ministries.

• 31 Foundation Designated Funds further solidified, increasing continuity for ministries. Four new funds were established for a total of 35 Designated Funds significantly impacted.

Church Impact

• Designated Funds provide reliability for Second in multiple areas: significant increases in dedicated support for residents including Youth, Pastoral, Women, and Music; and incremental increases in program funding for departments such as Music and 2PC Sports.

• Allows Second to support its Gospel Priorities Ministries at a strategic level over and above its general operating and world mission budgets.

Foundation Impact

• The Foundation’s overall granting capability is signficantly improved.

• Designated Funds are strengthened.

• Groundwork has been laid for Undesignated Fund to expand strategic granting, leading to

  more ministry impact.

Sister Organization Impact

The following organizations were able to leverage the opportunity to raise significant dollars for the Foundation

Funds that are designated specifically for their ministries:

Christian Psychological Center, Presbyterian Day School, Memphis City Seminary, Campus Outreach, Esperanza, and The Collegiate School of Memphis

During this season in the life of the Foundation, I have been asked - “This is an incredible gift, but why would the Foundation do that? It seems too good to be true.”

So why did the Board of the Foundation carefully consider, deliberate, and ultimately re-align nearly $5,000,000 from its endowment? In the beginning it was a small simple gesture of thanks to you, the members of the congregation, for your support in entrusting the Foundation over these 25 years with both legacy and bequest gifts and those sacrificial gifts above and beyond the church tithes and offerings. It was a way to mark the occasion by allowing you to have a definitive voice in the decision about the ministries that you are indeed passionate about with a match. It also was designed to help the congregation in a tangible way to better understand how the Foundation functions and to whom it makes grants.

Just like the Founders could not imagine that at 25 years the Foundation would have grown from $3,000,000 to nearly $30,598,000 in combined assets while also giving away over $33,000,000, this Board had no idea the response from members of the congregation and other fund stakeholders would be so generous. As a result of participation in the match and other recent gifts to the Foundation, the combined asset amount is now well over $40,000,000.

Due to that response, here we all stand grateful to steward well these resources for the benefit of our beloved church and its Gospel priorities.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the unquantifiable number of ministries and individual lives impacted, THANK YOU and may you know the rich blessings of our eternal Father.

25th Anniversary Matching Fund Opportunity

In honor of the Foundation's 25th anniversary, new gifts given to specific designated funds will be matched at 100% up to $500,000 per fund through 2023, with a $2,500,000 total cap.

The Foundation has approximately 40 designated funds. Gifts not designated to a specific fund are not matched but are warmly welcomed as they will go to the endowed Undesignated Fund, and the earnings are used to make significant strategic and entrepreneurial grants to ministry partners.

Eligible designated funds include:

Scholarships

Elementary School

• Clay Scholarship Fund (PDS)

  • This fund assists members of Second Presbyterian Church and the ministerial staff with tuition assistance for their sons to attend Presbyterian Day School.

• Young Scholars Program (PDS)

  • This fund provides scholarships for boys in Memphis and the surrounding communities who would not otherwise have access to a Christian education through PDS.

High School

• Meredith Ashley Fox Memorial Scholarship Fund (ECS)

  • Earnings and a portion of the principal from this memorial fund provide scholarships for eligible graduates of Binghampton Christian Academy to attend Evangelical Christian School.

• Graduates of Binghampton Christian Academy Fund

  • This fund provides scholarships for graduates of BCA who are accepted for enrollment at eligible schools at the secondary education level.

College

• Berl Olswanger Memorial Music Scholarship Fund

  • The earnings from this fund provide scholarships for qualified Christian students majoring in music at the college level.

• College Music Scholarship Fund

  • The purpose of this fund is to support the objective of the endowed Berl Olswanger Memorial Music Scholarship Fund, which is to provide scholarship(s) to one or more qualified Christian students majoring in music by making expendable resources available.

• Visible Music College Scholarship Fund

  • This fund provides scholarships for students in need, who are accepted for enrollment at the global Christian college.

• Neighborhood Christian Center Scholarship Fund

  • Earnings from this fund provide scholarships for needy and deserving students for enrollment at a post-secondary educational institution or vocational training school.

Post-College

• The Fellows Fund

  • This fund provides scholarships and allows for the expansion of this program that promotes the relevance of the church to a generation of emerging leaders and instructs how our faith informs our work.

Seminary

• Seminarian Support Fund

  • Earnings fund conditional scholarship grants for approved 2PC members to attend seminary and obtain a Masters-level degree.

• T. Russell Seminarian Support Fund

  • The fund provides conditional scholarship grants for approved 2PC members to attend seminary and obtain a Masters-level degree. Members eligible for support are African American, Hispanic or anyone seeking to serve in urban ministry.

• Crosby Memorial Scholarship Fund

  • Earnings fund conditional scholarship grants for approved 2PC members to attend seminary and obtain a Masters-level degree.

Internships

• Gillespie Pastoral Internship Fund

  • The income from this fund is used to pay the salary of pastoral interns during their internship at Second Presbyterian Church.

• Women in Vocational Ministry Residency Fund

  • The income from this fund is used to pay the salary of women aspiring to full-time Christian ministry as they train at Second Presbyterian Church in selected areas such as counseling, outreach, women’s ministry, or missions.

• Youth Internship Fund

  • Earnings from this fund are used for compensation for interns being trained for Youth Ministry.

• Music Ministry Internship Fund

  • This fund sponsors academic year and summer internships for college students to serve within the music ministry of Second Presbyterian Church.

Music

• Second Conservatory of Music Fund

  • This fund provides scholarships for individuals to build musical preparation for future service in ministry, music performance, and enjoyment.

Media

• Riley Broadcast Technology Ministry Fund

  • This fund exists to support the broadcasting and streaming capabilities of the teaching and preaching ministries of the church.

Library

• Bee Wallis Memorial Library Fund

  • Earnings from this fund are to be used for the benefit of the Second Presbyterian Church Library.

Children at 2PC

• Sharpe Music Education and Children’s Ministry Fund

  • The earnings from this fund support Second’s children’s music education and related activities.

• Donna Kyle Nursery Fund

  • Earnings from this fund are for use to support the nursery or children’s ministry.

• John Owen Recreation Fund

  • The earnings on this fund provide aid for youth to participate in the recreation program at 2PC.

Family

• Chauncey Johnson Family Camp Scholarship Fund

  • Income from this fund is used for scholarships to attend 2PC Family Camp.

Mission

• Allison and Sandy Willson Church Planting Fund

  • This fund and its earnings are used to provide financial support to church planting efforts at home and around the world that are strategic, missional, and reformed in character.

Memphis

• Memphis Intercity Mission Fund

  • The earnings from this fund provide grants to address the needs of the inner city.

• Urban Ministry Fund

  • This fund and its earnings are used to establish inner-city missions in Memphis.

• Home Mission Fund

  • The earnings from this fund support home mission grants.

• Christian Psychological Center Fund

  • Earnings are to be used as a supplement to funds available for research and new program development as well as to pay for consultation services for those who need counseling but cannot pay the fee.

World

• Chloe Malone Burch Foreign Mission Fund

  • Earnings fund grants made by the Foundation in support of foreign missions.

• Wetter World Mission Fund

  • Earnings from this fund support world missions activities.

• Charles and Rebecca Sherman World Mission Fund

  • Earnings provide funding for use by the Second Presbyterian Church World Missions Committee.

Individuals who wish to champion a fund are encouraged to contact the Foundation office to see how the Foundation might support awareness activities that would benefit the fund. Vicki Simmons can be reached at (901) 507-7898 or vsimmons@2pc.org .