The People in Need Fund is a benevolence fund to meet the financial needs of those in our local church body and in our community. Donations and expenses come directly from this fund. The Congregational Care Ministry will assess all requests and determine financial provisions.
The PIN Fund is replenished when someone who gives to Grace Bible Church chooses the People In Need Fund instead of the General Fund when giving online to Grace. We have many who regularly give to the PIN Fund and it usually maintains a healthy balance.
<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" width="40px" /> The PIN Fund is designated to be used for Grace members and regular attendees only. This covers Minister of the Day (MOD) money, counseling scholarships, and other congregant needs.
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If one of our congregants has legitimate needs, the PIN Team will gather information about the need and consider the best way to help. Anderson and Southwood have PIN Teams, and Creekside and Midtown have some staff who look at the needs.
Through these campus teams, we try to keep decisions about requests from a given campus with that campus PIN Team. We have two deacons on each campus team who, in addition to contributing to decisions, will follow up as needed.
A typical PIN Fund disbursement occurs when a Grace person experiences unexpected one-time circumstances or expenses, like medical bills, a leave of absence, loss of a job, etc. People needing more than $500 will usually meet with Mark Mielke, a retired financial planner who volunteers his time. He will collect and report their total financial picture (assets, debts, etc) and make a recommendation for how the PIN Team should help. It can be a few hundred to a few thousand, depending on the needs and who it is for.
No PIN payments go directly to the individual; we pay directly to the entity owed (mortgage company, utilities, credit card bill, doctor, etc.). Those payments are made by the System Adult Ministries & Care Coordinator who also enters the info on the PIN Log. All PIN distributions are freely given, with no expectation of repayment.
Restrictions prevent our PIN fund being used for specific items such as school tuition, legal fees, adoption, or assistance for undocumented migrants.
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Questions? Ask Brad Evans, System Adult and Care Ministries Pastor, or Erin Berkey, System Adult and Care Ministries Coordinator!
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