Bill Gruenewald
President-Treasurer, Tennessee Baptist Foundation
When most people think about the work we do at the Tennessee Baptist Foundation (TBF), they think about our monetary investments in equities and fixed income as we try to help Tennessee Baptist churches and entities build a strong financial foundation for the future. But there is another asset class of TBF investments — students!
The TBF scholarship program provides financial assistance to students from Tennessee Baptist churches. These students represent a cross section of Tennessee Baptist life. They come from different parts of the state, representing churches of all sizes with educational emphasis in a variety of degree programs, which include, preparing for full-time Christian ministry positions, teaching, doctors and nurses, or working in business. Because of this cross section, these students are poised to make a significant Kingdom impact in the marketplace. That is what our scholarship program is all about — impacting students so they can impact the world!
Bill Gruenewald
2017 was a milestone year for the TBF scholarship program as we eclipsed $5 million in scholarships. Since 1987, the Foundation has awarded 7,434 scholarships totaling $5.1 million dollars. How is this made possible? It’s possible because of the generous giving of Tennessee Baptists who believed in students and left money from their estates in trust to the Foundation for our scholarship program. Here is a testimonial from a student who received a TBF scholarship:
“I will begin my civil engineering degree this year at Western Kentucky University. I have committed to living a life on mission and hope to use this degree on the mission field in the future. I hope to build water reservoirs for small towns and villages and help those in need. My degree should open doors for me to be able to find work almost anywhere. I am excited to see what God has in store for me and how he is going to use my skills and talents to further His Kingdom and bring Him glory.”
Another student wrote:
“I am currently studying to be a bivocational minister by majoring in history and minoring in religion. I want to live out my Christianity at school and throughout the community ministering and encouraging teenagers. I want to share God’s love with them and inspire them to acquire knowledge and wisdom for their lives. My minor in religion will help me prepare for this bivocational opportunity. After graduation, I plan to serve in my local church using the gifts and talents God has given me. Serving as a history teacher is a noble calling that I believe God has placed on my life through several influential people. It is my desire to live out this calling by integrating my Christian faith with my professional skills in order to have a positive impact upon the lives of students within my classroom and in my community. This scholarship will assist me in achieving this goal.”
Applications are now open for the 2018-19 school year on our website www.tbfoundation.org with an application deadline of April 30.
We want to invite you to make an investment in the lives of students for Kingdom impact. If you have this desire, please contact us so that we can help you design an estate plan that includes scholarships for Tennessee Baptist students. You have the wonderful opportunity today to impact the world for years to come. Consider a faith-based estate plan that includes helping students be all that God is calling them to be. B&R
