History |
"I give because...
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On May 3, 2001, the Friends of Christ Foundation sprang into being, and the story of its growth since then represents a strong witness to the power of
Christian service and giving.
FoC started out as merely a dream of a small committee of church members who wanted to support the long-term needs of what was then First Presbyterian Church of Milpitas, now Christ Community Church of Milpitas (CCCM) through a separate charitable corporation. In 2002 the foundation acquired a home through a donation and contract that allowed us to use it for ministry immediately and fully pay for the home over the next few years. Between 2003 and 2012 that home was used to provide below market rate housing for three church staff families. When it was not needed for staff, it generated income as an investment rental property. In 2009 the foundation started a financial education ministry and held its first estate planning seminar. Since then the foundation has broadened this ministry to over a dozen different seminars and classes covering every life stage. A more detailed history on the financial education ministry can be found here and it is fascinating. We have helped families retire over $3 million in non-mortgage personal debt and helped families improve their financial state in ways only God can measure. 2012 brought a major change at Christ Community Church. Senior Pastor John Bristol retired after 37 years of service. A primary goal of the foundation was to provide assistance for the housing of a new Senior Pastor. Churches in our area find the cost of housing a significant barrier to bringing in a new pastor. This foresight enabled the new senior pastor to respond to the call. The rental house was remodeled and a joint tenants in common purchase agreement provided an affordable home and an ongoing investment for the foundation. In 2014, Christ Community Church decide to change its denominational affiliation to ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. Through a process called Gracious Dismissal, the church was allowed to leave, but was required to pay a large sum to secure the assets of the church. The Foundation provided $450,000, the majority of the funds needed to obtain clear title to the property, building and contents, and do so at the earliest time frame, which reduced the purchase price by several hundred thousand dollars. In early 2019, Christ Community Church brought on a Transitional Pastor, Tim Fearer and the foundation found and paid for his housing for the next 2 1/2 years enabling CCCM to make big strides while between senior pastors. In 2021, CCCM extended a call to Senior Pastor Matt Robbins. A major component of this call was for the church to provide a home for the Robbins family. Housing prices had escalated to the point where even a joint tenants arrangement was out of reach for most pastoral candidates and securing a home provided a permanent solution to this problem. CCCM and the foundation committed to this approach and the foundation provided over $1 million dollars toward the purchase of a CCCM owned home (parsonage or manse). Looking to the future, there are significant opportunities related to CCCM's vision to be disciple-makers reaching out to the entire community for Christ. As long-time board member, Don Paulus says, "I don't think any of us, when FoC was founded, had a clear understanding as to what it could turn out to be. But the commitment that we have, and the faithfulness of our many donors and volunteers has convinced me that God directed us into something the benefits of which we have only begun to see." |