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The Baptist Foundation of Alabama provides a wide range of services to Individuals, churches, and ministries. The Foundation is a leader in SBC circles relating to stewardship.  We invite you to review this site often as we post news items and articles of interest. > view news archives

•  The Baptist Foundation of Alabama begins accepting applications online in 2008
•  TBFA partners with Alabama Baptist Churches for stewardship of estate assets education

The Baptist Foundation of Alabama begins accepting applications online in 2008

TBFA - The Baptist Foundation of Alabama launched a new online application January 1, 2008. This is a further continuation of Foundation projects to utilize current technologies to provide faster service and reduce costs to The Foundation. In 2003, The Foundation stopped mailing paper applications and provided a link on its website for applicants to download the application, complete, and then mail in for consideration.

This new application process will allow students to apply online. This application process provides a secure link for transmitting personal data and the information gathered will be used solely by The Foundation in the consideration and administration of scholarship applications. Applicants will be asked to complete the application and check a box verifying the applicants reading of and understanding the application requirements necessary to complete the process.

This new online application will further streamline the application process and assist Foundation staff in the selection process.

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TBFA partners with Alabama Baptist Churches for stewardship of estate assets education

January 22, 2005 marked a new direction for the Development ministry at The Baptist Foundation of Alabama. The Foundation began an educational ministry partnering with the State Board of Missions and the local church in promoting stewardship of estate assets. The purpose of this ministry is to assist the local church in providing biblically based information and stewardship training to help God's people understand that how they plan their estate may be the single largest act of financial stewardship they will ever undertake.

The local church has many resources available to teach members about debt management, budgeting, and current giving of tithes and offerings. Some of these are the partnership with Crown called It’s a New Day, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, and Good$ense from Willow Creek. According to Barry Bledsoe, Foundation president, "The local church is without adequate resources that help church leaders help the Believer understand that planning their estate is an important act of stewardship." The Bible contains more than 2,000 verses dealing with money, yet the local church today speaks very little about planning the estate as an act of stewardship.

Randy Driggers, vice president for development and a Baptist minister, says, "We have spent more than two decades promoting basically two areas of stewardship and those are pledging the budget and regular Capital Campaigns. While there is nothing inherently wrong with either two, the lack of holistic and regular teaching about biblical stewardship leaves many in the congregation out of the giving process." Offering other avenues of giving to the membership will help them grow spiritually and grow loyal to the local church's ministry as they become involved not only in the giving ministry of the church but also time and talent involvement. Some examples are to fund mission trips, go on mission trips, or to give to a church Endowment or Foundation Fund for creating a "Kingdom" legacy. Driggers says, "Jesus did not say that 'Your money will follow your heart.' He said 'Your heart will follow your money.' " We need to provide the Believer avenues for an active stewardship life through all life stages.

In November 2007, The Foundation added a new vice president for church relations, Bill McCrary, to assist in developing further this ministry. This ministry is biblically based and will be an important element in funding the church’s ministry tomorrow. We invite you to visit our web site often. An new section on Christian stewardship of estate assets will be added providing information to assist pastors and church leaders in communicating this important message.

For more information on this exciting ministry opportunity, contact The Foundation's Office of Development at 334-394-2001 or email tbfa@tbfa.org.

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