Dr. Bernie Miller, pastor of New Covenant Fellowship Church, 1326 N. Moore Road, presented a check for $2,000 to Mrs. Brenda Cowan on Sunday to pay off a consumer debt.
“I feel blessed to be a part of a church family that has a Grace Fund,” Mrs. Cowan said when expressing her gratitude to the congregation. “As a recipient, I am so very thankful to have received the gift because it has removed a mound of stress.”
Dr.
Miller said, “Four years ago I saw a principle from the early church in the book of Acts where Christians brought money to the Apostle's to help those in need. Too many people are in debt, so we decided to create a fund that would help members get out of debt. To qualify, members have to completed Crown Financial Ministries’ 10-week Bible study on how to manage their money."
“If a member needs help after completing the Bible study, they submit a request to the Grace Fund committee. The applicant is then interviewed by a counselor from Partnership For Families’ Consumer Credit Counseling division to decide what consumer credit card the church should pay off,” Dr. Miller said when asked about the process.
“Going through the course was a blessing itself, but getting a boost towards our journey to financial freedom through the Grace Fund has reinforced our belief that we can get out of debt sooner,” said Mrs. Cowan.
Assistant Pastor Lurone Jennings II said, “I’ve never been a part of a church that teaches members how to get out of debt and then helps them by giving them a gift, not a loan, it’s a gift from our Grace Fund. To my knowledge, we’re the only church with a program like this.”