St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (UMC) Foundation, a 501c3 organization established by the Church in 1975, joyfully partners with St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. This partnership is not just about providing perpetual financial support to the Church and its ministries, but also about celebrating the vibrant community that we are all a part of.
Members express their love for St. Paul’s Church through gifts to the Foundation. Many gifts are made without restrictions, allowing the Church to determine its current priorities. Additionally, several funds are in place to support specific Church ministries. Each year, distributions are made to the Church from the earnings of Foundation endowment funds.
Leaving a Legacy
Since its beginnings in the 1840s, St. Paul's Church and its ministries have been sustained by the vision and commitment of generous people. St. Paul’s members give willingly of their time and resources to provide visible ministries of Jesus Christ in our community and beyond. The Foundation assists members in ensuring their values will live on past their lifetime by providing perpetual support for St. Paul’s Church.
Foster a vibrant spirit of Christian stewardship and generosity to create a perpetual source of earnings, which strengthens the financial capabilities of St. Paul’s UMC and assists the Church in fulfilling its state mission “St. Paul’s United Methodist Church: a people GATHERED, FORMED and SENT by God’s Grace.”
Where does your heart lead you to give? Do you have a passion for or a special interest in a particular mission or ministry of the church? Or perhaps in some aspect of faith formation or worship?
The Foundation offers a variety of existing funds covering a broad range of ministries, missions, and future needs, including:
The Foundation gratefully accepts gifts of cash or securities, gifts made through bequests, charitable gift annuities, trusts, retirement assets, and life insurance. Learn more about ways to give to the Foundation.
The John Wesley Heritage Societyhonors the dedicated St. Paul’s members and friends who have chosen to include St. Paul’s in their estate plan or who have made a current gift to an endowed fund. You can join the John Wesley Heritage Society when you declare a gift to the St. Paul’s Foundation.
Please visit with Executive Director, Linda Henecke, to develop a “Gift Agreement” with the Foundation. He can be reached at 319-200-1066.
The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors.
All Directors are members of St. Paul’s UMC who are recommended by the Board and elected by the Church’s annual Charge Conference.
Linda Henecke comes to the Foundation with an extensive background in development strategies, setting policies, and establishing priorities, and having retired after 28 years as President and CEO of the nonprofit organization Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids and East Central Iowa. Linda recognizes the importance of ongoing financial support and planning to sustain and grow an organization. Linda is a member of Lovely Lane United Methodist Church. She feels blessed to assist in leading the confirmation class. She worships there with her mother and sister.
Lana Lodge, a member of St. Paul’s UMC since 1994, has been selected to serve as Treasurer of the Foundation Board. She is active in several areas of church life, singing in the Sanctuary Choir and serving in areas such as worship and arts ministry. She is a member of the Seekers Sunday school class. She and her husband Kevin raised their daughters, Hannah and Sarah, at St. Paul’s. Lana retired in 2022 after a 30-year career at Transamerica. She has a B.A. in Accounting and Business Administration from Coe College.
Learn More
For more information on the Foundation or to discuss how you can make a difference in the future of St. Paul’s, contact Linda Henecke, Executive Director by email, or call 319-389-4684. All inquiries are confidential.
St. Paul's United Methodist Church Foundation, the Iowa Annual Conference United Methodist Church Foundation, and the United Methodist Church General Board of Higher Education and Ministry offer a variety of scholarships and loans to students attending United Methodist and other accredited colleges and universities. Some scholarships and loans are reserved for seminary students. These scholarships, awarded from funds given in love and faith, are truly the intersection of faith and learning, with hope for the future.
For more information on the Foundation or to discuss how you can make a difference in the future of St. Paul’s, contact Linda Henecke, Executive Director by email, or call 319-389-4684. All inquiries are confidential.
Witness the many visible ways the St. Paul’s Foundation helps us answer God’s call for our church. Read the Foundation’s quarterly Messenger newsletter.
