Special Funds

Gifts to the Eternal Flame Fund are used for projects on our campus not covered by the annual operating budget. One hundred percent of every Eternal Flame Fund gift is utilized as directed by the Church Council for critical maintenance not covered by the annual operating budget.

In 2018 and 2019, your gifts of $1.2 million supported the restoration of the sanctuary stained glass windows. In 2017, your gifts replaced our 35-year-old HVAC system. In 2016, your gifts replaced or repaired flat roofs, installed security cameras in the third-floor student area, provided money-saving LED lighting where fixtures had failed and provided needed asbestos abatement.

Eternal Flame Fund members who give $75 or more during the year are members of Flame Alive, a giving group of the Eternal Flame Fund which impacts the lives of our members and the community who come in and out of our doors.

Thank you for your faithful support of Marvin Church. Our vision statement, “growing disciples to share the love and hope of Christ” is more than just words in a document, it’s being fulfilled in our community life and mission work. The vision makes our God-directed path clear and creates exciting opportunities for growth. Your investment is needed to make it happen.

Our annual stewardship campaign invites church members to complete an estimate of giving for the next calendar year, to support the annual operating budget. Your gifts support ministries, missions, staff salaries, facility security and utilities, Christian education, worship, communications and so much more!

Gifts to the Marvin Methodist Church Foundation are legacy gifts, with the interest being used to bless the church forever. Each gift is important, laying a foundation for our church for years to come. Foundation gifts show gratitude for Marvin Church. You can invest in the church’s future with a gift that will outlive you.

Gifts to the Foundation are held in trust, and only the interest will be used to meet church needs that fall outside of the regular operating budget. Our Foundation’s bylaws specify that 50% of income shall be used for the physical building, 20% for missions, and 30% for discretionary purposes as approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Please write a separate check and make your check payable to the Marvin Methodist Church Foundation when making a gift.

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION: Ben Sutton was a great ambassador for Christianity, a great witness whose heart was with his local church, according to his wife, Elizabeth. Mrs. Sutton wanted to memorialize her husband in a meaningful way, a way that would last through the years and benefit others. She found the perfect way to memorialize Ben: She encouraged church leadership to establish the Marvin Methodist Church Foundation and she furnished seed money. The Foundation was established in 2017.