Stories and services

Stella Tai already understood a great deal about impact investing. As the Stewardship Investing Impact and Analysis Manager for Everence^®, Tai leads efforts to further incorporate the organization’s “faith and finance” values into various products and services – including impact investments and community development finance and investing strategies.

Tai admits much of her impact investing work happens behind a computer screen, over the phone, or at conferences. But in 2021, Tai traveled to her home country of Kenya and witnessed firsthand the transformational impact of community development work happening on the ground. Her visits across the country, however, provided more nuanced – and personal – understandings of the work supported by Everence and Praxis Mutual Funds^®.

One example was Tai’s visit to Yehu, on Kenya’s southeastern coast. This microfinance institution provides access to capital with an emphasis on gender equity and renewable and clean energy, with a heavy focus on reaching the unbanked, women, and/or illiterate members of rural communities.

Founded in 2000, Yehu uses a community savings model in which group members make weekly savings contributions to form a pool of money, from which members can borrow.

Through Yehu, Tai met Miriam, leader of a women’s savings and loan group supported by Yehu. A savvy entrepreneur, Miriam owns a 4 1/2-acre farm in Kalifi County where she keeps six dairy cows and sells the milk. She also grows cashew nuts, coconuts and other produce for her family as another source of income.

Tai also visited the Mudzo Women’s Only Savings and Loan, a group of 15 members who support each other as small business owners, some of whom sell charcoal and fish, run grocery stands, or own beauty salons. A typical loan equals approximately $300 to $600 (U.S.) – a seemingly small amount, but crucial to these entrepreneurs as they start and grow their businesses.

“As I left [Kenya], I found myself reflecting on the immense impact that even a small amount of money can make for the people I met while on my trip,” said Tai. “These small loans not only spur innovation and productivity, but also lead to increased opportunities for families and help to support society’s most vulnerable.”

Everence is committed to the growth of community development investing that widens the door of economic opportunity by empowering underserved and under-resourced individuals and communities.

If you’re interested in investing in ways that support economic opportunities for underserved and under-resourced individuals and communities, contact your Everence financial professional or call us at 800-977-2947. For more stories of the positive impact your investments can make, download the Praxis Mutual Funds Real Impact 2021 Report.

Consider the fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before you invest. The fund’s prospectus and summary prospectus contain this and other information. Call 800-977-2947 or visit praxismutualfunds.com for a prospectus, which you should read carefully before you invest.

Praxis Mutual Funds are advised by Everence Capital Management and distributed through Foreside Financial Services, LLC, member FINRA. Investment products offered are not FDIC insured, may lose value, and have no bank guarantee.

For Tim and Ruth Stoltzfus Jost of Harrisonburg, Virginia, equity and giving have always been a central part of their values.

Throughout their lives and marriage, the couple has focused on living simply, saving smartly, and giving generously. And for several years, Tim’s salary offered more income than they needed to meet those shared priorities. So, they looked into ways to grow their generosity.

“We set up a donor advised fund at Everence,” explained Ruth Stoltzfus Jost. “We put it there as money that’s going to be given away.”

Donor advised funds are giving accounts that allow a donor to make deposits for donations to charity over time. The donor receives a tax deduction the year(s) they contribute to their donor advised fund – but can decide later which charities they want to support. For many, donor advised funds provide flexibility, ease, and control as they plan their charitable giving.

“If you’ve already set aside what you’ve decided is a reasonable amount, everything else is going to be for God’s purposes,” Ruth Stoltzfus Jost added, about their decision to open an Everence donor advised fund account. And in honor of their lifetime of stewardship and generosity, Everence recognized the couple with a regional Journey Award in 2021.

Interested in expressing your generosity in a simple, streamlined way? Learn more about how opening a donor advised fund can help you make a wide range of gifts – and make a difference today and in the future.

When parents bring their children to Pleasant View Church near Goshen, Indiana, the kids can enjoy an attractive and welcoming space built for them.

The new area of the building is set aside for children’s programming on Sundays, as well as other activities during the week.

The oldest part of the congregation’s building – which the children had been using – was no longer suitable. But the Pleasant View faith family wasn’t going to let their building space limit the growth of their children’s ministry.

Upon receiving an Everence church loan*, the outdated portion of the building was torn down and replaced with a new section remodeled for an up-to-date nursery. The renovation was part of a larger project that also involved building a new wing, which now includes a youth meeting room and additional accessible restrooms.

Everence church loans are funded by our annuity program. When members purchase an Everence annuity, a portion of their premiums are used to support church loans, as well as green lending to nonprofits and/or community development programs. It’s another example of how the Everence community supports one another, through our commitment to stewardship and mutual aid.

If your church is looking for ways to fund your vision, consider whether an Everence church loan can help. Learn more at everence.com/church-loans or contact an Everence Federal Credit Union representative at 877-295-2664.

*High-impact loans assist emerging and socially engaged congregations, help nonprofit organizations make environmentally friendly improvements, and address community development needs in the United States.

The Evangelio En Accion, or “Gospel in Action” church, is in the business of hope. But when COVID-19 swept the world, the small Mennonite Brethren church nearly shut down.

Located in Selma, California, the church serves what church member Urbano Gonzalez calls “the barrio,” where there’s a high concentration of farm workers.

“We’ve been trying to keep the ministry going there for 10 years,” said Gonzalez, who is not only a church member but also identifies himself as a groundskeeper, treasurer and building manager. “The pandemic really impacted us.”

The congregation has about 40 families who attend, but when COVID-19 was at its worst, both attendance and giving dwindled precariously.

“Our pastor got ill and so we had to have an interim pastor, then we shut down for a number of months,” said Gonzalez. Their original pastor, sadly, passed away from complications of COVID during the winter of 2020-2021. Additionally, the congregation saw a decrease in offerings.

Evangelio En Accion received a $5,000 grant from the COVID-19 Congregational Relief Fund, a joint effort initiated through a partnership between Everence, Mennonite Central Committee U.S., and Mennonite Disaster Service, with a combined $840,000 commitment and more than $180,500 from other donors.

Gonzalez believes the grant helped keep the church doors open. The congregation used the funds to pay the pastor’s salary, improve the ventilation in the church, and offer ministries such as food and clothing distribution.

“There are a lot of undocumented folks who live around our church, a lot of low-income, Spanish-speaking people,” said Gonzalez. “We’re trying to do as much as we can to bring the Gospel to the community.”

During the pandemic, Gonzalez sent a $100 check as a personal donation back to the COVID-19 Congregational Relief Fund.

“I’m not a rich person, and I’m retired, but I thought of it as a token of appreciation,” he said. “It was just my thank-you note.”

He still prays for the end of the pandemic. “We want to keep the ministry going,” he said.

Evangelio En Accion is one of 216 churches in 29 states and Puerto Rico to receive a grant from the COVID-19 Congregational Relief Fund. The program closed in the spring of 2021 after its funding was depleted. Ten percent of the Fund also went to support churches in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean through the Mennonite World Conference Global Sharing Fund.

This story is adapted from its original, written by Susan Kim and published on June 22, 2021.

At the end of 2021, Everence donated over $444,000 to 560 charitable organizations and churches through the MyNeighbor program – the highest level of annual donations from the program to date.

One such recipient was Hillcrest Academy in Kalona, Iowa. Founded in 1945, Hillcrest focuses on offering high school students an academically excellent, Christ-centered education rooted in an Anabaptist faith perspective – preparing students for lives of Christian discipleship, peacemaking and service.

“We at Hillcrest are extremely grateful to Everence and to all who participate in the MyNeighbor program for this generous donation,” said Dwight Gingerich, Hillcrest Academy Principal. “We are thrilled that Everence partners with us and recognizes and supports the values we share as we seek to meet the needs of our school community.”

With the MyNeighbor program, individuals and businesses generate reward dollars for their favorite nonprofits every time they use their MyNeighbor credit card from Everence Federal Credit Union. Each time a cardholder buys groceries, pays bills or makes other purchases, Everence donates 1.50% of the purchase total to the charity of his or her choice.

You can participate in the program, too. Apply for your own personal or business MyNeighbor credit card by visiting your local Everence Federal Credit Union branch or on our website.

Bridge of Hope is on a mission to create communities where no family is homeless.

The organization uses a unique Neighborhood of Support model, consisting of a three-way partnership among families facing homelessness, church-based volunteers, and professional staff – coming together to give families the time and opportunities necessary for long-term change.

What began with a small group gathering in a church basement in 1987 has since grown into a national ministry, with 25 locations in 13 states across the country – a network of people saying yes to neighboring.

And they don’t plan to stop there. As Bridge of Hope seeks continued growth as a ministry, Everence is providing planned giving services to help them meet their mission.

“Everence is a great resource,” said Edith Yoder, CEO of Bridge of Hope National, particularly when it comes to receiving, administering, and managing gifts to the organization. “We have been really grateful for Everence in all those ways.”

On top of that, the support Everence provides enables more people be part of Bridge of Hope’s Neighborhood of Support, through their charitable giving.

“For some of our folks, this is so core to who they are,” Yoder added. “This is about them shaping a legacy for themselves, for their family… and they get to include Bridge of Hope.”

If your organization is looking to expand its development and fundraising services, Everence can help you manage and administer planned giving and complex charitable giving – for you and for your donors. We also offer a wide range of organizational services designed to help nonprofits and businesses strengthen their financial sustainability to meet long-term goals in ways that align with mission and values.