Bethlehem United Methodist Church established the Lighthouse Endowment Fund on November 4, 2004. The purpose was to provide members and friends a way to participate in legacy giving by making charitable gifts that would become a living memorial through a permanent endowment fund. These monies are targeted to support current ministry needs supported by Bethlehem and our community, but it also provides funding for future needs that are yet to be identified.

In the past several years, the fund has supported flood relief, COVID19 relief, Feed America First, One Gen Away, Mayfield Tornado relief and our youth mission trips. The principal cannot be touched so monies out of the fund can only be distributed from earnings on the principal.

There is no better example of how an endowment fund can make a long-term impact is the Diane Glavin Memorial Scholarship Fund. Bethlehem was given responsibility for the Diane Glavin Memorial Scholarship monies in 1999. These monies were donated in honor of Diane who passed away from an allergic reaction to peanuts in 1991. Since that time, the scholarship fund has distributed $106,400.00 dollars to 70 students over that period of time.

In 2015, Bethlehem United Methodist raised monies to eliminate the mortgage on our campus and when we exceeded our goal, we were able to invest $60,000.00 to seed the Lighthouse Endowment Fund. Since that time, the fund has continued to grow through the generosity of the community and we have been able to support various ministries supported by the church. In fact, we have distributed $34,000.00 from 2017-2023 and the fund has grown to over $313,000.00.

The Lighthouse Endowment Committee is committed to educating and communicating to our members on the ways that you can get involved or access funding for mission work within our community. Our long-term goal is to make that information readily available on line while that supporting education with guest speakers from time to time. It is our hope that we can increase the Lighthouse Endowment Fund to make a significant impact on supporting missions work in our community, middle Tennessee and wherever the Lord calls us to support Christians across the world.

Give to endowment now.

In 2021, we established a formal application process that can be accessed online using the attached link. To apply, download the application, complete and return using the instructions on the form. Hard copies of the application are also available in the church office. To apply, download the application (in pdf form), complete, and return following the instructions on the form. If you have questions, use the contact information on the form. Hard copies of the application form are also available in the church office.

Any funds requested or approved for families and individuals will be kept confidential. 

Please contact Ron Whitler or Dr. Craig Goff to learn more about the fund or to make a gift.