With the passing of Earl Hissom III, May 1, 2007, it seemed to some that, after 74 years, the oldest continuing home mission in the Kanawha Valley would surely dissolve. The legacy of the Earls had come to an end, it seemed. But, as anyone who knew one or all of the Earls would attest, that conclusion would not have been their wish.
We have taken the last year to assess the internal and external challenges we will, and are, facing in order to continue the Hissom Mission and its ministries. As Earl III’s passing was so sudden and unexpected, there was no time to be properly prepared for the projects he had in the works, the plans he had outlined, or the projects he had planned. (For instance, when we went to Sun Trust Bank to register HIM as one of the non-profits one can choose to have $100 donated when opening a checking account, we found that Earl III had already done so.) What else did he do? What was he in the middle of? What was he getting ready to start? These were just some of our questions. We had so few answers, but the few answers were simple. Earl believed in God, and he had faith; he believed in the mission, and he had faith. So, we have embraced our new challenge with the knowledge that God is in it, and He will never leave us or forsake us.
And indeed, we have struggled and felt our way along; we have shed many tears, and laughed out loud often; we have raised hands in exasperation and raised hands in praise. And overall we have experienced more blessings than you can count.
It is to honor God, and the work, the faith, and the memory of the Earls, and to broaden our community base that we have established the Hissom Endowment Fund. Through our assessment, we came to conclusion that an Endowment Fund has the unique ability to provide a greater amount of usable funds for the mission, while, in the long run providing less financial stress for its donors.
The road has not come to an end. There is still much work to be done and we hope that you will journey with us.
It is a permanently held fund. The principal cannot be spent, but the income it generates through investment and interest can be spent. It offers a regular, long term source of financial support for a nonprofit organization by allowing for more usable funds and less financial stress on its donors.
Just imagine the impact and its blessing your $1000 donation to an Endowment will have!
In the past your $1000 gift enabled us to give $1000 worth of help to the needy. In an endowment fund your $1000 just keeps giving and giving, because the initial $1000 never leaves the principal of the fund. In the past your donation was a tremendous gift, and filled a great, but perhaps specific, and often urgent, need. In an Endowment, your gift provides for numerous needs, and then turns around and does it again.
In a similar fund $165 donated in September '07 grew to $745 by December 31st. With an Endowment donation of $1000, your gift would provide $2500 of usable donation in a year's time. And your gift will continue to help the needy indefinitely, as the original $1000 remains in the principal of the fund! What a blessing!
In this time of economic uncertainty, the number of our needy will surely increase. Please help us preempt this increase by contributing to the initial funds of the Hissom Endowment. God will surely bless you!
We have taken the last year to assess the internal and external challenges we will, and are, facing in order to continue the Hissom Mission and its ministries. As Earl III’s passing was so sudden and unexpected, there was no time to be properly prepared for the projects he had in the works, the plans he had outlined, or the projects he had planned. (For instance, when we went to Sun Trust Bank to register HIM as one of the non-profits one can choose to have $100 donated when opening a checking account, we found that Earl III had already done so.) What else did he do? What was he in the middle of? What was he getting ready to start? These were just some of our questions. We had so few answers, but the few answers were simple. Earl believed in God, and he had faith; he believed in the mission, and he had faith. So, we have embraced our new challenge with the knowledge that God is in it, and He will never leave us or forsake us.
It is a permanently held fund. The principal cannot be spent, but the income it generates through investment and interest can be spent. It offers a regular, long term source of financial support for a nonprofit organization by allowing for more usable funds and less financial stress on its donors.
In a similar fund $165 donated in September '07 grew to $745 by December 31st. With an Endowment donation of $1000, your gift would provide $2500 of usable donation in a year's time. And your gift will continue to help the needy indefinitely, as the original $1000 remains in the principal of the fund! What a blessing!