North Georgia United Methodist - Multiplying Financial Resources for Mission and Ministry

2009 has been an important year in the life of County Line UMC. In May, this 400-member church located in Acworth, Georgia celebrated 140 years of ministry. June marked the one-year anniversary of spiritual renewal and growth under the pastoral leadership of the Rev. Katie Strals. Later that month, this mission-minded church began realizing a $6,000 per year savings after refinancing their existing loan with the Georgia United Methodist Foundation.

In the late 1990s, County Line UMC built a Family Life Center, which was later converted to a conventional loan from a commercial bank. “It has been my experience that banks are hesitant to loan to churches,” said Marian Tweedy, financial administrator of County Line UMC. “They view them as a little riskier so offer higher rates.”

Tweedy believes it was a “God-thing” that County Line UMC found out about the Foundation. “I received a newsletter and noticed a blurb about refinancing rates. When I realized what a savings it could be, we followed up with Frank Craft, the director of lending programs, to get more information,” she said. “Just looking at it from a stewardship standpoint, we voted to proceed with the refinancing and take advantage of the lower interest rates even though we had refinanced the year before. We also felt it was a real plus to work with a Methodist affiliated organization that would understand the challenges we face trying to finance our ministries.”