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On Monday, January 30, 2023, the Georgia United Methodist Foundation staff and David Duke, the Foundation’s finance/audit committee chair and immediate past chair of the board of trustees, gathered together in gratitude to honor Louise Hintze on the occasion of her retirement.

While serving as executive administrative assistant to the president and CEO, Louise also provided critical support to the Foundation’s board of trustees and other committees by preparing for meetings and helping to maintain important records and information.

“Louise’s faithful service to the Foundation spans more than a decade,” shared Mathew A. Pinson, Foundation president and CEO. “She is an amazing colleague and friend. But, most importantly, she is a person of deep faith.”

Louise adds, “I am so grateful for all of you. You have each touched me deeply in your own special way. Thank you for sharing with me all these years. I will miss you a lot.”

Please feel free to direct a card or personal note to the attention of Louise Hintze at info@gumf.org or the Georgia United Methodist Foundation, PO Box 922087, Peachtree Corners, GA 30010-2087. We will be sure she receives each note.

Your investment in the Georgia United Methodist Foundation’s Certificate Program enables churches and nonprofits to expand their missional impact in their community while being better stewards of the resources entrusted to them by God.

HIGHEST RATES IN 10 YEARS*

1-Year = 3.00%

2-Year = 4.00%

3-Year = 3.75%

4-Year = 3.50%
 

Contact Us

For more information, please:

1. Visit our Certificate Offering Circular and Application Page

2. Review our Certificate Investments Brochure

2. Contact the Foundation at 770-449-6726 or info@gumf.org.

*Rates as of March 2023. All rates are subject to change without notice. Please contact the Foundation at 770-449-6726 for current rates. Georgia United Methodist churches, nonprofits, individuals, and families must invest a minimum of $5,000. Certificates are not insured by the FDIC or any other government agency and are not obligations of or guaranteed by a bank. This ad constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy the securities described. Offers are made only after receiving and reviewing an Offering Circular.

The Georgia United Methodist Foundation is pleased to provide you with this exclusive Investment Quarterly Review. The Foundation is the exclusive distributor of the I Series of the Wespath Institutional Investments (Wespath) funds to United Methodist entities within the State of Georgia.

Market and Wespath Fund Performance¹

• Fund Performance: Net of Wespath-fees performance through December 31, 2022, is available here. Wespath’s December Monthly Investment Report covers fund performance, as well as the latest market and economic developments. The report is available here.

• Q4 Market Takeaways, Wespath’s 2022 Year-in Review, and Key Questions for 2023: In a year defined by persistently high inflation, global conflict, supply chain challenges and tumultuous market conditions, the positive numbers seen in the fourth quarter were a breath of fresh air for investors and consumers alike. Joe Halwax, Wespath Managing Director, Institutional Investment Services, recaps all this in his robust fourth quarter commentary and year-end review. Joe also looks ahead to the key factors that will affect the 2023 landscape.

• Q4 Market Takeaways and 2022 Review Video: In Wespath’s latest quarterly recap video, Frank Holsteen, Managing Director, Investment Management, reviews the major investment news from Q4, highlights key themes from 2022, and shares the important factors investors will be watching in 2023.

New Thought Leadership on Wespath's Investment Insights Blog

• Start 2023 With Favorite Investment Podcasts, Commentary and Twitter Follows!: Joe Halwax, Wespath Managing Director, Institutional Investment Services, provides reflections from 2022, reveals his top investment podcasts and commentary, shares a delicious dessert recipe and more.
   

• Are Mission-Based Investors Sacrificing Alpha in the Name of Investment Exclusions?: Do “ethical exclusions” hinder fund performance? Rashed Khan, Wespath Director, Portfolio Risk and Analytics, analyzes this questions through the lens of Wespath’s own investment exclusions and historical performance. 

• From Elation to Misery—How Emotions Tempt Investors to Time the Markets: Karen Manczko, Wespath Director, Institutional Relationships, discusses the temptation for investors to deviate from their long-term strategies and make short-term moves during periods of high volatility. She explains the difficulties of this fickle investment approach by analyzing historical data.

• Why Investors Should Rethink Cash: Current high interest rates may give investors added reason to hold cash equivalents. Evan Witkowski, Wespath Manager, Institutional Relationships, details viable short-term cash investment options for investors with near-term liquidity needs.

Wespath Video Resources

• Unscripted—Arindam Bhattacharjee of Genesis Investment Management: Mark Warren, Wespath Manager, Public Equities, spoke with Arindam Bhattacharjee, Managing Partner at Genesis Investment Management, a boutique asset manager specializing in emerging market equities. Arindam shared how Genesis identifies opportunities and detailed why governance is a key element of the firm’s success.

• Unscripted—Alan Hsu from Wellington Management: Mark Warren, Wespath Manager, Public Equities, sat down with Alan Hsu of Wellington Management to discuss the firm’s investment strategy, which has a dedicated sustainable investment focus.

¹ Historical returns are not indicative of future results. The Wespath investment funds are neither insured nor guaranteed by the government. For more information about the funds, please see the Investment Funds Description – I Series. 

2 Wespath Benefits and Investments implements the sustainable investment strategies for investment funds made available through it and its subsidiaries, including Wespath Institutional Investments.

Copyright © 2023 Wespath Institutional Investments (Wespath), affiliated with The United Methodist Church.

Wespath Institutional Investments is located at 1901 Chestnut Ave., Glenview, IL 60025.

By Mathew A. Pinson, Georgia United Methodist Foundation President and CEO

How many posts have you read about New Year’s resolutions, plans for 2023, or projections and prognostications about the coming year? Too many, I expect.

When I was growing up, my father and grandfather would say, “If you are on time, you are late!” I believe we arrived in 2023 precisely on time. So, let’s think beyond 2023 for a few minutes.

The best leaders I know do not live in the present—they live years, even decades, into the future. These leaders know how to balance competing interests. They know how to cast a hopeful, inspiring, and lasting vision. And they understand how to focus themselves and their teams on what matters most. Above all, these leaders understand what their priority is and how to remain focused on the priority!

It is essential to understand that the word priority once meant something other than what it does today. In Greg McKeown’s best-selling book, “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” (Crown Business, New York, 2014), he explains the surprising history of the word priority and how its meaning has shifted over time. McKeown notes:

“The word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years. Only in the 1900s did we pluralize the term and start talking about priorities. Illogically, we reasoned that by changing the word we could bend reality. Somehow, we would now be able to have multiple “first” things. People and companies routinely try to do just that. One leader told me of this experience in a company that talked of “Pri-1, Pri-2, Pri-3, Pri-4, and Pri-5.” This gave the impression of many things being the priority but actually meant nothing was.”

Church and nonprofit leaders understand what it means to balance competing demands—demands that become tasks—tasks that become competing priorities. At times, this balancing act can be paralyzing. I find that it is most important to name the purpose and mission of the organization as the priority. When leaders follow this practice, they are better able to give full attention to the action plans that drive the organization forward. Although this concept may not seem like a big deal, it is!

At the Georgia United Methodist Foundation, our work is anchored by our purpose and mission, which is not replicated by any other financial institution available to Methodists in Georgia. The Foundation’s purpose is to partner with churches, nonprofits, individuals, and families in direct support of the ministries and mission of the church. In this way, we are a ministry partner as we seek to live out our mission to provide faith-based financial solutions for investing, lending, training, and planned giving.

For some leaders, 2023 is just beginning, while for other leaders, 2023 is nearly over, and they are already thinking about 2024, 2025, and beyond. Therefore, I encourage you to enter this new calendar year with a clear understanding that your church or nonprofit’s priority is its purpose and mission! Once this is clear, you can then focus considerable efforts on developing and implementing action plans that focus well beyond the limits of a standard desk calendar!

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The Rev. Dr. D. B. (Dee) Shelnutt Jr. and Mrs. Kandy Jackson Shelnutt recently established the Shelnutt Family Campership Endowment with the Georgia United Methodist Foundation to bless campers in need at North Georgia Camp & Retreat Ministries (NGCRM). 

North Georgia Methodists may have first become familiar with NGCRM through their experience at Camp Glisson. The Rev. Fred Glisson, a Methodist minister, was so instrumental in establishing the “Methodist Assembly” near Cane Creek Falls in Dahlonega in the 1920s and 1930s that the youth camp was renamed to honor him.

Today, NGCRM offers a variety of camp and retreat ministry opportunities for members of the North Georgia Conference and beyond. Programs and sites now include the Experiential Leadership Institute, Grow Day Camps, Shoreline Camps, and Glisson Camp & Retreat Center.

While much has changed over the last 90+ years, one thing remains the same: NGCRM plays a transformational role in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ through the camping experience. The Foundation is grateful for NGCRM’s ministry and the ongoing partnership, including loans, institutional investments, and endowments.

The Foundation is also grateful to the Shelnutts for their generosity in establishing this endowment. In this Q&A, Dr. Shelnutt shares the generational impact NGCRM has had on his family and the difference they hope to make in the lives of youth who attend camp.

Q: What inspired your family to establish the Shelnutt Family Campership Endowment with the Foundation?
Dr. Shelnutt: We are United Methodists and always want to use the UMC organizations for our missions. We know the history of the Foundation and trust it completely. Many of the Foundation's leaders are dear friends and people of utmost integrity and highest morals. We have witnessed first-hand the numerous ways the Foundation has helped churches with financial assistance over the years to help expand their ministries. We were especially grateful to have Mathew Pinson (Foundation president and CEO) lead us through the process. He is tops in this field.

Q: Why was it important to your family to provide annual support for camperships in perpetuity for young people through NGCRM?
Dr. Shelnutt: Costs have risen astronomically for just about everything, including camping. Because Camp Glisson is very dear to our hearts, we wanted to help ensure that those who wanted to attend but could not do so because of lack of funds could still be eligible, so they did not miss out on life-changing experiences.

The Rev. Fred Glisson was a friend of my parents, and I grew up knowing him and his passion for camp. My parents invested in Glisson. Along with all of my siblings, I went to camp from Grades 5-12. Our three children went to camp from Grades 4-12, and now our grandchildren attend camp! My brother was the director of Village camp one summer. Our daughter was director of Sparrowwood for a summer, inspiring her to a life of working with special needs children. She and I were also members of NGCRM Board of Directors.

I have performed baptisms, weddings, numerous retreats and been a Theologian-in-Residence. Coming to Camp Glisson just for visits lifts my spirits and refreshes my soul.

Q: What spiritual impact do you anticipate NGCRM will make in the lives of these young people?
Dr. Shelnutt: Camp Glisson offers a holistic approach to spiritual growth: worship, Bible study, singing on the porch, walking the path of silence, creek walks, sleeping under the stars, mountain hikes, time with a living group, and living in a cabin with folks who are encouraged to form a covenant community and being modeled by young adults who are passionate about their walk with Christ. Such a week is packed with affirmation, joy, and love that will enable them to leave the “mountain” and return to the routine of life in a different and new way that allows them to open themselves to the call of God in their lives.

Q: Can you talk about the joy of giving and how it aligns with your roles as disciples of Jesus Christ?
Dr. Shelnutt: As a pastor, I could begin to preach here, so let me be brief. “For God so loved the world that He gave ….” We can never outgive God. God continually creates and makes things new, giving us new life and new ways of loving in a world that often seems to have gone “mad.” One of our parishioners once said, “I am afraid not to give. I might miss something.” Giving without strings allows us to experience “the windows of heaven opening,” as the prophet Malachi said. Giving allows us to be the body of Christ in the world today. True love gives. When we give, we receive much more than the gift given. This has been our experience.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Dr. Shelnutt: This endowment is about helping change the lives of youth today; it’s not about the Shelnutt family. The ONLY reason we allowed the endowment to be known by us was not for our recognition, but to make others aware so that if they choose, they could add to it, enhancing the means so more socioeconomically deprived children can attend camp. We want our children, grandchildren, and generations to come to continue to fund this way of helping the helpless.

When I went to seminary, I went on a full academic scholarship my first year, but at the end of that year, I missed having the scholarship for the second year by .04 of a point! I was devastated. I did not have the financial means to pay for the next two years. I immediately went to work over the summer to save for school, but two weeks before the semester began, I did not have nearly enough to pay when I came home. As I went through my mail, I discovered a letter from Candler School of Theology that told me that a couple had paid for my last two years of seminary. I was overwhelmed!

Interestingly, I did not know this couple but had only heard of them. Needless to say, I was overjoyed, and no words could adequately express my gratitude. Having been given so much in my life, how could I not join in giving back?

NGCRM has given far more to my family and me than words could ever express. It is a joy to begin this endowment so others can experience the joy of a relationship with Christ and serve Him in the world.