Why These Guiding Principles for Investing?

We recognize that "church" doesn't just happen in a building. The Gratitude Fund investments should inspire recipients to apply their experience and expertise in a way that follows the example of Jesus.

Our membership is bursting with gifts that come from God and are meant to be shared. The Gratitude Fund investments should catalyze the financial, spiritual, social, and civic gifts in our community to impact the large Mount Olive community.

We live, work, and play in the Mount Olive community. The impact of our investments should blanket the town with love and gratitude. By focusing on unsolved and underemphasized problems in our larger society, we can be the cause for positive social change.

Because the needs of the town and of our First Baptist community can change, the focus of Gratitude Fund investments should be to launch and scale initiatives with sustainable solutions that last beyond the initial investment. We envision these investments to be a bridge that can bring focused attention to solving social problems, but not long-term solutions to permanently or annually fund any one program. That can allow the Gratitude Fund to take on new cycles to help solve issues in Mount Olive.