Grace Grubert has been promoted to the new dual positions of chief financial officer and chief operations officer (CFO/COO) of Financial Planning Ministry in Irvine, Calif.
Grubert joined FPM in 2008 and has been serving as director of administration during a time of great growth at the organization. FPM is a nonprofit partnership of national charities dedicated to providing a path to sound biblical stewardship through donor estate planning.
In her new role, Grubert will be supported by a national team of 35 staff members serving 100 charitable partners. Together they serve 34,000 estate planned families and have helped facilitate more than $1.6 billion in gift designations to Christian philanthropic organizations, including numerous Christian churches and churches of Christ and their affiliated colleges, organizations, and ministries.
In making the announcement, president/CEO Michael Prior and executive vice president D. Clay Perkins praised Grubert for her natural leadership. The respect and rapport she earned among her team led the board of directors to elevate her to their top management team.
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News Briefs
Milligan University’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program will provide free, IRS-certified tax return preparation to local citizens again this year. This year’s program will take place at the Tennessee university’s Hardin Hall from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on three Saturdays: Feb. 27, March 13, and March 27. Appointments are required and can be scheduled at www.milligan.edu/vita.
The tax preparation site will follow COVID-19 safety precautions, including masks and social distancing. Initial meetings will take place outside in a covered breezeway, and then tax returns will be prepared while taxpayers wait in their car. Any questions will be covered by phone. Milligan’s VITA program provides the same fast refunds as paid preparers offer. Over the years, student volunteers have completed hundreds of returns.
Student preparers are supervised by faculty, train extensively, and are certified by the Internal Revenue Service.
“VITA is a practical, hands-on way for our students to make a positive difference and become servant-leaders in their community,” said Dr. David Campbell, area chair of business and professor of economics.
Eligibility requirements are listed at Milligan’s website. The program is sponsored by Bank of Tennessee and Carter County Bank.
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Chaparral Christian Church, Scottsdale, Ariz., was featured in an article about Family Promise of Greater Phoenix helping the homeless population in the area. CCC provided meals for a week to families experiencing homelessness, most of them for the first time. Pre-pandemic, the church also would have provided temporary shelter for those families, but alternate arrangements are in place for the duration of COVID-19.
“We are so thankful to our network of volunteer organizations like Chaparral Christian Church that are still able to help us support our families during this challenging time,” Ted Taylor, executive director of Family Promise, told the Daily Independent.
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John Whittaker will host the free online workshop “5 Necessary Shifts for Becoming a Disciple Making Church” on Jan. 28. The workshop is to help pastors and church leaders think through how to cultivate a discipleship culture in their church. More information and a registration form are available at http://discipleshipworkshop.net.
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Lincoln Christian University will team up with e2: effective elders for the virtual church leaders’ conference, “Leading through Crisis: What COVID Taught Us about Conflict, Commitment, and Staying on Course.” The conference is set for 9 a.m. until noon (CT) Feb. 20.
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An online gathering for senior leaders of Christian churches to explore the new book, An Authentic Experience by Corey Trimble, will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (CT) on Jan. 28. This is one of a number of Learning Community events that RENEW.org is hosting this year; the next one will be March 11 and feature Brandon Guindon. Click here to learn more.
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Kentucky Christian University recently made two administrative announcements.
Corey Fipps, formerly athletic director and head football coach, has transitioned to the role of vice president of enrollment management and athletics. (We featured Fipps in a recent article about student-athlete baptisms.)
Rob O’Lynn, meanwhile, recently started as dean of the School of Distance and General Education. In addition to leading distance education initiatives, O’Lynn will oversee the general education and history programs.
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Max Lucado will host his first-ever online reading club from Jan. 25 to March 7. The five-week, interactive, guided reading club will focus on Lucado’s just-released book Begin Again, but all club resources are free and available online. Learn more and register via the sponsor’s website, BibleGateway.com.
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Restoration House Ministries, based in Manchester, N.H., shared a 3-minute Christmas video featuring several of its 20 or so partner churches in the Northeast.
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