Mustard Seed Foundation invitation

We received the following e-mail and decided to get the word out by posting it… if you’re in the SoCal area and would like to find out more about MSF grants, I suggest reading below, and possibly trying to connect with Brian while he’s in LA this week.

Greetings in Christ from the Mustard Seed Foundation! I am writing you with the hope and prayer that you will be able to join me at an information meeting in your area so your church and network can learn about the cash grants that the MSF offers.

We have seen God bless the funding of the MSF over the past two years, and this year the MSF has paid 760 projects around the world. We are on a pace to pay out about 1,000 projects this year, including over $5 million in matching grants to local churches, and over $3 million in scholarships. That blessing has left us with a big problem. We have lots of money to give away. This has led to another problem. Few LA churches have asked the MSF for it!

This year the MSF has awarded grants to LA churches that have ranged between $4,000 and $42,000 and everything in between. Each of these churches that received a grant from the MSF wrote an application telling us what they wanted to do and how they wanted MSF to match the cash giving of their church to start or expand a specific project.

We pray that you can make it to one of these meetings. People who hear about the MSF and do not talk with a MSF person before they apply make a lot of mistakes that waste a lot of precious time to correct.

Brian Bakke, the Director of the Americas Region for the MSF will be at the following locations between Tuesday October 23 to Friday October 26 to answer any and all questions, give advice, and help LA County churches write a successful applications for MSF funding. He will help you ask in the right way so that you can access MSF funding for a new or expanded outreach, mentoring, or economic development project.

These meetings are open to pastors and leaders that are working with LA County churches. It is best if two people come from each church, so that the conversation can be with decision makers and those that have administrative gifts ­ so that this meeting will bear fruit in the form of written applications for MSF funding for ministry within LA County. Over time we have seen that if just pastors come to these meetings, few if any applications are written. So please do not come to a MSF meeting alone!

The time will be spent giving full detailed information on how to write an application for the Mustard Seed Foundation. I will go through these forms step by step so that many common mistakes can be avoided and so that we can hear about what your vision is for the people of LA.

It is our hope that you will be able to attend one of the following times and locations:

Tuesday October 23:

12:30 ­ 3 PM
Antioch Missionary Baptist Church
1535 Gundry Ave
Long Beach, CA

Wednesday October 24:

10 AM – Noon Kairos Los Angeles
4903 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029

2 ­ 4 PM New life Christian Center
2600 South La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA

5:30 PM World Impact Center
2001 South Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90007

Thursday October 25:

9 AM ­ Noon
All Saints Evangelical Lutheran
8040 Glenoaks Blvd.
Sun Valley, CA 91352

2 ­ 5PM pm at Harambee Center
1581 Navarro Ave
Pasadena, CA 91103

7 ­ 9:30 PM
First Evangelical Free Church
1356 S. Albany St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Friday October 26:

9:30 AM ­ Noon:
AM LA First Church of the Nazarene
3401 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA
Location: near the corner of Vermont Ave and 3rd Street, just 5 blocks South of the Hollywood Freeway (101 Freeway). The church is located next to Vons Grocery Store, off-street parking available just North of the church on Juanita Ave.

7:00 ­ 9:30 PM
Lincoln Ave. Community Church
1511 Lincoln Ave
Pomona, CA 91767

I look forward to seeing you at one of these meetings. It is the desire of my heart to help your church access MSF funding so that your outreach, discipleship or empowerment projects can be a blessing to the people of your great city!

Please have any of your people RSVP to me stating which meeting they will attend so that I can let our hosts know how many people might be coming.

Brian Bakke
Director para Las Américas
Fax (703) 524-5643
Web: www.msfdn.org

3 Comments

  1. JP Paulus on October 25, 2007 at 8:30 am

    i know Brian form Uptown, Chicago.

    He is VERY pasisonate about resoucring Inner City ministires.

    His major frustrations, however, have been lack of follow up from “interested” churches.

    The note also emphasizing INCLUDING someone with administrative gifts — who can follow through.

    The grant TOTALLY worth it, though….PLEASE get people to the meetings!!!

  2. Cleatrice(Cleo) Jones/Smith on December 19, 2007 at 10:08 am

    I was so pleased to meet Mr. Bakke at the Oct 26 meeting and was excited to know that an organization such as this one even existed! I have been in continual prayer for the Bakke family and it’s organizations. I do look forward to working with the organization in the very near future. God bless you continually.

  3. Tom Lawson on May 19, 2008 at 3:27 am

    My daughter Sarah Lawson is a graduating Christ centered senior honors student who has been accepted to a pre medicine program at Denison University and I am inquring if you are aware of possible scholarship funding for undergraduate Christ centered students

    I can be contacted at
    thomaswlawson@gmail.com
    or 614 537 7400

    Blessings to you and your family

    In appreciation

    Tom Lawson

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