Throughout the past year, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected all of us, but in very different ways. Its toll has been all the crueler for its randomness and unpredictability. Some of us have lost loved ones, while other families and communities have been spared any severe illness. Some of us have lost jobs or seen businesses fail, while many have been blessed with seamless transfers to remote work without any loss of income.
Although many churches and communities have sought to focus their efforts on those most in need, support from the federal government here in the US has been less targeted, with some households receiving much-needed funds to help stay afloat, while many others have received large stimulus payments as an extra windfall on top of their regular income. Christians have responded generously in the face of these unlooked-for blessings, with many putting their stimulus dollars to work in the service of Christ’s kingdom.
Now, as tens of millions of families across America receive their third—and largest—stimulus payments, we would like to invite those of you who find yourselves blessed with secure employment and excess funds to put some of those stimulus dollars to work in the long-term investment of helping to renew Christian wisdom among Christian leaders and young people struggling for guidance in this confusing time. Our Board and officers here at The Davenant Institute have generously pledged to match the first $32,000 in extra gifts that we receive toward this fund drive this spring.
We are willing to make this commitment because we are convinced that now, more than ever, the church needs the perspective that the past provides, and the wisdom that our forefathers forged in the midst of their own battles with corrupt rulers and lukewarm libertines. Now, more than ever, Christians need to be fortified with quiet confidence in the midst of braying arrogance and crippling doubt. Now, more than ever, Protestants need to re-assert their long-forfeited cultural leadership.
We are also willing to make this commitment because we are convinced that the Lord has put before us here at Davenant extraordinary opportunities this year to vastly expand and deepen the impact of our work of Protestant resourcement and training in wisdom. Our Davenant Hall program has grown exponentially to nearly 100 active students, as pastors, seminarians, Christian educators, and theologically-concerned laypeople have found our courses an unparalleled resource in digging deep into their Christian heritage.
To meet the needs of this growing student body, as well as the needs of college students searching for direction on their Christian journey, we are looking to expand the footprint of our residential study and retreat center, Davenant House. We plan to soon announce a capital campaign to acquire property that will enable us to potentially quadruple our capacity for students and conference attendees.
At the same time, we are preparing to re-launch our magazine, Ad Fontes, as a flagship journal of Protestant letters, with a dedicated website, and new, handsomely-bound print format, with a significantly-expanded page count. You may have already seen its new accompanying podcast, launched last week.
As Covid restrictions recede, our growing cadre of Teaching Fellows are preparing to launch new local and regional initiatives to equip churches across America with tools to critically evaluate and combat the growing challenges to faithful Christian discipleship.
For many Christian families across America, this latest round of stimulus checks represents a rare opportunity to make a large transformational gift to the crucial work of Christ’s kingdom. And it comes at a time when the church stands at a crossroads, and when The Davenant Institute finds itself uniquely positioned to offer a blend of theological, historical, philosophical, and political perspective to help Christians faithfully navigate this challenging moment.
Despite recent growth, Davenant remains a lean and flexible operation, with little overhead and many unpaid volunteers. Every $1 you give between now and April 30th will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $32,000! If your tax-deductible gifts enable us to maximize this matching fund, we will be in a position to springboard confidently into these bold initiatives to greatly expand the impact of our work. Please consider making a gift or pledge today, however large or small, as the Lord has blessed you.
Whether or not you can give today, thank you for all you do through your prayers, your shares, your notes of encouragement, and your faithful discipleship in your own communities, to advance and renew Christian wisdom for the contemporary church.
Blessings in Christ,
Brad Littlejohn, President
“Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars”
– Proverbs 9:1
Other Ways to Give
Donate Appreciated Stock
Despite the severe economic disruption of the pandemic, the stock market has done extremely well over the past year, and many investors have seen their portfolios ballooning. Of course, to realize those paper gains, you’ll have to pay taxes on the increase—but did you know that you can donate your appreciated stock and receive a tax deduction for the full value?
If you have investments that you would like to donate to in lieu of cash, please email [email protected].
Become a Davenant Partner
(with new perks!)
Many friends of our work have elected to build their support into their monthly budgets and give each month via Paypal, check, or our Kindful platform. We’ve been looking for ways to properly thank our monthly Davenant Partners, and in the coming weeks will be launching a private online community of conversation where Partners can ask questions of some of our writers and Teaching Fellows, participate in debates, or just be flies on the wall of high-level theological, historical, and ethical conversations. Partners will also receive complimentary subscriptions to the new version of Ad Fontes, including exclusive access to subscriber-only online content.