Reflecting on 2019

Guest Post by Joe Lamendola

Our president, Larry McCooey, asked me to reflect on this past year and share my thoughts. I was glad for the opportunity and found many reasons to praise the Lord. As I look back on 2019, I am thankful to see how God worked in and through Orchard Alliance to advance His Kingdom. Much was accomplished this past year, and we recognize the Lord’s blessing on our work and give Him the glory.

In October, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of the coming together of The Alliance Development Fund and The Orchard Foundation to form Orchard Alliance. While we still offer the same products and services previously provided by each organization, our combined strengths enabled us to increase our service offerings and reinvigorate the focus on our mission—to equip God’s stewards for greater Kingdom impact.

Throughout 2019, each department in Orchard Alliance worked diligently to serve Alliance families, churches, and like-minded ministries. Here are some highlights:

Planned Giving

Our Planned Giving team developed a new service model to effectively serve Alliance churches on a national scale. This included the development of a “Planned Giving Quick-Start Guide” churches can use to help promote and receive non-cash gifts. Because 90 percent of a person’s wealth is in non-cash assets like stocks, real estate, and retirement accounts, giving churches the ability to promote and receive these types of gifts was paramount. We also developed a Planned Giving Module (PGM) for churches and ministries to use on their websites. These customized modules provide education, resources, and tools for supporters to learn how to maximize their giving and minimize taxes. To date, more than a dozen churches and ministries have implemented a PGM on their website, and additional requests keep coming in. We’re excited to see how the Lord will use these tools for Kingdom purposes.

Property Funding and Advisement

Orchard Alliance continues to have strong loan demand as Alliance churches have increased interest in financing opportunities. We are currently working with over 140 churches with more than $107 million in funding needs. In 2019, we granted more than 50 loans to Alliance churches and ministries—including first-ever loans to Envision sites in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Orchard Alliance was also able to help many churches successfully plan and raise funds for their building projects through our advisement services.

Investments and Retirement

We greatly appreciate our investors, and we continue to see the Lord using their funds to further His Kingdom. As of the end of 2019, more than 5,000 investor accounts totaling more than $226 million are being put to work financing churches and funding ministries around the world. Our Customer Care team has been supporting our account holders by phone and online, with quality customer service being our priority. Behind the scenes, we are working on more convenient and efficient ways to serve you. In the coming months, you can anticipate more information about these enhancements.

This past year has been busy but fruitful. I am in awe of how the Lord has been present in the details of our work and faithful in the outcomes. I look forward to 2020 and am excited to see how God will continue to guide and work through us as we enter a new year. May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands (Psalm 90:17).

All of us at Orchard Alliance wish you a blessed Christmas season, and we look forward to serving the Kingdom together in the New Year.

Joe Lamendola

Executive VP, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer