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The Methodist Foundation for Arkansas

@methodist.foundation.ar

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Since 1963, the MFA has been establishing and managing charitable funds to strengthen and expand Methodist ministries across Arkansas.
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The Methodist Foundation for Arkansas (MFA) has named David McCormick as its full-time Director of Grants and Leadership Ministries, effective November 1. McCormick will succeed the Rev. Mackey Yokem in a slightly redefined role that takes the position from part-time to full-time, allowing for additional expansion of Foundation programs that have experienced significant growth over the past decade. The grants program, for example, disbursed $850,000 in 2016; in 2025, it distributed more than $2.1 million in funding for initiatives ranging from food security, education and community health to discipleship, diversity and environmental awareness. “The Foundation’s Board of Directors knew that following Mackey’s retirement from his role, we wanted to be able to build on the momentum he provided for the grants ministry,” said MFA President and CEO the Rev. J. Wayne Clark. “We’ve retooled the position to ensure that our presence in the grantmaking, clergy and lay leadership, and scholarship arenas could have room to expand, and we’re grateful to be bringing David on board to lead the process of making it all happen.” “David’s experiences—leadership development, strategic planning and grant management, his long history in Methodism and connections across all levels of the UMC—have come together to make him an ideal fit for this role,” said MFA Board member and search committee chair Jill Penick. “We are eager to have him become part of the Foundation’s already excellent staff.” A Louisiana native and cradle United Methodist, McCormick holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from United Methodist-affiliated Centenary College and an MBA from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He spent a decade in service as a United Methodist missionary in Africa and the U.S., including as a mission advocate for the denomination’s eight-state South Central Jurisdiction, which includes Arkansas. Since early 2025, he has served as Mission Engagement Liaison for two of the UMC’s denominational agencies, the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM). A blue background shows a headshot of David McCormick on the right-hand side, with the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas logo to his left above the words, "Welcomes David McCormick as Director of Grants & Leadership Ministries in November 2026" by @methodist.foundation.ar
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2 days ago
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MFA staff belatedly celebrated Rev. Mackey Yokem’s birthday today, extending his BirthdayFest with a pasta lunch, goodies from a nearby bakery, and lots of laughter. Happy birthday, Mackey, and may you have many more joyful journeys around the sun! 🎉🎉🎂🌟😎 by @methodist.foundation.ar
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3 days ago
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“You are the CEO of a nonprofit organization. And [for] your life spent in local church ministry, you will always be that.” –Rev. Dr. Clif Christopher, to clergy in yesterday’s Capital Campaign Workshop at MFA Attendees of the October 13 Capital Campaign Workshop spent the morning with Clif Christopher, author of Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate, Whose Offering Plate Is It?, Rich Church Poor Church, and other books on stewardship and discipleship. After his presentation, which distilled the essentials of preparing for a congregational fundraising campaign, he engaged participants in role-playing how to make requests for leadership-level gifts, then made himself available for one-on-one discussions after lunch and encouraged every participant to contact him later if they have more follow-up questions. “It was great to be reminded about the important steps that need to be taken so your end results are successful,” said the Rev. Allen Crum of Bella Vista First UMC. “I am also thankful the Foundation has made the investment to allow Clif to help us in the future through coaching calls. All of what he talked about are definitely ‘things they don’t teach you in seminary.’” #forarkansasforgood … Photo 1: Rev. Dr. Clif Christopher speaking to clergy gathered in the Lusk Training Center at the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas. Pictured seated from left are Revs. Sara Andrews, Ronnie Miller-Yow, Danita Waller-Paige, and Lynn Kilbourne. Photo 2: Rev. Tonya Hancock and Rev. Dr. Clif Christopher engage in a role-playing exercise, with Christopher playing a potential donor and Hancock making a request for a leadership-level gift. Photo 3: Amy McGovern and Rev. Tonya Hancock observe as Rev. Alyssa Kuebler (right) and Rev. Dr. Clif Christopher engage in a role-playing exercise to help Kuebler practice a request for a leadership gift to her church’s capital campaign. Photo 4: Nickole Ellis, a member of Highland Valley UMC, asks Rev. Dr. Clif Christopher questions specific to that church's plans. Rev. Dr. Clif Christopher speaking to clergy gathered in the Lusk Training Center at the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas. Pictured seated from left are Revs. Sara Andrews, Ronnie Miller-Yow, Danita Waller-Paige, and Lynn Kilbourne. by @methodist.foundation.ar
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4 days ago
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Matthew Dicks, bestselling author, Tedx speaker, and teacher captivated current students, alumni, and Arkansas area preachers with stories and powerful practices for “How to Tell a Better Story.”   Matthew is a 62-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 10-time GrandSLAM champion. His visit last week was co-sponsored by the Compelling Preaching Initiative, funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment and administered by the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas along with the Hendrix College Office of Religious Life and the John and Marjem Gill Preaching Workshop. by @methodist.foundation.ar
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4 days ago
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It’s Amy McGovern’s birthday!* 🎉🎉🎉 As Director of Development in the Northwest Arkansas office of MFA, she’s almost never around for the rest of us to celebrate her in person, so it was extra special to have her in Little Rock for part of her birthday week. We gathered last night, then had cake this afternoon! We’re sure glad you were born, Amy, and we want to make sure everyone sees the proof that your nails are painted the very same color as MFA’s favorite pens! *Yes, it’s also Mackey Yokem’s birthday, but we’ll get to that later in the week, we promise. by @methodist.foundation.ar
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5 days ago
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Just over 100 churches so far have taken advantage of MFA’s $75 Pastor Appreciation Month grants to assist Arkansas UMC congregations with honoring their pastors throughout October 2026. Churches with multiple appointed clergy may apply to receive this amount per pastor. Is your church missing out on this way of celebrating? A member of a Church Council or Staff-Parish Relations Committee may apply for these funds for the church to use toward a gift, event, or other expression of gratitude to honor their clergy. Apply at the third link 🔗 in our bio, then please send us photos and descriptions of how you celebrate (thanks to First UMC of Bryant and Bradford UMC for sending these pics!). #ForArkansasForGood by @methodist.foundation.ar
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6 days ago
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The most recent Arkansas/Louisiana/Mississippi Five Day Academy for Spiritual Formation was held in September at the Wesley Center in Woodworth, Louisiana. The Academy is a disciplined Christian community emphasizing holistic spirituality – nurturing body, mind, and spirit—intended for both clergy and laypersons who hunger for rich spiritual experiences. Each retreat follows the rhythm of study, prayer, rest, and community. Participants learn new ways to deepen their relationship with God and to live as faithful witnesses of God’s love in the world. The Methodist Foundation for Arkansas provided a grant toward the Arkansas participants’ registration fees. MFA grant funds also enabled the Academy to host Mary Earle and Jerry Webber as the leaders for the week. Arkansas United Methodists who attended are (front row, from left): Paul Weeks, Joanna Davis, Maurica Dooley, Roy Smith, Patti Butler, Justin Ledbetter; (second row) Sandy Smith, Davis Thompson, Cornelia DeLee, Jerry Webber, Bud Reeves, Dede Roberts; (back row) Jason Saugey. To learn more about the Academy, contact Rev. Roy Smith at 501-350-0330 or roy.smith@arumc.org. by @methodist.foundation.ar
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9 days ago
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Happy DAF Day to you! 🎉 Founded to highlight the power of Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), DAF Day happens at a time of year when folks might begin thinking of year-end tax benefits. MFA can help you manage your charitable giving through a DAF. The basics: You may contribute to a DAF as often as you like, receiving an immediate tax deduction for each gift. Then, you choose where and when to have grants from your DAF disbursed. For DAFs set up through MFA, at least 51% must go to Methodist-related charities in the United States. Up to 49% of the annual earnings can go to any qualified 501(c)(3) organization in the U.S. The minimum required to open a DAF is $2,500. Ready to establish a DAF? Contact Rev. Lynn Kilbourne or Amy McGovern and they’ll make it happen! lkilbourne@methodistfoundationar.org or amcgovern@methodistfoundationar.org “Happy DAF Day from MFA!” and the MFA logo appear in white on a blue background with metallic star confetti. The central image is the upper two-thirds of the Foundation's Donor-Advised Fund flyer. by @methodist.foundation.ar
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9 days ago
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Would you like to turn a dollar into three dollars? ✨ Here's your opportunity! 20 years ago, the Arkansas Annual Conference partnered with Bishop Ntambo in the North Katanga Conference in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to build water wells for communities there. In 2026, at the invitation of Bishop Muyombo, we're rekindling that partnership because 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀—𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁. [TLDR version: Give at the 2nd link in bio for a 200% match!] The Arkansas Annual Conference is raising money to build solar-powered wells in North Katanga. 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲-𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲, with a United Methodist church, a school, and a health clinic built around it. Clean water for drinking and handwashing protects families from cholera and other waterborne diseases, as well as Ebola. 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗚𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟬% 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵: 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭! A well costs about $10,000. The Methodist Foundation for Arkansas has offered a dollar-for-dollar match for all gifts received by 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭, up to $25,000. The General Board of Global Ministries of the UMC has pledged a similar match of up to $25,000. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 $𝟮𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗔𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 $𝟳𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 to provide clean water in the DRC. There is no limit on what we send. Every gift before and after the match goes to North Katanga, and every $10,000 means another village has clean water. Churches may send contributions marked "North Katanga Water Wells" to: Melissa Sanders, Financial Controller Arkansas Conference of the UMC PO Box 3611 Little Rock, AR 72203 Individuals may give through their local church and mark the gift “North Katanga Water Wells,” mail it to the Conference Office at the address above, or give at the 2nd link in bio. Questions? Contact Rev. Dr. Hammett Evans, Chair, Arkansas Conference Board of Global Ministries: hammett.evans@arumc.org, or Rev. Roy Smith: roy.smith@arumc.org. A light blue background shows ripples of water. On the right side of the graphic is an image of three people setting up a water well in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Wording on the left reads, "Arkansas to North Katanga: Life-Giving Water for DRC Neighbors. Every gift made by Dec. 1 generates TWO matching gifts up to $25,000! Triple every dollar -- triple the wells!" Across the bottom sit the logos for the General Board of Global Ministries, the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas, and the Arkansas Conference UMC. by @methodist.foundation.ar
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10 days ago
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MFA staffers enjoyed a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at yesterday’s Holy Mexican Lunch! The event was held by the Asociación de Mujeres de Arkansas (Association of Women of Arkansas), led by Rev. Lupita Chavarria. Bishop Laura Merrill spoke at the luncheon, and Mexican Ambassador Mr. Carolos Ignacio Giralt Cabrales delivered the keynote address. Attendees enjoyed a presentation of “Perlas de México” 💃🏾 from the Mexican Folkloric Dance Ballet; dancers are pictured here alongside Cathy Hall, Rev. Lynn Kilbourne, Rev. Mackey Yokem, and Rev. Chavarria. by @methodist.foundation.ar
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12 days ago
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Last call for the Capital Campaign Workshop for Clergy with Rev. Dr. Clif Christopher! Tuesday, October 13, 2026 | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | MFA Little Rock Office ✅ No cost to participants ✅ Covers guiding principles for successful capital campaigns ✅ Provides practical, hands-on advice specifically for pastors ✅ Includes lunch and an informal Q&A with Dr. Christopher ✅ Receive a copy of Dr. Christopher’s book, Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate ✅ Appointed clergy qualify for additional coaching with Dr. Christopher, covered by the Foundation Register before 4 p.m. Tuesday, October 6 at the second link in bio! Slanted red text across the top of the graphic reads, "Register by 4 p.m. on Oct. 6!" The remaining text appears in white on a blue background: Capital Campaign Workshop with Rev. Dr. Clif Christopher, Tuesday, October 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., no cost to attendees, held at the MFA Little Rock office, 601 Wellington Village Road. The page also features a photo of Dr. Christopher and the MFA logo. by @methodist.foundation.ar
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13 days ago
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Join us for this special event tomorrow, October 5 at 7 p.m. in Worsham Hall at Hendrix! Free and open to the public, bestselling author, award-winning teacher, and storyteller Matthew Dicks will share his insights on storytelling, preaching, and the power of a compelling message. He’ll also serve as the featured leader of this year’s John and Marjem Gill Preaching Workshop. 🔗 Visit hendrix.edu/gillworkshop to learn more. Matthew’s visit is co-sponsored by the Compelling Preaching Initiative (CPI), funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment and administered by the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas, along with the Hendrix College Office of Religious Life and the John and Marjem Gill Preaching Workshop. by @methodist.foundation.ar
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14 days ago
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