By Guest Columnist David Pace

We are witnessing the aging of what Tom Brokaw labeled, “The Greatest Generation.” They are our grandparents and great-grandparents. They are people who were born into depression and war, yet rose above those circumstances to give us freedom and prosperity.

This generation took us from the Model T to a landing on the moon. They took us from paper and pencils to computers and tablets. They led us to our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and our heritage in a movement devoted to being “Christians only.”

Many of this generation accepted the “call” to be ministers and missionaries. They gave up lucrative business careers for the challenge of spreading the good news to cities, rural communities, and foreign lands. In so doing, many chose a lower standard of living, risked their health, and ultimately sacrificed the accumulation of possessions that would have made their golden years more comfortable and secure.

Ministers and missionaries in this generation rarely were compensated at levels comparable to their business peers. Many were not covered by Social Security. Some were required to live in church supplied housing (parsonages). Few were blessed with any type of retirement plan, and even fewer were covered by disability insurance. Now they are aging and facing serious needs.

 One preacher remembers, “Once, instead of a paycheck, we were given a live chicken.”

 A preacher’s wife stated, “In 35 years, at six different churches, my husband and I raised six children. We were never paid more than $800 per month, and were provided no medical insurance or retirement benefits, just the joy of serving the Lord and his people.”

In 1 Thessalonians 5:12, 13, the apostle Paul wrote, “And now friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who worked so hard for you, who’ve been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love” (The Message, emphasis added).

The Kairos Benevolence Fund was established to fulfill this admonition from Paul. Donations are being raised for use in meeting specific financial hardships faced by these aging ministry colleagues. The Kairos Benevolence Fund LLC is a nonprofit religious charitable organization formed in the State of California, and exists because of the leadership and vision of the Provision Ministry Group. Goals of the fund are to:

• Identify ministry colleagues facing serious financial hardship;

• Raise donations for immediate use in meeting needs, or to be added to a Board Designated Endowment to provide for future, ongoing, grants;

• Raise awareness of the need to honor, appreciate, and love our aging kingdom servants;

• Provide individuals and churches with a method for assisting and honoring these faithful yet struggling ministry colleagues.

You can make a difference in the life of an aging kingdom servant by going to the website
www.kairosbenevolencefund.org to make an online donation, or by mailing your check to Kairos Benevolence Fund, 2050 Main Street, Suite 400, Irvine, CA 92614, or by calling 1-855-kairos7
(1-855-524-7677).

David Pace is President of Kairos Legacy Partners.