About Us

Introducing the Evangel Baptist Foundation

On August 3, 2017 the property of Evangel Baptist Church at 1900 Manchester Road in Wheaton, Illinois we sold to Vineyard Church of DuPage. At the same time, Evangel converted from an active church (our last service was July 23) to a private foundation. To find out more about the process that led to this transformation, see the Succession Planning page.

It is the purpose of the Evangel Baptist Foundation to honor the legacy of missions throughout the nearly-60-years of Evangel's ministry as a church. The Foundation will use the proceeds of the sale to continue and expand support over a period of ten years or more.

Why a foundation, when most churches that sell their property simply close and disburse the proceeds quickly? Because the two churches that approached us about sale of the property needed a seller-financed solution, the idea of converting Evangel to a foundation was born in the fall of 2016. This puts Evangel in a unique position. Rather than disbursing proceeds quickly and dissolving the corporate organization, the Evangel Baptist Foundation will be able to continue missions support for a decade.

Additional information:

  • How is the Foundation organized and who makes decisions?  With the sale of the church property pending, in July 2017 the members of Evangel Baptist Church adopted replacement Bylaws, authorized the name change to Evangel Baptist Foundation, and elected a Board of Directors. With the sale complete, the Foundation remains an Illinois (USA) nonprofit organization that can accept charitable donations.

  • Who makes decisions about Foundation funding and policies?  The members of Evangel Baptist Church elected the initial Board of Directors:

    • Pamela Barden - Duarte, California
    • Randy Dorn - San Antonio, Texas (Chair)
    • Betty Ecklund - Broadway, Virginia
    • Bill France - Wheaton, Illinois (Secretary)
    • Larry Funck - Batavia, Illinois (Treasurer)
    • Stu Johnson - Wheaton, Illinois
    • Dave Tietjen - Pewaukee, Wisconsin

    In the future, the board will be self-sustaining. The initial board is made up of current or former members, all of whom have served in leadership positions. In the future it is desired that board members will have had a connection with Evangel during its years as a church.

  • Who does the Foundation support?  See the Missions section for a list of supported missionaries and organizations, as well as additional resource material. The board will decide how and when to make changes in the list.

  • Reports on Foundation activity  Support will be paid quarterly rather than monthly, as had been done in the past when Evangel was an active church. The first quarterly payments were made in July to cover the third quarter of 2017. After a management organization is secured, the Directors will consider any changes to be made in the fourth quarter and start to plan for any additional changes in 2018. General reports will be made on the website, and you will also be able to receive them by email. Watch the site for more details.

  • Donating to the Foundation  While the Foundation will rely primarily on proceeds from the sale of the 1900 Manchester Road property, it is possible to accept individual donations. If you wish to donate to the Foundation, you can send a check (or use an online Bill Pay) made out to the Evangel Baptist Foundation, PO Box 792, Wheaton IL 60187. Donations are tax deductible. Note that all donations to the Foundation will be disbursed at the direction of the Board of Directors, initially based on the 2017 budget of Evangel Baptist Church. If you wish to give to individual missionaries or organizations, you can do so through their own websites (links are provided in the Missions section).