GA06120

PILP delivers good news … with interest

by Erin S. Cox-Holmes

BIRMINGHAM, June 21 — Not many drawings offer this kind of prize.

Jean Silva, of Grace Presbyterian Church in Panama City, FL, won help and hope when she entered her name at the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program (PILP). She was the winning recipient on behalf of her congregation of a $500 note, which will pay 4.5 percent interest over the next two years, and will simultaneously benefit a congregation ready to build or expand.

"That's the kind of program PILP is," said Ben Blake, vice president for sales and marketing, "We were created to increase funds available to help Presbyterian congregations build and expand their ministries, while giving investors and donors a way to make their investments count for mission while still earning a return."

"We're celebrating our tenth anniversary and rejoicing that PILP has just passed the $50-million mark, with the vast majority of these funds out on loan," Blake said. "Over the past five years, we've funded over $100 million in loans with funds from investors and donors."

PILP serves as the "conduit to connect those with passion for church growth with congregations who need to borrow to realize their dreams for growth."

The PILP video, which was received with a resounding ovation by the General Assembly, is available free of charge to congregations and governing bodies. "It's important to realize that congregations and governing bodies can channel a portion of their investments through us. We're not just for individual investors," Blake said.