Susan Stover and Arthur Stella
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
- 2 Corinthians 9:10
Early in Susan Stover’s life, her parents, Bob and Joan Stover, sowed the seeds of generosity. “My parents’ faith journey had a tremendous impact on me,” Susan noted.
“My father became a Christian as a young man after serving in the Navy during World War II. His life reflected his personal belief that he needed to use his talents and resources in the Lord’s service.” After the war, Bob Stover began a temporary employment agency in San Francisco.
Susan recalled how the business plan he submitted to the bank for a loan was initially denied, because it included a 10 percent built-in expense for tithing. He stuck to his principles: “When asked to remove the expense, he refused and argued with the bank that it was a necessity that the Lord required.” Eventually, Bob and Joan established the Stover Foundation “as a means to continue to support Christian ministries and schools into the future.”
Arthur Stella and Susan Stover
Susan became acquainted with Christian Union (CU) through her father, who played a foundational role in the birth of Christian Union’s ministries at Penn and Stanford.“As I became more aware of the impact CU was having, I wanted to continue to stay involved,” she said.
Over the years, Susan and her husband, Art, have seen the ministry firsthand on several campuses. “With each visit, I have increasingly come to see the blessing and impact that CU has on these communities,” she shared.
{tweetme}Through the Stover Foundation’s stewardship, Christian Union has been richly blessed with the resources to increase its work with students.{/tweetme} In addition to supporting several of the campus ministries, the foundation has played a pivotal role in the acquisition of two of the ministry’s newest buildings at Princeton and Columbia.
The impact of Christian Union on the lives of students compelled the foundation to support the mission. “We are all working toward building the kingdom of God. The seeds planted in these young people will be a part of accomplishing this great goal!”
The ministries the Stover Foundation supports and Christian Union share common missional themes. “The Stover Foundation supports Christian organizations that provide educational, evangelical, and compassionate programs that encourage others to live a life for Christ,” Susan explained. “Like Christian Union, our foundation hopes to support the opportunity for future leaders to grow in faith and to use those Christian truths and principles as guideposts in their endeavors. Christian Union provides a place for students to learn about the Word of God and encourage each other in their faith journeys.”
The transformative work of the Holy Spirit through this ministry simply isn’t possible without our financial partners. The ministry is deeply grateful to the Stover Foundation. To learn more about the many ways to support Christian Union, please visit www.christianunion.org/ways-to-give.
