Friends See Benefit of Investing in Christian Union
Dean and Dianne Tanella, long-time financial partners with Christian Union, hosted a gathering with key people from their professional and personal networks to learn more about the work of the ministry. Amongst the attendees were Kurt and Danita Parker. Kurt is the senior minister of Harborside Christian Church in Safety Harbor, Florida. Through the Tanellas’ initiative, and by the work of the Holy Spirit, a simple evening of fellowship helped to launch a beautiful relationship between Harborside Christian Church and Christian Union.
As Dean reflected on this gathering, he said, “Frankly, I underestimated how quickly Kurt would see Christian Union’s value proposition. But as a student of great leaders and leadership skills, and as a highly effective and dynamic leader himself, Kurt promptly saw both the need and the leverage/position that the ministry has to make a lasting impact on the moral fiber of our nation.”Kurt summarized why their church decided so readily to give financially to Christian Union:
{tweetme}“We love Christian Union because, through our partnership, we are equipping students who will inevitably be leaders for years to come."{/tweetme}
"We believe that influencing the soon-to-be influencers with the truth of the Gospel is exactly how this country, and this world, can change and thrive. I’m also immediately taken to leaders of the Old Testament like Joseph who, leading a country by faith, changed the course of history for Israel, Egypt, and other nations as well; or Josiah, who led Judah with the reforms he instated. There are clear benefits to helping those whom society views as the lowest of the low, but there is certainly immense value in top-down reform as well. This is why we are so fond of Christian Union’s proactive approach—the potential for change by those who will soon be at the top of their professions, and the trickle-down effect that will result.”
Christian Union runs on the investments of partners like the Tanellas and Harborside Christian Church. When asked why they support the ministry, Dean shared, “I have been in the investment business for more than 30 years. Like many others, I can be very demanding about my returns on investment (ROI). So even when I invest in ministries, I look for them to generate a high ROI with that capital; that is my stewardship responsibility…I believe that the ROI on my investment of God’s capital in Christian Union will exceed my greatest expectations.”
Kurt added, “Two verses I would like to mention are 1 Timothy 4:12 and Jeremiah 1:7. Both point to not holding back youth from making an impact on this world. The students Christian Union serves may be brilliant, but ultimately they are just 18-22 year olds. They need to know they can lead in the workplace, in the mission field, or wherever God sends them. They need to know they are loved by God; and they need encouragement, no matter how gifted they are. Christian Union does just this. Praise God.”
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 Tanellas and the Parkers. To learn more about the many ways to support Christian Union, please visit www.christianunion.org/ways-to-give.
