At Alcovy United Methodist church in Covington, Georgia, an unexpected bequest was made by Mrs. Ina Davenport. The District Superintendent at the time, now Bishop Sharma Lewis, advised the church to establish an endowment with the Georgia United Methodist Foundation.
With the endowment secured and growing, no one at Alcovy knew exactly what Mrs. Davenport’s intentions were for the funds. Several long-term members believed the money should be used solely for the benefit of and upkeep of the church and ministry in Newton County. It was in 2019, following the appointment of Alcovy UMC’s current pastor, Rev. Debbie Giles, that a new vision for the endowment emerged, and it reached far beyond the borders of Newton County.
A single conversation between Alcovy member Danny Martin and Pastor Debbie set the new direction. Debbie learned Danny was traveling to Kenya and she suggested he visit the Mountain Park Academy, a school in Nakura, Kenya that she’d become familiar with during a medical mission trip. As a retired child psychologist, his interest was piqued and the arrangements to visit were made. Danny returned to Georgia marveling that such a school existed and vowed that Alcovy UMC would build a dormitory to house 120 teenage girls.
Danny’s commitment to raise the $35,000 to build the dorm was daunting to this forty-member church. However, knowing that the ability to house 120 girls could save them from homelessness or trafficking, was more than enough motivation for Alcovy to evaluate their resources. Over the years and with the assistance of the Foundation’s oversight of the endowment, Alcovy was already prepared to make the down payment on the dormitory. The congregation was 100% in agreement to move forward and steadied with the assurance the money for the dormitory could be given without getting near the endowment’s principal.
The dormitory was completed in 2023, and today Alcovy UMC continues to support Mountain Park Academy through mission teams, collecting gifts for the girls in the dorm, and providing financially. Back in Covington, the endowment provides financial resources for those who are homeless and food-insecure, as well as updates to the church including a new digital sign. As Pastor Debbie puts it, “The work never ends and the blessings of God and the money of interest and not principal make us to be the hands and feet of Jesus.”
The intersection of a financial bequest, the establishment of an endowment, and one church member’s inspiration to serve, speaks exactly to what the Georgia United Methodist Foundation means when stating “our purpose is your mission.”
The Foundation is honored to share in part of Alcovy UMC and The Kenya Project’s story. How can we help your mission in 2026 and beyond?
- Contact Georgia United Methodist Foundation at 770-449-6726 or info@gumf.org
- Learn more about establishing endowments with the Foundation or view our endowment resources
- Discover more about Mountain Park Academy, its connections with the United Methodist Church in Georgia, and how to support their work at thekenyaproject.org
