What We Do ✦
Investing ✦ Serving ✦ Transforming
Investing.
We provide faith-driven investments that not only grow your financial resources but also invest in people, leadership development and your future ministry. Together, we can strengthen your mission and create investments that fit your faith.
Serving.
Our experienced team works alongside you — supporting your faithful journey and vital ministry with tailored guidance and resources. We partner with pastors, church leaders and congregations to help you love boldly, serve joyfully and lead courageously.
Transforming.
As we help you confidently lead in ways that expand your ministry’s impact, communities are strengthened and lives are changed — inspiring more generosity and continuing the cycle of faithful impact for generations to come.
What People Say ✦
Meet The Team ✦
David S. Bell
President & Executive Director
As President and Executive Director, David leads the ongoing strategic vision of the Foundation. He oversees the leadership development, planned giving, fund management, and financial stewardship services of the Foundation. He administers the Foundation in ways that promote clergy excellence, the spiritual discipline of generosity, and value-aligned, socially responsible investing. Serving the Foundation for over a decade, he has thirty year of ministry experience, including experience as a pastor, a development director, and a regional and national church leader. He is an ordained clergy member of The United Methodist Church. David is a frequent keynote speaker at national and regional conferences. He received a post-graduate certificate in Executive Leadership from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western University. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Drew Theological School and completed his undergraduate degree from The College of Wooster.
Contact David for consultation regarding investments, planned giving, estate planning, clergy financial coaching, and trust administration. - Contact David
Rev. Brad Bartelmay
Sr. Director of Mentored Learning
Rev. Bartelmay will assist church leaders with implementing financial best practices. He will also intentionally mentor new pastors and pastors in transition to strengthen their financial understanding and steward leadership skills. As his title implies, his focus is on mentoring pastors and church leaders so that we are growing generous communities of faith across the Michigan Conference of The United Methodist Church and beyond.
-Contact Brad
Ann Buck
Sr. Director of Account Services
Ann served for many years in the area of administrative services with the former West Michigan Treasurer’s Office of The United Methodist Church. As a result, she is well known throughout much of the Michigan Conference. Ann is responsible for many bookkeeping functions of the Michigan Area Loan Fund, local church investment statements, other trust and annuity account services, and direct customer service.
Contact Ann for information about account statements, investment allocations, distributions, and deposits, and loan fund payments. – Contact Ann
Marian Coles
Vice President- Operations & Communication
Marian has worked with the Foundation longer than any other current staff member. She has a lengthy history of serving the Church, including a former position with the Board of Ordained Ministry. Prior to this service, she worked for over ten years as a human resource manager. In this management position, she worked extensively with benefit management, conflict resolution, recruitment of professional staff and customer service training. She holds both a Master’s of Science Degree and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
Contact Marian for information about planned giving resources, communications, operations, scholarships, grants, and awards. – Contact Marian
Rev. Joel Fitzgerald
Vice President- Church Relations and Leadership Development
Rev. Fitzgerald brings considerable experience as a pastor and a passionate advocate for high capacity pastoral leadership. He currently is a member of the Wespath Benefits and Investments’ Board of Directors, has been a General and Jurisdictional delegate or alternate, and recently completed the MBA program at Dakota Wesleyan University. Joel is available to coach and lead workshops to help churches and pastors live as generous communities of faith. In addition, contact him for Mustard Seed Grants and Clergy Debt Refinancing Questions.
Rev. Dr. Jennifer Browne
Sr. Director of Connectional Engagement
Jennie has served the Michigan Conference as Clergy Assistant to the Bishop and Director of Connectional Ministries. In her role with the Foundation, she will consult with churches during times of transition and resource pastors as they onboard to a new ministry setting. She will also focus on equipping pastors for innovative and adaptive leadership in a changing ministry landscape.
– Contact Jennie
Karen Thompson
Sr. Director of Loan Services
Karen’s responsibilities include both stewardship ministry and loan services. Karen elected early retirement from Ferris State University in 2018 where she served in a financial investment position. Her passion for the Church, her personal faith, her knowledge of financial services and her commitment to the Foundation’s ministry lead her to be a natural fit for this position.
Contact Karen for consultation regarding ministry loans and promissory notes. – Contact Karen
