President's Letter

It has been some time since we have reported to you regarding the activities of Believe In West Virginia. Everyone is busy, but there is no good excuse for not providing you with regular updates for the various ministries. God is blessing us as we continue to do his bidding. The articles contained in this newsletter will give you the latest information. Please read through the entire publication and allow God to speak to you about how you might support our endeavors.

Storehouse WV continues as our most visible ministry. Hundreds of churches and other charitable organizations representing thousands of individuals are being blessed as we distribute million of dollars of product value. The Storehouse could benefit greatly from more space which would allow us to handle more merchandise and thereby more people. Ten thousand square feet of free or affordable space would be perfect. Perhaps someone reading this will be able to help. John DeBlecourt, our Executive Director, continues to do a marvelous job of managing the Storehouse. More details about Storehouse WV are contained in the article which follows.

Our Youth Encouragers Network ministry (YEN) has become more viable. In 2011, there were three Silver Ring Thing (SRT) events in WV. Many middle and high school students heard the abstinence message. Please read the SRT article that follows to get the details. The YEN ministry has been expanded to support organizations that are having a positive impact on children and teenagers. Last year we were able to provide $32,000 of direct financial assistance to The Bob Burdette Center, The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Arts In Action and Child Evangelism Fellowship. Thank you to the donors who made these very vital gifts possible.

It seems that I always end these letters with some sort of plea for financial help. This letter is no different. I am very pleased to report that we have once again been granted state of West Virginia Tax Credits through the Neighborhood Investment Program (NIP) for contributions specifically dedicated to support Storehouse WV. One half of your contribution to BIWV can be deducted as a credit to the amount of state taxes you owe subject to the rules of the program. This is a wonderful opportunity to help and be helped at the same time. Read more about the program. While contributions to our YEN initiative do not qualify for the NIP credit, we are looking for more individuals/businesses who will invest $5,000 so that we can reinvest those funds into the lives of children and teenagers. The eternal return of your investment will be amazing. Let us know if you would like to hear more.

We will do our best to communicate more often in the future. In the meantime, continue to remember us in your prayers and feel free to contact me personally if you have questions or comments.