This year, the Reformed Presbyterian Home celebrates its 125th anniversary. We celebrate God’s abundant goodness and grace in all those years.

In the past two years, it was especially evident. The COVID-19 pandemic, causing extra human and financial costs, intensified the challenges already facing the RP Home as an independent senior care facility. Through these difficult days, the fact that the RP Home even survived as an institution to care for the residents entrusted to it prompts us to praise our God with great joy for all His pro-vision.

We invite you to praise Him with us and to pray with us for His continued provision, for there is always the need for it.

God frequently works through human agents, of course. He has provided for the RP Home through the employees serving at the Home, and we are grateful for each one who worked faithfully throughout the dark days of the pandemic. God also provided for the increased financial needs arising from the pandemic at the same time that revenue decreased due to regulations limiting room occupancy. This article focuses on three main agents through whom God provided financially for the Home during COVID-19 and a new opportunity to meet spiritual needs at the RP Home created through the financial provision.

The first set of agents includes many of you who are reading this: our faithful donors. Donors include the many individuals, both within and outside of the denomination, who generously donate gifts as they are able. It also includes local RP congregations who generously include the Home in their congregational budgets. And it includes the support provided by the RPCNA Synod.

Each year, the Reformed Presbyterian Woman’s Association (RPWA) board presents a request for funding to the Finance Committee of the Synod of the RPCNA; and, as it is able, Synod allots an amount for the Home’s operating budget, a most welcome and needed contribution. In 2021, when the finances of the Home were hit hard by COVID-19, Synod gave the RP Home an additional $100,000 beyond the regular budgeted contribution. What a blessing that was!

In response to a special appeal sent out during COVID-19, individual congregations as well as individual donors gave generously. Interestingly, the historic generosity of donors from within the RPCNA helped the RP Home financially in a somewhat unexpected way in 2019. In December 2019, the board decided, after much prayer and careful deliberation, to refinance a loan, with the new arrangements allowing for our physical plant to serve as collateral instead of our investments. The lender, in a meeting with the board, mentioned the high level of support from within the de-nomination as a factor in the lender’s willingness to agree to this condition. The lender stated that such a level of support from members of an affiliated denomination to a senior care facility was quite unusual. This generous monetary support shows the heart of the denomination—a willing-ness to support the RPWA’s mission to provide care, particularly to the elderly, out of obedience to God’s Word and in response to God’s love to us. Such faithful generosity surely honors the Lord, in whose name the gifts are given!

The second human agent used by the Lord is the government. Both federal and state level programs offered special funds to help with COVID-19-related expenses. If we view the government as an agent of God in providing for the Home in this way, it certainly fulfilled Paul’s statement in Ro-mans 13:4 that the governing authorities are “God’s servant for your good.” The total of $1,730,540 received in 2020 and 2021 through these programs did much good. It takes certain know-how and persistence to access government funds effectively, and we praise God for providing the Home with staff who have that knowledge and persistence.

In 2019, when the financial director position became open, we prayed earnestly for the right person to fill the position. In God’s goodness, Robert Dinkelmeyer was hired. Well-qualified profession-ally in accounting and financial management, Bob also had relevant experience in the non-profit sector and in dealing with government agencies. This background gave him the skills to effectively pursue the government funding opportunities. We thank the Lord for His provision of just the right person for the job at this critical time.

The third source of income is grants. The United States has a long tradition of wealthy individuals, families, and corporations sharing their wealth through grants. This, too, is a matter to thank our heavenly Father for. Even if the grantors have no idea that their generosity is under His control, the Lord’s sovereign goodness is the source of every good gift.

Accessing these grants, however, is time-consuming. Possible grants must be searched out, letters of inquiry sent, application forms completed, documentation provided, interviews attended, and so on. The Home has been blessed by past administrators who successfully obtained grants; and, in the current difficult time, the Lord has provided the RP Home with a director with strong skills in this area. In 2020 and 2021, the executive director, Cara Todhunter, succeeded in gaining grants for the RP Home totaling $166,275. This includes $96,275 for COVID-19 testing from the Regional Response Health Collaboration Program; two $10,000 grants from the Snee Reinhart Charitable Foundation to purchase a patient lift machine in 2020 and two Vital Signs on the Spot monitoring machines in 2021; and a $50,000 grant from the McElhattan Foundation in 2021.

The McElhattan Foundation grant brought particular joy. It had long been a desire of the RPWA board and others to reestablish a chaplain position at the Home after many years without one. The main obstacle was funding. Cara Todhunter believed that the McElhattan Foundation would sup-port a request to fund a spiritual director position at the RP Home. After a job description was drawn up and approved by the RPWA Board of Directors, the grant application was submitted. In 2021, the McElhattan Foundation awarded the RP Home the necessary funding to cover a part-time director of spiritual care.

Prior to COVID-19, spiritual support was provided by volunteers, such as the retired pastors in residence and Bill Weir, along with area pastors and elders. It was truly heartbreaking that because of COVID-19, this spiritual support was cut off just when the need increased due to the loneliness and anxiety brought about by the pandemic. COVID-19 underlined the need for a director of spiritual care.

Another hurdle arose, however, in the lack of applicants with the qualifications. The need for spiritual care remained unmet, and the grant itself became at risk. Louise Copeland then thought of her brother-in-law, RP minister Stanley Copeland. After his retirement from a long career as a US Army chaplain, Stan and his wife, Marilyn, were now settled in Quinter, Kan. When three other individuals also called him about the position the same week, Stan determined that this was the Lord’s call. Setting aside their own plans, Stan, with Marilyn’s support, agreed to come on a short-term basis.

Bill Weir, now serving on the RPWA board after a long and fruitful career at the RP Home, ob-served Stan in action and shared the following: “The person in this responsibility needs to meet people well. Stan meets strangers extremely well and will help a new acquaintance in any way possible. Stan has taken the time to get to know residents one-on-one in a very loving way. Stan understands that the RP Home houses and cares for residents from all walks of life and different spiritual backgrounds.” Bill also noted how Stan was able “to provide encouragement and counsel to residents, staff, and families of residents” and “to share the gospel in simple ways to those seeking answers.” He fit the requirement for a spiritual director described by Bill as “someone who has been ‘in the trenches’ before and demonstrates spiritual maturity.”

Stan himself viewed his months of serving as the interim director of spiritual care as a time of blessing: the blessing of becoming friends with the “aged saints” not only in the Reformed Presbyterian Church but also other denominations. His first priority was to befriend residents and staff. This pastoral ministry of personal care is so needed and appreciated. Stan has a vision for involving area churches in Bible study ministries or other means of encouragement. He sees great opportunities for God-honoring service at the RP Home.

Stan Copeland’s ministry at the RP Home for three and half months leads us to praise and thank the Lord for His abundant provision, for the funding—supplied through the McElhattan Foundation—and for someone to take up the call to service, answered through Stan Copeland’s willing-ness to come.

But Stan Copeland has finished his time of service. Again, we must petition the Lord to send someone to serve Him as the director of spiritual care at the Reformed Presbyterian Home. Will you join us in thanking the Lord for His care until now and to ask for His provision for the days ahead?