Our Mission

The Barnabas Almsgiving Fund responds to the needs of people, especially fellow Christians, who have insufficient means to meet their needs for:

• food
• clothing
• shelter
• medical treatment
• education

We encourage people to be aware of those needs and respond to them, being generous like Barnabas, a leader in the early Christian Church. This initiative is ecumenical, focused on the needs of Christians anywhere in the world.

What We Do

• Provide a legal instrument, a (501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, to give tax-deductible alms to individuals in need and to organizations that serve the needy.
• Verify the needs of potential recipients and deliver the funds needed, either directly or through a trustworthy intermediary.
• Educate and motivate Christians to give alms generously in accord with Christ’s teaching (Luke 12:33-34).
• Inform people about the needs that come to our attention and about the service that BAF provides.

Values

• Compassion and solidarity: Scripture clearly teaches Christians are responsible to help their brothers and sisters who are in need (1 Jn 3:16-18; Jas 2:14-16).
• Generosity: Jesus teaches, “Give, and it will be given to you…. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Lk 6:38; see 2 Cor 9:7-11).
• Ecumenism: We are eager to work with Christians of all denominations as donors, partners, and recipients of Barnabas alms.
• Simplicity and efficiency: Because we are small we can respond quickly to urgent needs and we seek to maintain a non-bureaucratic approach to vetting needs and transferring money.
• Minimal overhead: All of our staff are volunteers and we keep costs to an absolute minimum in order to maximize the use of contributions toward intended needs.
• Integrity: We provide oversight and accountability so as to maintain the confidence of donors and recipients.
• Prudence: We seek the counsel of trustworthy clergy and lay people to help us identify and evaluate needs that come to our attention.

See Our Story to learn more.