PHOTO Among those at First Parish who helped the church invest in Genesis are, from left: Kathy Slack, Linda MacDougall, Julie Benavides, Amanda Gale, Sue Inches, Judy Berghuis, Charles Small, and Rev. Jill Small.

When neighbors in Midcoast Maine established the Genesis Fund, its initial capital came from four faith-based institutions. Today, the variety of investors in Genesis still includes faith communities that emphasize a collective responsibility for addressing inadequate housing and other community needs.

In her role as investment committee chair of First Parish Church of Yarmouth, Sue Inches arranged for Genesis to make a presentation to her congregation. One month later, this church that’s “deeply committed to doing good work in this world” voted to support Genesis with a six-figure investment.

“I’m so pleased we educated a new group of people about this kind of investing,” Sue said.
“Our members can feel proud of stepping up this way to support our local community.”