A GIFT TO FUTURE GENERATIONS

By Anne Wheeler-Waddell, Doctor of Ministry '06, and John Wheeler-Waddell, Doctor of Ministry '07, are Fuller alumni and Legacy Circle Members. Read their story below.

“Fuller equipped us in mind and heart to engage with what God is doing throughout the world. With appreciation for what we have received, we are grateful to be able to financially support Fuller's ongoing kingdom engagement for generations to come.”

John and Anne have many reasons for wanting to give back to Fuller. Their Fuller educations added dimensions to their life and ministry that they never would have known otherwise. Anne first attended Fuller to pursue an MDiv degree. After completing her MDiv, she served in Kenya as a pastor and teacher. She returned to Fuller ten years later to pursue a Master of Theology in Intercultural Studies, where she met John in 1990 while he was completing an MDiv. They married and moved to Kenya, where John served as Chaplain and a teacher at a national Kenyan high school and Anne taught at a Pastoral Training Institute. After five years in Kenya, they moved to Ethiopia and helped start a rural bible school. During a second term in Ethiopia they both taught at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa.

John and Anne returned to Fuller once again to complete Doctor of Ministry degrees together, studying Christian spirituality. Following their ministry in Ethiopia, they returned to the US and served for eight years as member care coordinators with The Antioch Partners, caring for and mentoring missionaries while continuing their teaching in Addis Ababa on a part time basis. Even now in retirement as part of the expanded member care team their continuing goal is to enable missionaries to be healthy spiritually, emotionally, relationally, physically, and intellectually over the long haul, so they can participate effectively in God's mission with a strong support network. They are also committed to working with sending churches in building strong and comprehensive support structures and practices for those involved in long-term cross-cultural mission.

John and Anne's passion for equipping missionaries and the church in Africa continues. They wanted to give back to Fuller so future generations of students would have the same opportunities they had. Together, they created the Wheeler-Waddell Scholarship to provide support for Fuller students who serve the church in Africa. The Wheeler-Waddell Scholarship provides support for students like Patrick Butsapu Kakule (MA in Intercultural Studies '15), who came to Fuller from Congo to study evangelism and development. To hear more from Patrick about his experience at Fuller, please click here.

John and Anne wanted to give to Fuller now, and not wait until after their lifetimes. They owned stock that increased in value over time and, after contacting Fuller, learned they could use that stock to establish their scholarship and create a charitable gift annuity. Their charitable gift annuity provides them with fixed payments in addition to an income tax deduction at the time they made their gift.

If you would like to learn more about how a charitable gift annuity can provide you with a secure source of fixed payments for life as well as tax savings, please click here.