Steve French’s Invest Your Faith mission- First Fruits Israel Business Forum & Founders Institute

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

First… let me pique your interest. Then, (flash warning sign) I’ll be appealing to you for support. (Or jump to the bottom if you want)

As a person in the investment business, this piece of scripture (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6) has always intrigued me.

Invest in Many Ventures

1 Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return.

2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

3 If clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,

in the place where it falls, there it will lie.

4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

6 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.

It is so rich and can apply in so many ways, especially as I have contemplated it in many different translations and at different times in my faith walk. By the way, this is Solomon writing… the guy who asked God for wisdom and was made the wisest man who ever lived. This is toward the end of Ecclesiastes and of Solomon’s life, after he has discovered and shared how hollow and meaningless many of the things he chased earlier in life were. I can relate to that.

Don’t you think it’s interesting that God, through Solomon, cares about how we invest? He says TO invest, to DIVERSIFY, to invest OVERSEAS 4) to invest in many types of VENTURES and more. And Solomon warns that the Lord will judge our every act, both good and bad. Do you think He also cares about what we invest IN?

What if we could invest our dollars in a way which pleased the Lord? Which sowed into His Kingdom? And which also gave us a competitive financial return and diversified risk just as Solomon advised? I think we can.

Invest Your Faith

God has deputized me to help people sow into His Kingdom by investing and in doing so reclaiming the marketplace for Him. I’m talking about investing in actual businesses and the people that start and run them. But not just any businesses. We’re looking for (and finding!) businesses which are started and run with intentionality toward pleasing God. They might boldly claim Him as the driver of the business. Or they might purposely avoid activities and practices which break His heart. They might be businesses being started by people who are earnestly seeking Him through their business journey. None of our walks in Christ are the same and I love finding and sharing how God is using business to touch His kids, reclaim ground and grow His Kingdom. So… I’m launching a new business. It’s called INVEST YOUR FAITH.

Israel Business Forum/First Fruits

I’ll share much more about the investment opportunities through the INVEST YOUR FAITH platform as we co-create it with Dad. For now, just know that there will be many types of investments through INVEST YOUR FAITH. One “category” of investing will be the opportunity to invest in businesses in Israel. I didn’t understand much about Israel or the importance of the Jewish people to God until this last year or two but God has been revealing more to me every day. One way is learning how Israel is an economic wonder with amazing things happening all the time. Another way is how the community of believing Jews is growing and need our support. God has been revealing this to me as I pray about what it means to invest in Israel which He has been guiding me toward.

So, last Sunday, in a “chance” encounter, I learned of and was invited to the Israel Business Forum (http://israelbusinessforum.com/), an event taking place Sept 19-23 in Jerusalem, Israel. It is organized by First Fruits (http://israelfirstfruits.org/) an organization led by Mordecai Wiseman a believing Jew and impactful businessman and entrepreneur.

Here’s the Vision of First Fruits:

To see the Body of Messiah in Israel flourish and prosper, fulfilling its mandate to bless Israeli society and the nations through:

• God-honoring professionals
• Thriving “kingdom businesses”
• Economic transformation

And the Mission:

To empower the Body of Messiah in Israel economically by:
• Equipping people to be fruitful stewards of their gifts and effective influencers
in the marketplace
• Encouraging business formation and growth
• Providing an incubation framework for national projects

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had never heard of Mordecai or First Fruits but God has a way of making connections, don’t you think?

I registered. There are obstacles (money, passport, time) but I registered anyway.

Founders Institute

There is a second big thing happening relative to INVEST YOUR FAITH. I applied to a new (to Cincinnati) but highly successful global business accelerator called Founders Institute. (http://fi.co/). Kind of to my surprise (but not really considering who I have in my corner) I was accepted! Neither Founders Institute nor the startup/entrepreneurship hub it will operate from (Union Hall, home to Cintrifuse, CincyTech, The Brandery, etc ) are faith-based organizations. So I get to learn from the best in an incredible entrepreneurial environment and spend time in a world maybe not familiar with some of the truth behind this initiative. Sweet.

So…. here’s the thing. I need help. I need you, my brothers and sisters in Christ. I need prayer. I need financial support. I need feedback and sharpening. I need a lot. I’ve spent the better part of my business career, in some ways, trying to do it all myself. Build my own little kingdom. Be the smartest guy in the room. Do it my way. I’ve had some wins & losses but like Solomon have learned even the wins are hollow when they are not for the Lord, not for Him and His people, not as part of the Body of Christ. I’ve repented of all of this and do not carry these chains around anymore so now I am light (figuratively speakingJ) and ready to MOVE.

Specifically, right now, I’m asking for four things (I told you I need a lot!):

1. Prayer- that I may hear Him clearly, that I may proceed in bold humility, that I MOVE in His spirit.
2. Financial support- I need $5000 (fast!) for the Israel Business Forum, Founders Institute and some preparatory steps for both. To donate, click the DONATE NOW button above or below.
3. Permission- to keep you apprised, gather your earnest feedback and make appropriate pitches to you at various times.
4. Sharing- Please share with anyone you think this might resonate with.

So that’s it, but before I sign off I want to offer a blessing to you.

May you be lit up with a passion for a live work of the Lord which He has uniquely gifted and prepared you for. May you sow well and reap the fruit of an ever deepening relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. May your ship return full of the abundance of the Lord.

Steve French

513-379-5145

[email protected]