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Foundation
As has been mentioned before, the IBRA Radio is an affiliated company to the Dagen and has the same board.
Countries Foundation
During the traditional preachers meeting in the Philadelphia Church in Stockholm in December ‛1964 it was resolved to recommend to the Pentecostal Churches to elect approx. seventy trustees, who should form a foundation with the name, the Swedish Pentecostal Mission’s Help to Developing Countries Foundation‛ . 178 The inaugural meeting with the trustees was held on the 3 April, 1964 when the regulations were accepted and a board appointed. It was to consist of 11 persons and run for a term of 4 years. The trustees appoint a chairman from the board. According to the accepted regulations ‛the number of trustees should be at least 50 but not more than 75‛. At present the number is 58 representing 53 Pentecostal Churches.179
I have not received any information as to how the election originally took place. But the regulations mention that ‛after the trustees have been appointed for the first time, the election of trustees takes place in such a way that the Pentecostal Churches, of which the first appointed trustees are members, choose trustees from the members of the Churches in the various counties. Election should take place after discussion with the rest of the Pentecostal Churches in the county. A trustee, who for some reason is no longer a member of the Pentecostal Church, automatically loses his authority.‛ The board ‛is responsible to the trustees‛ . 180 On the board and among the deputy members there are representatives from five more Pentecostal Churches.181
The foundation wants to be a ‛complement to the Swedish Pentecostal Churches and its mission in countries other than Sweden.‛ The objective is to ‛without gain, give assistance in a social concern, above all in developing countries, by philanthropic work among needy people, particularly in form of help to self help, in promoting care and
_________________ 178 Hammarberg 1969. 179 ’Svenska Pingstmissionens U-landhjälp’, Förteckning över huvudmännen, 1972. 180 Regulations, Svenska Pingstmissionens U-landshjälp, 3.4.65. 181 ’Svenska Pingstmissionens U-landhjälp’, Förteckning över styrelsen, 1972.
training of children and giving support for securing schooling and education as well as hospital care and taking charge of refugees‛ .
182
‛The Pentecostal Mission’s Help to Developing Countries is a contact organ for applications for help from the governmental institution SIDA, the Red Cross, ‘Save the Children’ and similar institutions. In certain cases contact is also made with various UN organs such as UNESCO, UNICEF and UNHCR. ‛183 The foundation also arranges collections within the Pentecostal Churches in connection with services and also by appeals and advertisements in the publications of the Movement. In addition to this, hospital material, medicine, food, new and second-hand clothes etc. are sent to needy countries.
The first period of work for this foundation was between 1 July, 1965 and 31 December, 1966. From the Churches there was collected 106,447:21 kronor, from private individuals 559,471:57 kronor and from other organizations 582,915:74 kronor. A grand total of 1,248,834:75 kronor. The value of the material gifts was estimated at 4,789,000 kronor.184
For the year 1.1 – 31.12.71 the collected means from the Churches was 255,793:84 kronor, from wills 122,617:74 kronor, and from private donors 833,890:01 kronor and from other organizations 2,045,377:90 kronor. A grand total of 3,257,679:49 kronor. The value of the material gifts was estimated at 551,092 kronor. The foreign aid is divided between Africa, Asia and Latin America.185
Of the 11 members on the board one is a woman. The average age is 55.7 years. 4 members are Pastors, 2 are missionaries, one a manager, one a factory owner, one a business man, and one a clinical teacher.
_________________ 182 Regulations, ’Svenska Pingstmissionens U-landshjälp’, 3.4.65, § 2. 183 Hammarberg 1969. 184 Administrative reports, ’Svenska Pingstmissionens U-landshjälp’, 1965–1966. 185 Administrative reports, ’Svenska Pingstmissionens U-landshjälp’, 1971.
