For Dale and Eleanor Boese of West Salem, Ore., generosity encompasses three spheres: time, talent and resources. Since their marriage in 1959, they’ve been motivated by their Christian faith to live in a way that displays that attitude of generosity.
Most recently Dale and Eleanor sought to meet a need that combined all of these commitments as they used their time, talents and resources to fully fund and oversee the building of an addition to Kingwood Bible Church, also in West Salem.
When the church began experiencing congregational growth after Nathan Ensz became the lead pastor in 2017, Dale and Eleanor started thinking of ways to expand the facility to accommodate the increased attendance. Dale, who spent his career in construction, presented a concept to the church leaders and the project was approved. Called “The Hall,” the new addition includes additional fellowship space, a kitchenette, handicapped accessible restrooms and the church’s first elevator.
“The Kingwood project began with seeing the need for an additional meeting space prior to and following the worship services,” Dale and Eleanor say. “Our heart has always been to see Kingwood thrive and be a presence and good influence in the Salem community.”
As such, it was fitting that Dale’s final job as a general contractor before his retirement in March of 2023 was for Kingwood Bible.
Dale says he got his start in construction when, as a boy, his mother would “kick him out of the house” to work on building houses with his father. After marrying Eleanor, Dale continued working for his father until 1967 when he began his own construction company called Dale Boese Construction, Inc. Along with other employment endeavors, Eleanor worked as treasurer and secretary for the construction company.
It was this construction experience that helped Dale and Eleanor see a need and work to meet it. However, time and talent weren’t the only means of involvement. Dale and Eleanor fully funded the half-million-dollar project from the sale of residential acreage the couple owned. With the help of MB Foundation, the couple began gifting income properties to MB Foundation in the early 2000s.
Over time, the Boeses say MB Foundation has “been the vehicle to help us with donations of property and our estate planning.” The Hall addition was funded in this manner, as the Boeses donated one property in full to MB Foundation, while three properties were partially gifted to MB Foundation. MB Foundation then facilitated the sales of each residential acreage and dispersed the funds to Kingwood Bible Church for the project.
“With Dale’s building experience, the necessary steps were taken to complete the project,” the couple says. “We decided to fund it because there was a need and we had the means to meet the need. MB Foundation facilitated by being the conduit by which we could donate properties that would fund the project.”
Dale and Eleanor established a Charitable Remainder Unitrust with MB Foundation in 2001. Since that time, they have made multiple real estate and cash gifts to the Foundation, both utilizing the charitable trust, donor advised fund and an endowment, funded while living and with their final legacy gift. They have an estate plan that utilizes MB Foundation as trustee of the estate and fiduciary to accomplish their charitable objectives.
Financially and otherwise, it is important to Dale and Eleanor to always remember that everything belongs to the Lord.
“Generosity is giving of self to help others, not only with money, but with time and talents the Lord has gifted us with,” Dale and Eleanor says. “It’s not ours, it’s the Lord’s.”
MB Foundation is the stewardship ministry for the Mennonite Brethren church family in the United States. MB Foundation, headquartered in Hillsboro, Kansas, encourages and assists individuals, congregations and ministries in the Mennonite Brethren community with biblical financial stewardship solutions.
