Our Why
The Greek word, kharis or charis, means “grace” or a gift which cannot be repaid. The Mission Statement of the Kharis Foundation states that it was begun as a Gift of Grace. The founding members of the Board of Directors felt that they had been given an opportunity, as a gift from God, to serve people in need in Middle Tennessee.
Even though the Foundation began in 2009, it has a much longer history of service in Middle Tennessee and in the Presbyterian Church, USA. Kharis was started from the proceeds of the sale of Park Manor Retirement Center, an independent retirement center in Nashville, Tennessee. Park Manor continues to serve seniors but with a larger array of services including an assisted living facilities and an Alzheimer’s care and research facility.
Our logo features the commonly used symbol of grace, the descending dove. Just as the dove in Genesis 7:11 heralded the gift of dry land to Noah and his family and the grace of a new beginning for the earth, it is the desire that gifts from the Kharis Foundation bring hope to those in need. It is apropos that after choosing this symbol of hope, the historical flood of Middle Tennessee occurred in 2010; and Kharis began its grant history with flood relief.
Though not directly associated with the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., or with the local Presbytery, the board of Kharis is made up of members of Presbyterian churches in middle Tennessee. The priorities of the board include serving Presbyterian churches and their missions as well as serving the broader needs of the communities that make up middle Tennessee.
“For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift –”
Ephesians 2:8