A Large Gift of Faith
Single Church Pledges $1 Million for Gulf Coast Recovery
By Jeff Diamant
Religion News Service
Saturday, June 3, 2006

SUMMIT, N.J. -- Fountain Baptist Church favors exuberance in worship, its members encouraging their spirited pastor with approving nods and liberal supplies of amens.

The fervor of spirit at this 108-year-old suburban African American church, about 1,900 members strong, is matched by a charitable heart -- and pocketbook.

The church, which started as a humble meeting place for a handful of gardeners and domestic workers, has turned heads with the sums it now gives to charitable causes around the world. The latest example is a $1 million pledge slated for hurricane recovery in the Gulf Coast, an amount considered quite generous for a major corporation or association, let alone a single church. the rest