On August 19, 2026, Letty Briggs passed away. She was 94 years old. Letty holds an important place in the history of CDF Capital. This previously published article has been edited to reflect her passing.
In 1962, when she was just thirty years old, Letty Briggs stumbled across an article that described a problem for churches.
She shared, “banks wouldn’t loan out money to build churches. Some people got together and mortgaged their homes so they could do it themselves. For the first few years, they gave that money away, but they eventually turned it into an investment fund.”
When she read about the group’s solution, she became inspired. She put $500 in an envelope and dropped it in the mail.
And with that, Letty became CDF Capital’s very first investor.
That initial investment grew and Letty continued to view CDF as an ideal place for her savings. Years later, when she sold her house and moved to a new place, she invested the extra money in helping churches grow.
“I’ve been in church all my life, so naturally I wanted to support churches and help start new ones,” Letty explained.
A LIFELONG LOVE FOR THE CHURCH
The church had been part of Letty’s life since she was a child.
She grew up in the small town of Morrill, Nebraska, on the edge of the Wyoming border. When she was a little girl, she started attending Sunday school.
As a teenager, she was baptized in the swimming pool at camp. Her love for the church remained strong when she relocated to California. Letty taught Sunday school for many years, even when her job required her to work on Sundays. She would get up in the morning to teach class at church and then would head to work.
Until Letty’s passing, she remained actively involved in helping churches grow through her investments at CDF.
“I’ve been in church all my life, so naturally I wanted to support churches and help start new ones.” —Letty Briggs
ALIVE AND ACTIVE
Every year, on the anniversary of that first investment, a member of the CDF team called Letty to thank her for her faithfulness.
CDF Capital President and CEO, Eric Schroder, made a few of these calls. He observed that, “Letty defined loyalty. For over sixty years, she invested in this ministry, which is absolutely amazing. We were truly blessed by Letty and her faithfulness to this most important work.”
The video below shows portions of the 2024 annual call that Letty had with long-time CDF Capital investment representative, Nedra Macshane.
Letty’s voice carried the quiet faithfulness of someone who decided long ago that her resources should serve something larger than herself. Her kingdom investing helped fund church financing and church loans for congregations across the country for more than six decades.
While some of her memories had faded, Letty still recognized Nedra. She innocently asked Nedra a powerful question: “so that fund is still alive and active?”
“Yes we are,” Nedra lovingly responded. “We’re helping churches all across the country.”
Hebrews 4:12 states that, “the word of God is alive and active.” It Is undeniable that Letty lived out this verse with her life. While mourning her passing, we praise God for her legacy.
