J. Locke, center, Pasupathy Thyagarajan, left, Ramakumar Revur and Rama Lakshmanan.

DURHAM – Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

Given that taxes are an inevitable part of life, international gospel recording artist J. Locke, of Raleigh, says they should help support churches, which, in turn, support the community.

Thus, Locke’s $50 Blessing Campaign, in which he encourages congregants to “turn your tax filing into a blessing for your church.” Partnering with Liberty Tax of Durham, Locke is basing his program on the tax preparer’s refer a friend program. When people get their taxes prepared by Liberty Tax, rather than get $50 for referring a friend, they can instead donate the money to a church of their choice.

“Churches have a lot of things that they’re doing. There are churches that give to the community, there are churches that have youth ministries, there are churches that have homeless ministries. I hope this is something they can use to put back into the community or put in other places in their church,” Locke said.

“Nowadays, people may minimize the impact the role of the church in the community, but a lot of churches are in the community doing the work. They’re headlining feeding programs, out there giving clothes away, out there talking to people, trying to give them hope and encourage them. We all have a role to play; if I can create an environment where we can make an impact, let’s do something for other people.”

Badhri Chellappa, owner of the Liberty Tax franchise at 4823 Meadows Drive, said the campaign is a community partnership that aligns business success with community impact.

“When Mr. Locke approached us with his $50 Blessing Campaign, we saw it as a natural extension of our commitment to serve not just individual clients, but the broader community as well,” he said. “We partnered with Mr. Locke because we believe in giving back to the community we serve. Tax season is a time when families are thinking about their finances, and this campaign creates an opportunity for that financial activity to directly benefit local churches that are doing meaningful grassroots work in our neighborhoods.”

Supporters of the campaign do not have to be a member of a specific church or a Durham resident.

“I think it’s a beautiful way to maintain healthy relationships between businesses and churches,” said Dorothy Drinkard, an associate of Locke’s. “They have congregants, and it’s something we can all relate to — taxes. It’s one of those things where I can say if I’m already taking care of a financial obligation, I can be a blessing to my church at the same time.”

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