And you play an important role in it.

The church doesn't believe in saving for a rainy day. We prefer to think of it as saving for the future, rain or shine.

We're not talking about putting away some funds just in case we encounter tough times down the road. And we're not talking about a “money–in, money–out” approach to covering our day-to-day operating expenses.

We're talking about securing our organization's future. We're talking about expanding our programs, extending our mission, and reaching out to greater numbers of people to help in more effective and exciting ways.

We're talking about building endowment.

What is an endowment?

An endowment is a permanent fund that provides annual support to the church. It serves a similar purpose to the kind of saving your family does when you establish a retirement plan or set up a savings account. It is how we prudently set money aside to make our future secure.

Unlike a savings account, however, an endowment lasts in perpetuity so that a regular stream of support is available to us every year—now and for decades, or even centuries, to come.

It enables us to pursue our mission in bigger and better ways.

Planned Gifts Build Endowment.

There are many ways to create an endowment gift. Outright gifts of cash and appreciated securities, for example, provide an immediate boost to our endowment and are gratefully received. But one of the best ways to make a meaningful endowment gift (and reap some personal benefits as well) is to make a “planned gift.”

Planned gifts include gifts created through your will, living trust, retirement plan or life insurance policy. Also included are giving tools we call “gifts that pay you back” such as charitable trusts and gift annuities that provide you with an income stream for the rest of your life.

Some planned gifts entitle you to an immediate income tax deduction; others provide flexibility during your lifetime and can provide benefits to your estate and your heirs. All of them enable you to create a philanthropic legacy much more meaningful than you may have ever imagined.

We will be pleased to talk with you confidentially about the opportunities for you to support our endowment. We will also be happy to share more information with you about planned gifts and how they can meet your personal, financial and philanthropic goals. Please contact us. And we invite you to look further into these Gifts Anyone Can Make.

Thank you for your interest and support. The gifts you plan today will create a solid foundation for the church tomorrow and far into the future.