In Your Interest – by Valerie Rumbough

Hopefully, all of you have thought about how to provide for your loved ones if you should pre-decease them. This is one of the most important things you need to do. But how many of you have thought about providing for your church as well? You may give regularly to your church now, but when you die, so does your regular giving – unless you plan ahead.

Valerie Rumbough

How can you be sure that your church can continue to receive gifts from you even after you have gone home to be with our Lord? By proper Christian estate stewardship through planned giving. A planned gift can take many forms, from a simple bequest in your will, to a trust, or even a beneficiary designation on your retirement account or an insurance policy. A planned gift that will eventually benefit your church says that you believe in its future, that you support its vision and purpose, and that you want to leave a legacy of faith and hope that will benefit the kingdom of God.

We all know that it costs money to expand the kingdom of God. But many times we do not think about making charitable giving part of our estate plan. Maybe no one has ever made that suggestion to you. Now you have a chance to think about it. Someone once said, “Estate stewardship may be the single most significant act of stewardship that most of us as Christians will ever perform.”

Can you make your most significant gift after you’ve passed away and have no need of your assets anymore? It’s something to think about. If you are interested, contact your attorney, CPA, or the Baptist Foundation for information on how to do this. You will be glad you did, and so will the kingdom of God.

– Rumbough, CPA, CFP, is chief operations officer with the Baptist Foundation of South Carolina. Contact her at 800-723-7242. In accordance with IRS Circular 230, any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.