It was at a round table in the church fellowship hall in Noble, Oklahoma. The celebration was the first birthday of my great nephew Nolan. I introduced myself to the one person at the table I didn’t know, and he returned with, “I’m Jim, Jim Pulliam.” As we continued the conversation, we shared small talk to get acquainted. He was best friends with Nolan’s grandfather on his mother’s side and lived in Henryetta, Oklahoma. His wife had passed away and he was retired but traveling a lot. I added my replies to the conversation, telling him how Nolan’s dad was my nephew, that I lived in Lake St. Louis, Missouri, and worked at UPCI headquarters in The Stewardship Department. That’s when he remembered me from the years we served in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Then the serious talk started… “Do you help folks with estate planning?” That was the open door to talk about my passion to bring stewardship solutions to our churches and members. One of the things I enjoy most is teaching “Life Planning” seminars at churches and helping folks strategize their estate planning to care for their families and the ministries they love the most.
He asked the big question next… “Will you help me?”
Dates were set to look at the dynamics of his estate and start discussions on how to distribute what God had trusted he and his wife with while on earth. We (the United Pentecostal Foundation) started coordinating with Jim’s attorney, investment broker, and estate administrator. We didn’t know until we were in the middle of discussions that Jim had been in the hospital a few times and he had become aware that his time on earth was limited.
Within eighteen months his pastor called to notify us that Jim was in the hospital and it didn’t look good. A few days later Jim passed away. After the funeral we met at Jim’s home with the estate administrator and relatives. The will was read, and the established plan started moving forward.
As in most wills and trusts, family and close friends were given specific amounts of money, land, and items from the estate through the estate administrator. The Foundation President was assigned to liquidate all remaining items in the house, the cars, and to sell the property. The house was full of antiques, pianos, and stamp and coin collections.
After the estate was settled and the taxes were paid, the Foundation was assigned to establish the Jim and Linda Pulliam Endowment with the remaining cash, investments, and proceeds from the sale of remaining assets. Not only were family and friends blessed with Jim’s final plans for his estate, but so were the ministries Jim and Linda loved. Oklahoma Home Missions, Lighthouse Ranch, New Beginnings, and Tupelo Children’s Mansion are all now annually blessed from the endowment.
Have you sat down and made a plan for the final distribution of your estate? If not, why? Two principles of life come to mind…the first is that every one of us is going to die…the second is we never take any earthly possessions with us when we die.
The week of writing this article I received a phone call from a family member of someone else that I had met with in the past. Their parent had passed away and the children had found a letter from one of our meetings with a list of things needed to plan for the distribution of assets. But sadly they never made their last will and testament or revocable living trust with their wishes on how to leave a legacy to their family or ministry(s) they loved the most. And it was a much sadder conversation than any I had with Jim’s family.
Your final plans should care for your family as well as leave an enduring legacy to help others know who Jesus Christ is…I Timothy 5:8 (KJV) tells us, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” I believe this also includes the household of faith.
Jim and Linda Pulliam lived a life of serving and blessing the Kingdom, and with their enduring legacy gift, they will bless ministries they loved while on earth until the Lord returns. Their example speaks to all of us to make a plan to bless the Kingdom in our final distribution plans.
Note: The United Pentecostal Foundation serves families to manage endowments, scholarship funds, donor advised funds, charitable gift annuities and charitable trusts. Some of these planned gifts provide different benefits that can include avoiding capital gains and estate taxes, provide streams of income while living, and provide forever gifts annually to ministries you love.
Steve Drury
Stephen Drury is the founding President of United Pentecostal Foundation and United Pentecostal Church Loan Fund. He is retired from directing The Stewardship Group serves in a consulting role. He is also co-founder of LifeSprings.