“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give…” II Corinthians 9:7
When the letters from the attorney arrived in the offices of UPCI Global Missions and Youth Ministries, both were surprised. The documents notified the ministries of gifts that were coming to them from a trust. The creator of the trust had recently passed away and gifted them a portion of their estate.
Periodically we have individuals contact us asking how gifts left in their estates to ministries of the UPCI will be handled. Will they be spent immediately? Or will they be placed in a fund that will create recurring or perpetual income until the Lord returns, multiplying what they give many times over. Others ask for suggested wording to give to their attorney to leave a gift and others simply ask for the correct legal name and EIN number where their gift should be directed.
When these particular letters were received though, no one remembered assisting this family. But it was obvious they not only wanted to bless their own family with final gifts, but also bless the Kingdom, leaving behind a legacy gift to make a difference. What was that specific gift or difference? That the annual gifts to the ministries they loved to give to while alive would continue as if there were still living.
The letters were representing the “Barnett Trust.” In the final distribution direction there was a gift of 2/16ths or 1/8th of estate to Global Missions and 1/16th to Youth Ministries for Sheaves for Christ. It was a 3/16ths difference for the future of these ministries.
Global Missions puts all estates gifts like this in the Global Missions Administration Endowment managed by the United Pentecostal Foundation. The purpose of this endowment is to eventually provide enough annual income to eliminate the 10% given from each missionary’s budget to cover the Global Missions operational budget. This will enable every missionary to get on or back to their field sooner because every dollar raised will go directly to the mission field.
Youth Ministries decided to establish the Barnett SFC Endowment in the United Pentecostal Foundation with their 1/16th gift. Annually there will be a gift from this endowment to Sheaves For Christ, now called Move the Mission, as if the Barnett family were still alive and giving to this vital offering. This will help provide vehicles for our Global Missionaries, buildings for our North American Missionaries, funding for Tupelo Children’s Mansion, Lighthouse Ranch and New Beginnings, and scholarships for students at various UPCI-endorsed colleges.
There are several ways you can be a part of this movement to fund the ministries closest to your heart. The United Pentecostal Foundation has been established to provide all the vehicles needed to assist you in planning and managing life and legacy gifts. This means you can make gifts while living or through beneficiary gifts at the end of your life.
Some of the common ways to fund these gifts are to use appreciated property, stocks, businesses, etc. while alive to make direct gifts or to establish Charitable Trusts. Trusts can provide income for you and your family over your lifetime or for a set number of years. Or they could give gifts up front from the trust earnings and then the remainder comes back to the donor or family.
Other options are partial or full beneficiary arrangements on insurance policies, retirement funds, and/or estates. This means you designate the ministry as your beneficiary to pay out at your passing. This could literally be as easy as a phone call or signing a form to set this benefit up.
Yet another option is a Charitable Gift Annuity. This gives you a lifetime of income for up to two people (usually husband and wife) and then the balance goes to the ministry you choose.
3/16ths difference… means gifts will continue from the Barnett Trust (estate) until the Lord returns. Maybe God is speaking to you to include life or legacy gift in your estate plans. This could be for your local UPCI church, district, college, or national or international ministry you strongly believe in. If interested, you can contact The United Pentecostal Foundation for assistance with suggested bequest statements for your will or trust, or for more information on any of the other planning tools mentioned in this article.
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.