Gifts & Legacy Bequests
Making a Gift to the Bolton Congregational Church UCC
If you would like to make a financial contribution to help support the work of our church, please make your check out to “The Bolton Congregational Church UCC” and mail it to:
The
Please
make a note in the Memo portion of your check if it is for a specific purpose
(such as: Easter flowers, Christmas poinsettias, Thanksgiving food baskets,
etc.). Contributions received
without specific instructions will be used to support our church facilities,
If you are a church member who has not yet pledged for 2010 and would like to do so, just click here for pledge information including a pledge card you can print out and send back to church.
Thank you
for your thoughtfulness and support! May
God richly bless you for your kindness!
Our congregation’s financial strength today is due, in part, to the generosity of dedicated church members of the past who have left substantial bequests to our church in their wills. The future financial stability of the Bolton Congregational Church will likewise depend, in part, upon how well our generation follows this inspiring example of our ancestors in faith.
When you
meet with your advisor, please remember to include the
Making a bequest to the Endowment Fund:
It is a good idea to provide written instructions as to how to allocate and distribute your assets upon your death. A Last Will and Testament is commonly used for this purpose. You might also amend your Will by using a Codicil. You may also consider using a Trust to allocate and distribute your assets upon death. In any event, the important thing is to provide a clear statement of your wishes. Typically there are family members or others who rely on you for support and you must be sure to provide for them at your passing. There may also be those who don’t need your money, but you feel that they should have it. You may also want to include the church in your plans, and have been wondering how to do that. If you wish to make a gift to the church, please use the following simple provision.
I hereby give and bequeath the sum of ____________ DOLLARS ($_______) to the General Fund of the Endowment Fund of the Bolton Congregational Church UCC of Bolton, Connecticut. This bequest is restricted and shall be contributed to such Endowment Fund to be held, managed and controlled as an integral part thereof, to be administered, used and distributed in accordance with the provisions of said Endowment Fund Resolution (as amended) as the Board of Stewardship or such other governing board of the Bolton Congregational Church UCC deems appropriate, including its general charitable purposes.
From the Legacy Committee
The Legacy
Committee is continually searching for new ideas and new members.
Please feel free to share your thoughts or attend one of our meetings
(generally on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 11 a.m. in the
Church basement). Please contact Ruth
Treat or Bill Dakin for more information, or email them at legacy@boltoncongregational.org
To help reflect upon the importance of remembering our church in your will, please read the following excerpts from a 2004 article in our newsletter, the SIGNPOST, from our Legacy Committee:
Whether
we like to admit it or not, we all live in a very fast-paced world.
We are busy with our lives, families, jobs and other activities.
It can be very hectic. However,
it is important to take the time to reflect on your overall situation, and be
sure your following a plan that is consistent with your goals.
It is like being in a row boat afloat in a swift moving river.
Are you sitting there allowing the rushing water to provide direction, or
are you working hard to navigate a proper course?
When
stepping back to assess your situation, you should be sure that you have made
provision for your family and assets by preparing your Will.
Virtually everyone needs a Will. Whether
you are young or not-so-young, rich or not-so-rich, there are issues that will
surely arise if you were no longer here. Your
friends and family will rally to assist, and will be looking for a written
statement of your wishes. Do you
have a plan in place?
Typically
this process begins with gathering your important papers; including any existing
Will, Trust, Power of Attorney, Living Will, health care proxy, and burial
instructions. You should also locate
your deeds, bank account information, securities information, life insurance,
retirement assets, business assets, important personal property and liability
information. You should also locate
employment records, name and address information of attorney, accountant,
financial advisors, insurance representative, etc.
Summarize this information for your attorney.
Leave this information in a well organized place in your home.
Be sure your closest family and friends know where you keep this
information.
Once you understand where you are now, you need to ask yourself what should be done in the event of your death. Who should be in charge of your estate? Is there an alternate standing by? Who are the special people in your life that should be provided for in your Will? Who should receive which assets? Can the beneficiaries receive their inheritance outright without restriction, or does the recipient need a trust or other means of having someone else manage their inheritance? Who would you like to see raise your children? These are all questions that you should discuss with an attorney.
You also should also consider the impact of certain problems, and how to minimize the consequences to your family and loved ones. A careful review of your assets, ownership structure and beneficiary designation will help you to evaluate the potential requirements of probate administration. You should also consider the impact of potential death taxes. Although credits and exemptions have increased dramatically in the past decade, it is important to run the math, and estimate these potential costs. You need to also remember to look at potential income tax consequences. Oftentimes, a retirement fund is the most significant asset a person owns at death. There will usually be income tax consequences to the beneficiaries when these funds are withdrawn.
Although there are a number of computer software products available to address these needs, be careful of trying to handle it yourself. Oftentimes, the advice of an experienced individual will add value to the overall document, the administration process, and the propriety of the final result.
Once
again, when you meet with your advisor, please remember to include the