Legacy [ leg-uh-see ]

1. Law: a gift of property, especially personal property, such as money, by will; a bequest.
2. Anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor:

The demands of living often constrain our charity; but when we reach the end of our journey on this earth our accumulated wealth can become a legacy that represents who we were, what was important to us, and what we want to continue after we are gone. For many, our children are our greatest legacy, and we rightly want to ensure they are able to live well; but beyond family, what is your legacy? In making a legacy gift as part of your will, you have an opportunity to pass your values on to future generations.

How is Legacy Giving Different?

1. It’s your last opportunity to give…
2. Data shows it’s usually your biggest gift . . .
3. It is a final statement to family (and community) about who you were, and what you valued.
4. This gift can live on, in perpetuity.

WHY Legacy Giving

WHY it’s Vital to Westminster

A Trustee member recently wrote to our Trustee Board, underscoring the need now more than ever for legacy gifts.

“My personal concern about Westminster is that despite our amazing ministry and welcoming culture we nonetheless are being carried in the mainstream current of present trends in our population and in “mainline” denominations.  Gregg has already mentioned from the pulpit that we are in the “Post-Christian Era.”   People’s belief systems have changed dramatically in the past 80 years.  Personal spirituality has less frequently required the participation in corporate worship.  “Organized religion” has increasingly been seen as narrow, dogmatic, and judgmental.  We see this divide in our national politics.  But we also see the impact in the statistics relating to church attendance.  So, as trustees who advise the WPC Session, I feel it is incumbent upon us to help the church retain flexibility with its assets…”

Lockwood Legacy Funds

Over the past several decades both church attendance and giving per capita have declined, creating a financial bind for many congregations, sometimes leading to church closures.  Westminster’s Lockwood Legacy Funds established and funded over the last half-century are a way to ensure this vital community and the ministry of Westminster Presbyterian Church are able to continue into the future. These funds provide a backstop not only by providing for unexpected expenses, but also by providing recurring revenues for vital church ministries.

In short, these funds enable Westminster to accomplish more than would be possible just with our annual stewardship giving.  The funds are managed by our Trustee Board, who are elected members of our congregation who serve for a period of 3 or 6 years, and direct the investment and oversee the disbursement of the funds.

We invite you to consider the many ways you could leave your legacy so that your values live on long after you are gone.