Legacy gifts can be an important act of stewardship on the part of a donor and a means of glorifying God. Implementation requires advanced planning and can require legal documentation. Should you sense God leading you to make a legacy gift you should:
- Contact an estate planning professional and your financial planner. They can provide assistance in setting up the necessary documents and provide understanding the impact of such an action on your present and future financial situation. Wooddale Church does not provide professional counsel in these areas; but has a list of qualified professionals.
- Talk this over with your immediate family members. This can avoid future misunderstandings.
- Talk to Wooddale Church about your planned gift—especially if it includes appreciated property. Advanced review and approval is required to accept non-liquid assets. You may also want to request a specific ministry use for your gift. Wooddale’s leaders will generally provide a best-effort attempt to use gifts in line with the donor’s request; but advanced interaction is helpful for planning purposes and to confirm alignment between the donor’s wishes and the ministry direction of Wooddale Church.
A legacy gift can be a milestone in the discipleship adventure for a follower of Jesus Christ. It can be taken by God and multiplied many times over for his glory—we only need to remind ourselves of what Jesus did with the five loaves and two fishes given to him by a young boy. Please, consider prayerfully what you might do for God’s glory through Wooddale Church and contact Wooddale Church if you have questions.