Planned Giving at St. John’s – The 1841 Society

Scott Howard is a Financial Planner and serves in the Vestry of St. John’s as Chairman of the 1841 Society, about which he writes here.

As Christians and members of St. John’s Church, we are blessed with a beautiful historic campus, a shared mission of serving our community through outreach, and spiritual education with leadership to guide us in our life journey. Many parishioners who came before us have supported this mission, and their contributions are remembered through stained glass windows and plaques that honor those who helped build the St. John’s we know today.

We are all familiar with annual giving through pledges, which are essential for supporting the church’s current operating expenses. These pledges allow the Vestry to maintain a balanced annual budget, typically funded through cash, appreciated stock, or qualified charitable distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). While many of us strive to tithe or give generously, daily financial responsibilities can limit our ability to do so. However, by including the church in your estate plan, you can make a lasting contribution – often larger than what’s possible during your lifetime – while still meeting your financial needs.

Families often plan for the future by funding education through 529 plans, retirement through 401(k)s, and out of pocket health expenses through health savings accounts. As a church family, we are also called to plan for the future needs of St. John’s-both the physical campus and its ministry for future generations.

To support this long-term vision, St. John’s established the 1841 Society. This Society encourages parishioners to make thoughtful, prayerful planning about what will happen to their assets after their lifetime. Through planned giving, members and friends of St. John’s can help preserve the church’s mission and ensure its ministry continues for generations. A gift to the 1841 Society from an individual’s estate is a meaningful way to honor the past and invest in the future of St. John’s Church.

We invite you to consider joining the 1841 Society by speaking with your financial advisor, estate attorney or accountant. These professionals can help you structure a gift through strategies such as will provisions, gifts of appreciated assets, charitable trusts or foundations, life insurance, and qualified charitable distributions. (In next week’s Parish Paper, Dolly Chisholm will write about the benefits of establishing a private foundation.) If you have included St. John’s in your estate plans, and you have notified the church office in writing, you are eligible to become a member of the 1841 Society and may choose to have your name added to the Commemorative Plaque in the Narthex.

Please feel free to contact any member of the 1841 Society committee to discuss your intentions or ask questions. No gift is too small – and therefore no parishioner is excluded except by their own choice – and every contribution helps preserve the St. John’s you cherish for future generations.

We look forward to welcoming new members to the 1841 Society at the annual 1841 members’ reception in November at The Green-Meldrim House. We hope to see many of you there as we celebrate our shared commitment to the future of St. John’s Church. – Scott Howard

The 1841 Society committee:

· Scott Howard (chairman)

· Dolly Chisholm

· Rick Wright

· Rusty Ross

· Bishop Paul Lambert

· Fr. Dunbar (ex officio)

· Graham Sadler (ex officio)