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A.  Mission and ministry can benefit from bequests.
      Outreach and church resources for programs are increasing.
B.   No one can make a bequest without writing a will.
      Pastors may anticipate bequests from people who haven't
      written their wills.  When a person dies without a will, the
      state distributes the property to family members – so there
      is no opportunity for a charitable gift.
C.   Many people don’t have wills.  More than 50 percent of
      the population do not have a will.
D.   The gift potential is tremendous.  It has been reported
      that every week about $100 million is left by people who die
      without a will.  Some of your members may need to
      prepare a will.
E.   Pastors can encourage bequests.  By knowing which
      tools are available to assist pastors in encouraging
      bequests, pastors can achieve surprising results from
      from simple, but consistent efforts.
 
That's  why  we*  have  compiled  26  ideas  for  pastors
to  use  to  encourage  more  bequests.
 
 
                       Four announcement things to do:
 
1.   Announce from the pulpit when a bequest has been received.
      This is an indirect reminder to members, an expression of
      appreciation to the family, and evidence to the congregation
      that bequests are acknowledged.
2.   Announce bequests in the weekly bulletin or newsletter.
     This reinforces the pulpit announcement.
3.   Report bequest to denominational publications.  If the
      bequests are big enough or unusual enough to be
      considered newsworthy, an item in your denominational
      publication will remind your members and friends again of
      the importance of making a bequest.
4.   In all instances, publicize gifts received through bequests,
      regardless of their size.
 
                    Five acknowledgement things to do:
 
5.   Write the family.  Send a handwritten note/letter to the
      surviving spouse and family members telling how much the
      church appreciates the bequests.  It will go a long way toward
      encouraging bequests.
6.   Apply the bequest specifically.  When a bequest is general,
      don't let it disappear in the operating funds of the church or
      in the general building fund.  Suggest a need to which it can
      be specifically applied.  This adds meaning and significance,
      while providing more opportunities to remind others.
7.   Label the gift, if possible.  Use bookplates on hymn books,
      brass plaques on pews, organs, stained glass windows.
      For the later gifts, consider naming a room, a chapel, or a
      wing of the church in memory of the giver.  This can be a
      memorial fund that is part of a larger endowment fund.  This
      public appreciation encourages bequests.
8.   Hold a dedication service.  Some gifts may be appropriate
      for a service of dedication.  An opportunity for more publicity
      and reminders.
9.  Observe the anniversaries.  Some bequests have built in
     anniversaries such as annual awards or scholarships.
     other significant gifts can mark their anniversary with a
     rededication service or reminder in the newsletter or bulletin.
 
                             An educational thing to do
 
10.  Hold a wills clinic.  As a service to your members, have a
      series of evening programs at the church.  Invite an attorney,
      a bank trust officer, a certified public accountant, and an
      expert on charitable giving.  Perhaps invite the development
      director of a church-related college. You may be able to get 
     all the speakers from among your
      own members.  However, outsiders won't be difficult to enlist
      since most experts in these areas welcome opportunities
      to speak at meetings and clinics.  Set up your program to
      allow for individual talks, panel discussions and questions-
      and-answer sessions.  Provide supplies for taking notes.
      More and more churches are holding such clinics. Pastors
      find they have a multiplier effect in the congregation.  As
      the ripples of influence widen, and as more and more wills
      are written, more bequests are received.
 
Four conversational things to do:
 
11.  Ask for a place in the back of the line.  Talk to members
      about a residual bequest or remainder beneficiary gift.
      Sometimes the estate is larger than expected or other
      heirs die before the will is probated.
12.  Ask about life insurance policies.  Many people have
      policies  they no longer need or haven't thought about in
      years.  The children they protected have grown up, or the
      businesses they protected have been sold.  The church
      can be named owner and beneficiary of a policy, entitling
      the giver to an income tax deduction.
13.  Ask about guardianship for the children.  This is an often
      overlooked reason for young parents with minor children
      to have a will --- in the even both parents are killed simultane-
      ously.  This reminder can motivate people to write their wills.
14.  Suggest a special-purpose memorial.   Often people are
       motivated to make a will in order to provide a special prayer
chapel or similar memorial for a loved one.
 
                       Twelve reminder things to do:
 
15.  Use your weekly bulletin.   Insert a one-line reminder
       regularly:
      "Have you remembered the church in your will?"
      “Have you tithed your estate in your will?”
      “Is the Lord’s work one of your heirs?”
      “Does your will include your gift to God?”
16.  Use your tract rack. Many excellent brochures and booklets
       on wills are available. Keep a supply in your tract rack and
       change them frequently.
17.  Use your benevolence literature.  All your printed materials
       on giving can include a one-line reminder -- even the
       offering envelopes.
18.  Use your bulletin board.  Post excerpts from the tract rack
       literature on wills. Post clippings from the newspapers about
       bequests left to other churches or other causes and highlight
       the key sentences and phrases. Keep the exhibit up-to-date.
19.  Use your church library.  Make sure your library includes
       several books on the importance of having a will, things to
       remember when making a will, estate planning, and related
       subjects.  Check the public library for titles to add.  Check
       with attorneys in your congregation for suggestions on
       other books written for laypersons.
20.  Enlist the attorneys among your members. Encourage them
       to ask the clients, “Do you want to make a bequest to your
       church or other charity?”
21.  Enlist the bankers.  They, are involved every day in estate
       matters, especially those relating to trusts and foundations
       remind them to suggest bequests to the church.
22.  Enlist the insurance agents. They are also in estate
      planning.  They can recommend that a will be written and
      remind clients that many people make bequests to their
      churches.
23.  Preach sermons on the subject.  Christians are called to be
      good stewards of their property now and after death. Every
      Christian can make a commitment to the Lord for future
      ministry in Christ’s name.
24.  Send out special mailings. Many pastors send special mailings
       to their members twice a year -- not on giving in general, but
       specifically on wills and bequests. "Ask and it shall be given
       you…"
25.  Take advantage of the "Wills Emphasis Sunday". The
       Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) observes "Wills Emphasis”
       Sunday on the first Sunday in May. To support this observance, the
       Churches may observe Wills Emphasis on any Sunday during the year.
       Resource materials are available year round.
26.  Tie-in with special religious weeks.  All year long you have
       special weeks for missions, Christian education projects, and
       other church outreach programs.  Each one is an excellent
       opportunity to suggest bequests to aid those particular causes
       in specific ways.
 
     Writing a will is an essential step in estate planning and can help
     church members become better stewards.  Integrating these
     26 suggestions into your ministry can help you motivate
     members to write their will and include a bequest to the church.
 
*We are grateful to the author, whom we have not yet specifically
identified.  If you know the author, please share their name with us so
that we may attribute this properly.