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A Legacy of Faith: Planning Your Own Legacy

A faith legacy takes many forms:

• The values, beliefs and actions you’ve displayed today and throughout your life as a child of God

• The time you’ve donated through volunteering to causes close to your heart 

• The monetary donations you’ve made: to fundraisers, to special Go Fund Me or personal requests, or to ongoing giving at Gethsemane and/or other priorities that are important to you.

When we pass into the Kingdom of Heaven, there’s one final opportunity to share your Legacy of Faith. How would you like your family and community to celebrate and honor this legacy?

If a monetary donation to Gethsemane is one of your priorities, a bit of planning can help your family make decisions when they need to.

• Consider a planned gift to the Memorial Foundation.

• Complete this form to share with your loved ones or financial planner. This could be included with a Will, Trust or other instructions.

• Talk about it! We will not be remembered by what we have accumulated, but by what we have given. Give your wisdom, your memories, your hopes, your praise, your love. These are the legacies that will never be forgotten.

How to honor your loved one’s Legacy of Faith 

If you’d like to honor the Legacy of Faith of a beloved friend or family member, a gift to the Memorial Foundation (link to the above) celebrates the spirit of giving. Several options are available:

• Within your loved one’s obituary, ask for Memorials to “Gethsemane Lutheran Church (www.glconline.org/giving). Please select Memorial Foundation and add the honoree’s name in the comments field. * Note: please speak with our office to obtain a list of gift givers you may wish to thank.

• Make a one-time donation at any time. Families often choose this as a step when the estate or insurance may be settled.

Mission of the Gethsemane Memorial Foundation:
To provide a place where people can offer a legacy of faith through their financial gifts to aid in the fulfillment of the church’s mission.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MINISTRY AND MISSION

The Memorial Foundation makes annual gifts to the congregation and local ministries that made a huge impact. These funds help support unfunded capital improvements, new ministry events, college scholarships, staff continued education, and Minneapolis Area Synod mission initiatives. Gifts to the Foundation indeed help us continue this legacy of outreach and mission for our congregation.

ABOUT THE GETHSEMANE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

The Church Council founded the Gethsemane Memorial Foundation in 1966, incorporated and registered with the State of Minnesota as an independent organization. The Foundation board made up of church members, including the Senior Pastor, serve as directors to guide the legacy of giving that is entrusted to them.

The GMF board continues to work toward developing new strategies that can enhance the effectiveness and marketing of the foundation to our Gethsemane members. In this effort the board has restructured the majority of the Foundation's Legacy Fund to reflect a single endowment that can be leveraged to gift a percentage towards ministries and missions of the church. In simple terms, this is a foundation that is active in supporting ministry, not sitting on money.

The Gethsemane Memorial Foundation continues to provide an excellent opportunity for individuals to make financial contributions of any kind, in a variety of ways. By giving to the Foundation, one joins a legacy of giving that will live on in the life of the church, the community, and the world.

College Scholarships

Each year the Memorial Foundation awards scholarships up to $1,000 to Gethsemane students attending ELCA colleges. Most ELCA colleges or universities match the scholarship, which usually doubles the grant. The congregation could be a big help to the scholarship program by making contributions at this time or in the near future. Any amount supports this vital program. Donations are tax deductible.

Legacy Partners

The Legacy Partners continues to be an option for those interested in giving a gift of $1,000 or more outright, or by naming Gethsemane Memorial Foundation in their will by transferring ownership of real estate, stocks or bonds, by designating us as a beneficiary of life insurance, an IRA, 401K, 403B plan, annuities and/or trusts.

For more information about Gethsemane Memorial Foundation contact us at 952-935-1753 or foundation@glconline.org