One of the ways a church Stewardship Committee can fulfill its obligation to encourage the congregation to be wise stewards of God’s blessings is to provide educational opportunities that deal with various aspects of handling one’s resources. Lutheran Services Florida understands how daunting a task this can be during these stressful times and would like to offer you some help.

A Charitable Gift Annuity is one of the smartest financial moves people can make under the right circumstances. Unfortunately many times these instruments have been given a bad reputation because people who don’t understand how they work lump them in with other, less desirable financial options simply because they are classified as annuities.

When people set up a Charitable Gift Annuity they fund it with assets they believe they will never need because the transfer is irrevocable. The donor receives a tax deduction at the time the annuity is established as well as favorable tax treatment on the annuity payout for life. The annuity pays a fixed amount for life for one or two people and when those individuals pass away, the balance of the annuity passes to the donor’s ministry choice. The annuity investment, payments and paperwork are handled by the LCMS Foundation or the ELCA Foundation, whichever the donor prefers.

I have been working with Charitable Gift Annuities for more than 20 years and I know these instruments inside and out. I have designed a presentation that I have given to groups in Lutheran congregations throughout Florida and I would be happy to bring this workshop to you.

One question that always comes up is: “Why would we invite someone from another ministry in to talk to our people about making a charitable gift? Won’t he direct the money that could have come to our congregation away to LSF?”

That is a good question and a valid concern, because there are development officers out there who would do just that. I have been around a long time and one thing my experience has taught me is that when it comes to a planned gift, it would be wrong to try to influence or redirect the gift away from the ministry the individual intends to support. Most of the time the ultimate beneficiary of a charitable gift annuity is going to be the local congregation. In my mind that is as it should be. But there are still a few reasons LSF is willing to spend its resources in bringing this service to your church.

This is our 30^th year of operation. Much of our support comes from congregations just like yours, and we understand that no support can come our way unless the church’s finances are sound. If your church receives the proceeds from a charitable gift annuity, there is more opportunity for your congregation to share some of that with LSF and other ministries.

Another reason LSF is happy to do this is because some individuals like to support more than one ministry. They may decide to leave 75 percent to your church and then divide the remaining 25 percent between other organizations. It is our hope that we would be one of those other organizations.

Finally, we understand that the Holy Spirit touches each person differently when it comes to supporting ministry. We tend to support those ministries that are near and dear to our hearts. LSF therefore asks that if a congregation hosts a Gift Annuity Workshop, we be permitted to invite our supporters who live in your area to attend.

If you would like to learn more about hosting this type of workshop, please contact me at 407-878-8397 or scecchetti@lsfnet.org. I would be happy to answer your questions and address your concerns. Each congregation is unique so the workshop will be customized to meet your specific needs.