Please contact:
Dr. Joseph D. Huse

888-233-1008

joseph.huse@ffni.com

Stewardship Through
Estate Planning and Planned Giving

There can be no doubt that God has entrusted each of us with many material resources. As Christians, we are called to carefully care for all that is ours to manage. Many would never consider giving less than a tithe of current income, believing that the stewardship of our income is one way of saying "thank you" to God for what has been done for us through Jesus.

However, it is easy to exclude from stewardship consideration our accumulated assets. These include the appreciated value of our home, farm and other real estate, stocks, bonds, retirement funds, insurance policies, jewelry, boats, art work, etc. These things, too, have been entrusted to us by God to use in the most responsible ways.

The beginning point is to have an up to date will or living trust which clearly delineates your wishes regarding the distribution of your assets at the time of your death. If you die without a will or living trust, Indiana has already determined how your things will be distributed. That formula will be followed without any consideration of what might have been your wishes.

As you have your will or living trust (your attorney can help you decide which is right for you) written, the ABC of Indiana-Kentucky encourages you to include a gift for your church, our region and other American Baptist mission entities.

It may be that you want to consider arranging for such a gift now while you are still living and can enjoy the satisfaction of making a significant contribution to God's work beyond the tithe of ordinary income. Such an arrangement may do a number of things, depending on how it is planned. For instance, your plan might save your heirs thousands of dollars in estate taxes; it might provide immediate tax savings plus increased income for you during the remainder of your life; it might provide additional income for your surviving spouse and/or children...all while, at the same time, benefiting the work of God.

If you would like more information about the wonderful opportunities offered through estate planning and planned giving, please contact Joseph Huse, our American Baptist Foundation representative, at 1-888-233-1008.