Our Diocesan Stewardship and Resources team, with the help of colleagues from the National Church, are running training courses this autumn for PCCs and churches on how to encourage more people to leave legacies to the church in their wills.
The winter months are statistically the time most people make a will, so autumn is the best time to talk to church congregations about the mechanisms available to get a free will, and the impact such gifts can have in ensuring what people cared for during their lifetime, will continue.
One example comes from Kingswinford Parish. The Church of the Ascension in Wall Heath received a substantial and unrestricted legacy gift earlier this year. This gift was kindly left to the church by a former local primary school teacher who had lived in the parish and been a member of the congregation for many years.
Adam Hadley said: “We are hugely grateful to have received such a substantial legacy gift and are very thankful to our generous benefactor who was a faithful and diligent servant to God. We have allocated almost half of the legacy to our children and family ministries, working with local schools and offering family-friendly services, so that this work can continue long term and grow beyond what current funds and contracts allow. We have chosen to use the gift in this way as we feel it’s in line with our donor’s life work and wishes, and as a renewal project we are looking for ways we can grow our congregations and bring more children and young people to know and trust in God.”
“We have entered a period of prayer to discern what the rest of the legacy should support but have assured our donor’s family that it will also be used to continue to bless the community and have a lasting and meaningful impact.”
Statistically the average gift left to a church in a will is around £17,000 which can make a significance difference. It can sometimes feel tricky to broach the subject of legacies with congregations when death and dying are not easy topics. However, it is vitally important to find a way to have these conversations when legacies can make such a difference to churches and the communities they serve.
The ‘How to run a Legacy Campaign’ course on 2 October will help PCCs and churches to craft the key messages needed to talk effectively and practically about why and how to leave a legacy. They will explain what the best times of year are to broach these topics and the key Christian dates and festivals to focus on to talk about Stewardship and honouring the generosity of God, such as during Harvest Festival.
There is also a separate training course to look at how to create a free will online using the Fairwill platform. The Church of England has paid for access to this so that these wills are free for the end user. The platform is easy to use and cover all important aspects of making a will including the care of any dependents. It also ensures there is one central place where details of all finances, assets and insurance are recorded making the administration side of things easier for remaining partners or family.
Find out more sign up to one of our training courses below:
- How to run a Legacy Campaign, online, Thursday 2 October 12.30-1.30 – Find out more
- How to write your will for free through the National Church, online, Thursday 16 November, 12.30-1.30 – Find out more here
