Legacies 1st Quarter 2023

Legacies

A publication of the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana

InsIde

Why Every Adult Needs a Will

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Remembering

Rev. Michi Head

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1st Quarter 2023

ENDOWMENTS: It’s Never Too Late to Start

at no cost to the church. She also remembered that the Foundation had an endowment match program. When a church creates an endowment at the Foundation, the Foundation matches the first $5,000 with another $5,000. If a church then commits to the Foundation’s Planned Giving Navigator program, the church is offered an additional $5,000 match.

WhenRev. Lane Cotton Winn received a phone call informing her that her church had just inherited $50,000 from a member’s estate, she felt an “incredible, exciting moment of surprise and joy!”

Rev. Winn is the lead pastor at St. John’s UMC, a 795-member church in Baton Rouge. She said the call was a welcome surprise, as the donor had not informed the church of the gift.

This act of generosity was the catalyst for a church endowment discussion and establishing a planned giving team. “Having an endowment wasn’t really on our radar until we received this bequest. It gave us something to work with,” said Rev. Winn.

Having an endowment (or permanent fund) allows a church to support ministry in perpetuity. “An endowment would allow us to lay a strong foundation for our future,” said Rev. Winn.

Due to the church’s ongoing relationship with the Foundation, Rev. Winn knew the Foundation could create the endowment

The Planned Giving Navigator program provides the St. John’s planned giving team a coach, as well as resources and tools to implement a planned giving campaign. The team is setting goals and a timeline for educating the congregation on the importance of planned giving and creating custom brochures and webpages. One of the primary goals will be to enhance the endowment with future gifts, so it will grow at a faster pace.

Rev. Winn says, “Receiving this gift gave us the impetus to think about an endowment, but as we’ve learned, creating an endowment is a real option for any church. It doesn’t take an exorbitant amount of money, just the willingness to begin.”

It’s never too late to start planned giving for your church’s future. As the saying goes, “The best time to start a planned giving program was yesterday, but today is the next best time.”

The Foundation’s “double your money” Endowment Match offer still stands! To learn more, contact the Foundation at information@umf.org or (225) 346-1535.

St. John’s United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, with lead pastor Rev. Lane Cotton Winn, inset.

2023 Board of Trustees

Omer Davis

Interim Chairman

Dr. John R. Black

L. Nettles Brown

Rev. Jo Ann Cooper

Dr. Debra Davis

Omer Davis

Rev. Doug deGraffenried

Mike DeHart

Bobby Fahey

Irwin Felps

Drew Kennedy

Sandra Kuykendall

Eunice Val Lavigne

Richard Lewis

Troy Searles

Rev. Drew Sutton

Dianne Wilkinson

Chris Spencer President

No Matter Your Age or Wealth, Every Adult Needs a Will

Contact Us:

8337 Jefferson Hwy. Baton Rouge, LA 70809

Phone: (225) 346-1535

Email: information@umf.org

Web Addresses: www.umf.org www.umfgiving.org

Legacies Editor: Kelly Johannessen kellyj@umf.org

According to a Gallup poll released last year, only 46 percent of all American adults have a will that details how their money and estate is to be handled after their death. One of the reasons many people state is that they are not wealthy enough to need one, or not old enough. If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that life can change on a dime. It’s never too early to make an estate plan and outline your final wishes in a will. Here are several reasons why you should have a valid will, regardless of your age or wealth:

1. Not having a will leads to undesirable outcomes. Without a will, you are depending on the state you live in to determine who inherits your assets after you’re gone. Having clear cut instructions allows you to provide for loved ones other than family, or ministries and causes that you supported during your lifetime.

2. Wills allow parents to name a guardian for children. Name a guardian to care for your children after your death instead of having a judge tasked with deciding where your children will go if you die.

3. Tax ramifications. Creating a will, rather than leaving your estate to be sorted out by the courts, can help minimize a tax burden for your heirs and maximize efficiency.

4. A will provides loved ones with peace of mind. Wills are not just for your benefit. Your family and loved ones are the ones who will ultimately be most affected by whether or not you took the time to create this important document.

5. Care and maintenance of pets. State laws do not have the same affection for your pets as you do. A will allows you to leave your pet and money for its care to someone you designate as a caregiver for your pet if it survives you.

6. You can’t put it off forever. Yes, we all hope for long and healthy lives, but we should still prepare for the unpredictable.

Our Free Wills Guide: Use our FREE Wills Guide to get started with your will and estate plan. This valuable tool can help you think through and gather the necessary information for your attorney to draft an estate plan.

savvy LIvIng

Simple Home Safety Solutions

Dear Savvy Living,

I worry about home safety for my parent who lives alone. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to help keep them safe from hazards such as falls and fires?

There are several small adjustments and modifications you can make to help protect from falls and fires, both of which cause thousands of injuries and deaths each year. Here are some tips to get you started.

Eliminate tripping hazards: First, assess the layout of the home. If there are throw rugs, a common tripping hazard, use carpet tacks or double-sided tape to secure them or remove them entirely. Ensure the furniture is placed so there are clear pathways to walk through and position any electrical or phone cords along walls and out of the way.

For hardwood stairs, consider attaching a nonslip tread to each step to provide traction and help your parent see the edge of the step. For added protection in the bathroom, purchase some nonskid floor rugs. Place adhesive nonslip treads or a mat with rubber suction inside the tub or shower stall to prevent slips.

Improve the lighting: Proper lighting is essential for safety. Check the wattage ratings on the lamps and light fixtures and install the brightest bulbs allowed. Adding supplemental lighting to eliminate dark areas is also helpful.

You should also purchase some dusk to dawn nightlights for the bathroom and hallways. It is also a good idea to mount motion sensor lights outside the front and back doors and in the driveway that automatically come on after dark. Get grab bars: Install them at the entry to the shower or tub and on a wall inside the stall, but do not use grab bars that attach with suction. Instead, have wall-mounted bars installed by a professional who can affix them to the wall studs. It is also best to choose bars with surfaces that are slightly textured and easier to grip.

Ensure railings are stable: Wherever there are steps – stairways, entryways or basements – it is essential to have sturdy railings. Ideally, the railings should be on both sides of the steps.

Prevent cooking fires: There are several affordable products available to help prevent home cooking fires. There are discs that attach to a stove’s knob that will continuously blink or beep after the stove has been in use for a preset amount of time and “smart knobs” that can control a stove’s heating settings from a mobile device. In addition, there are higher tech options such as

stove sensors that shut off the stove when they do not detect motion for a certain number of minutes or that send an alert if unsafe cooking temperatures are reached.

Install smoke alarms: Install a “smart” smoke alarm in the house (one for each floor) that will alert your parent when smoke or carbon monoxide is detected. These smart devices will also send alerts to your phone when a problem is detected.

Add fire extinguishers: One for each level of the house and in the garage.

Consider a medical alert device: Get one that comes with a wearable SOS button that will allow your parent to call for help in case they fall or need assistance. Many organizations publish tips to help ensure a safe living space. You can search for these on the internet using the key phrase “home safety checklist”. You will find many suggestions that can help make your parent’s home safer and easier to live in.

“Savvy Living” is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of The Savvy Living book.

“Where Faith and Money Come Together”

8337 Jefferson Hwy. n Baton Rouge, LA 70809

Address Service Requested

Best Practices for the Church Business Office FREE Workshops

The Foundation is hosting 5 FREE workshops around the state in May! Learn from a veteran church business administrator how to better manage and report the church’s finances.

Learn More or Register at www.umf.org/upcoming-events

Remembering Rev. Michi Head

Itis with great fondness that we remember Rev. Michael “Michi” Head, a Foundation friend and advocate, who was called home on December 22, 2022, after an auto accident. He was 62 years old.

Michi was a beloved pastor who dedicated his life to serving. His last act of service was just minutes before he died. A hard freeze was expected in town, and he had been battening down the hatches at New Life Community UMC in Luling, the church he was pastoring at the time. The accident occurred on his way home.

Michi grew up in Bernice, Louisiana, graduated from Louisiana Tech, and received his Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology at SMU. He served in several churches within the Louisiana Annual Conference, including as senior pastor at Jefferson UMC in Baton Rouge and McGuire UMC in West Monroe.

Michi was currently serving as Foundation Board Chair and had served on the Board in various roles since 2012, including Grants Chair.

Foundation President Chris Spencer said, “I am thankful to have known Michi and consider myself blessed to have had him serving alongside me as Foundation board chair. Michi faithfully lived out his call to serve the church and bring people to Christ, and he did it in so many ways. He was a wonderful

friend of the Foundation and advocated for our services with his congregations and his fellow clergy peers. His legacy will live on as the Foundation continues to expand its reach through the services it provides to the churches and Methodist-related ministries we support throughout Louisiana.”

He will be dearly missed and always remembered by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife, Cindy, many loving family members and countless friends.

Rev. Michi Head, elected Foundation Board Chair in April 2022, was fatally injured in an auto accident in December 2022.