Legacies A publication of the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana
Inside This Issue
4th Quarter 2024
ENDOWMENTS:
Turning Small Contributions Into Meaningful Change
S Foundation Endowments Page 2
How to Write A Living Will Page 3
Foundation Grants Total $374K+ in 2024 Page 4
mall gifts can grow into something extraordinary with the use of endowments, just one of the many types of planned giving strategies offered at the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana. Endowments serve as a powerful tool for ensuring long-term sustainability. They are a way to turn present-day generosity into legacies, providing steady financial support for impactful work in the Church and beyond. The Journey Toward Excellence Endowment, held by the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana, offers an inspiring example of how endowments can make a difference.
Rev. Carole Cotton Winn and the late Rev. John Winn established the Journey Toward Excellence Endowment with $100 in 2012. Today it’s worth $118,000.
Established by the late Rev. John Winn and his wife, Rev. Carole Cotton Winn, the fund supports the work of The Center for Pastoral Excellence and The Academy for Spiritual Leadership. These ministries focus on deepening spirituality, fostering missional and pastoral excellence, and nurturing leaders through retreats, pilgrimages, and small-group experiences. What makes this endowment so inspiring is the way it has grown over time through the contributions of many. Established in 2012 with an initial contribution of just $100, it has grown steadily through the faithful support of the Winn family and promotional efforts led by Dr. Craig Gilliam, a United
Methodist pastor in Shreveport. In fact, John sent a contribution to the fund just three weeks before he died on December 27, 2023. Through John’s obituary, his children invited friends and loved ones to contribute memorial gifts to honor his legacy. This resulting outpouring of support was remarkable—dozens of small donations added over $6,000 to the fund. This response demonstrates how even modest contributions to an endowment, united by a shared purpose, can create significant impact. Today, the fund has reached an impressive balance of $118,000, that will provide significant income distributions to ministries in the Louisiana Conference, for years to come. continued on page 2