ENDOWMENT GIVING

 St. Matthew's Endowment Program needs your support....today!

Please consider a current gift of cash or appreciated assets; a deferred bequest or beneficiary assignment from a will or IRA; or a lifetime gift through investment in a charitable trust or annuity.

Help us sustain your and St. Matthew's legacy!

Thank you for visiting the home page of the Endowment Program of St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church (SMUMC) in Annandale, Virginia.

As a member or friend of SMUMC, you likely have a favorite program or activity at the church that is especially meaningful to you.  It may be a music program, youth activity, mission or other outreach program, or one of the many other areas at SMUMC that serve our congregation and community and bring the love of God closer to the lives of our friends and neighbors   The Permanent Endowment and Planned Giving Committee of SMUMC has established this website to provide you with useful information on St. Matthew’s Endowment Program.  The Committee encourages all adult members of SMUMC in conjunction with their long-range financial and estate planning to consider establishing a legacy that will endure for generations to come by supporting the mission and ministry of SMUMC through a gift to the St. Matthew’s Endowment Program.We hope that the information available on this webpage will be helpful in deciding how your support for the Endowment Program might play a role in such planning.  If you still have unanswered questions, please contact a member of the Endowment Committee.  If you are interested in considering a gift to the Endowment Program, we would be glad to visit with you at your earliest convenience.  For your convenience, you may contact us by email by clicking here.

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Endowment Program is two-fold.  First, we wish to encourage all adult members to establish a long-term financial plan, to consider the value that “planned giving” can provide to your estate, and to understand the vital role that “planned giving” can play in sustaining the future of SMUMC.  Second, we wish to establish a permanent, and meaningful, endowment of financial support to strengthen, expand, and preserve the ministry of SMUMC and to provide a permanent, living memorial to the donor and/or their designee.

Your Endowment Committee Members

Herb Hopwood-Chairman (703) 938-2040

Todd Creekman

 Mike Plasters-Senior Pastor

  OUR HISTORY 

St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church was chartered in 1957.  On April 17, 2002 a Charge Conference of SMUMC approved the original charter of the Endowment Program.  Since that date, the program has received gifts in support of scholarships, missions, property improvements, and individual memorials.  In 2010, the Endowment Committee initiated a comprehensive review of the original Charter-based upon newly established guidance from the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. In 2011, the Committee presented, and a Charge Conference of SMUMC approved, significant changes to the Charter including a new Investment Policy Guideline and Gift Acceptance Guideline for the Endowment Program.  These revised and new documents do not alter the principal mission of the Endowment Program, but they do provide greater detail on the management of each of the funds established under the program and the distribution of assets from those funds to support the mission and ministry of SMUMC.

 YOUR PERSONAL LEGACY

When you provide a charitable gift to the Endowment Fund, you have actually made a bold step toward establishing a personal legacy that will affect the lives of those you may never meet.  You have joined a fellowship of stewards within St. Matthews that dates from 1957 and even earlier in those established churches that had the foresight to support the establishment of new Methodist churches, including St. Matthews, from among members of their existing congregations.  Your gift will become a permanent legacy to benefit many programs, missions and ministries of SMUMC and to assure that they will endure to serve those who come after us.  Your generosity of spirit will serve to enrich all who will benefit from your gift for generations to come.Your gift to St. Matthew’s Endowment Program, whether immediate or deferred, will be carefully managed and used strictly as you specify to ensure that the legacy you wish to create becomes a reality.  Your gift to the General Endowment Fund will support missions, scholarships and property expansion and improvement at St. Matthews.  Your gift to a new or existing Named Permanent Endowment Fund will support any worthwhile purpose you select.

 HIGHLIGHTS OF ST. MATTHEW’S ENDOWMENT PROGRAM

  • “Your Gift; Your Way” ... gifts to the Endowment Program will be used as directed by the donor.

  • Gifts will be subject to our “Gift Acceptance Guideline” to ensure that they will serve the best interests of both the donor and the Church.

  • Gifts can be immediate (e.g., cash, securities, or real estate), deferred (e.g., life insurance policies or wills), or lifetime (e.g., revocable living trust, charitable remainder trust, or annuities) based upon the long-term financial interests and planned giving needs of the donor.

  • “Designated” or “undesignated” gifts in any amount may be given to the General Endowment Fund to support missions, scholarships, or facility expansion and improvement.

  • “Designated gifts” of at least $5,000 may be given to establish a new Named Permanent Endowment Fund to support any purpose identified by the donor or in any amount when given to support an existing Named Permanent Endowment Fund.

  • Assets within the Endowment Program will be managed according to our “Investment Policy Guideline” that establishes a prudent investment philosophy and provides detailed procedures and limitations for asset distributions each year.

  THREE STEPS TO GET STARTED

  • Set aside some time to consider your long-term financial interests and how on-target you are in achieving the long-range goals for your family and your retirement and in creating a permanent legacy within the St. Matthew’s community. Visit with a financial planning professional about the many ways a well-designed giving approach may actually contribute to your long-term financial interests. Participate in a workshop that the Endowment Program will be sponsoring to help connect the dots between financial and estate planning and long-term planned giving.

  • Think about the mission and ministries of St. Matthews that are most closely aligned with your personal interests and reflect the personal legacy you might wise to create for that mission or ministry. Are there programs (such as music, missions or outreach) which you believe St. Matthew’s should continue to support over the long-term? Do you have a particular interest in establishing or supporting a scholarship to fund a special type of youth or education program that is beyond the scope of our annual budget? Are there particular areas or groups of individuals in our community or in the wider world that you would like to serve or support? Any of these may provide the inspiration to establish a unique endowment fund or to provide additional support to an existing general or named endowment fund. Visit with one of our Pastors or a person in the specific program area at SMUMC or a member of the Endowment Committee to help you better understand where your gift might best accomplish your wishes. If you have the interest, we can help provide the way forward to achieve the outcome you desire.

  • The Endowment Committee is available to assist you to identify a variety of options that may be of value in your planned giving decisions. Please click here if you would like to contact us by e-mail. However, only your financial, tax or legal advisor can provide the expert advice you need to make decisions that are in your best interest. They can make sure that you realize the maximum tax and legal advantages allowed for your gift.

Links to Key Endowment Program Documents and Other Resources

The Endowment Committee is available to assist you to identify a variety of options that may be of value in your planned giving decisions. Please click here if you would like to contact us by e-mail. However, only your financial, tax or legal advisor can provide the expert advice you need to make decisions that are in your best interest. They can make sure that you realize the maximum tax and legal advantages allowed for your gift.