FAMILY AND VALUES: THE GIFT OF CERTAINTY

MEANS & MEANING

It’s Christmas!

Some years seem more lighthearted than others, but the gift God gave us in Bethlehem—the foundation of our faith and hope—remains. It’s untouchable. Whatever our circumstances, we want to pass that hope on, want our children to feel it and remember the joy that gives life meaning. So we give with special joy.

Which makes me wonder: Is that unshakable hope and faith the reason end of life gifts to God’s cause have persisted? Gifts to the Church in wills are as old as will documents, maybe as old as Earth’s turbulent history. I was recently struck by the positive impact of three end of life gifts—not just on God’s work, but on the families involved.

As I deal with the children of donors, I see these parting gifts reinforce values and rekindle positive memories. Because the Alberta Conference wants to work with families to ensure the use of unrestricted gifts suits the family’s memories of the donor, it’s been a positive opportunity for families and Church to work together.

George & Evelyn Widdicombe’s Will & the Mamawi Atosketan Centre

As noted in the October Means & Meaning, George and Evelyn made several gifts to the Church during their lifetimes. The “unrestricted” gift was their choice for the gift in their wills. They never dreamed that part of that gift would become the first and founding gift of the Community Bridge Campaign to build the Mamawi Atosketan Centre (MAC).

“My dad would be thrilled beyond words at how this has gone,” says George and Evelyn’s daughter Leslie Price.

The journey was indeed one of faith for Leslie as well as her parents; when her parents made their wills, there was no hint that a church in Maskwacis was even a possibility. But as Leslie talked about her parents’ concern for Indigenous people, she remembered her father had actually helped Maskwacis pioneer Ed Desjarlais distribute literature there!

“This Centre shows the people [of Maskwacis] that our heart is with them,” says Leslie. “We can see the connection between [my parents’] giving and blessing.”

Dave and Wanetta Trenchuk Will & MANS' New Mechanics Centre

This November, MANS offered its first auto mechanics class, thanks to an unrestricted gift from Dave and Wanetta Trenchuk in their wills, and their children’s input on its use.

Their daughter Bernadene Zayachkowski and her sibblings Bob Trenchuk and Rhoda Kanna thought long and hard about a use that would match the Trenchuk’s lives and values. There was a bay at MANS for mechanics, but no tools. Bernadene and her husband Isaac approached the Conference with a plan.

“My parents were people of the soil,” said Bernadene, who grew up doing farm chores. “They worked with their hands.”

The tenderness in Bernadene’s voice is unmistakeable. “Dad was mechanically inclined, a jack of all trades and a firm believer in Paul’s tentmaker ministry. Every person is blessed with the ability to learn a trade or have a way to provide their way through life so they would not need to depend on other people’s charity—so one would have some skills to lend a helping hand, and a segue to share the gospel.”

Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) to Benefit MANS and MAC

While it remains to be seen how their gift will be used, a retired Alberta couple is already excited about what God will do with their gift.

They’re getting monthly payments from the CGA they recently established with the Alberta Conference. They had the option of choosing one or more ministries to benefit when their payments cease at end of life. They were united in their choice of the Maskwacis Outreach as one of the beneficiaries. The Outreach includes MANS and the Mamawi Atosketan Centre, which they highly value.

They are secure with their guaranteed income for life, and confident that God will ultimately direct their Maskwacis gift to its highest and best use.

Keeping “The Tentmaker Ministry” Alive "My parents were people of the soil,” reflects Bernadene Zayachkowski, “they worked with their hands.” Bernadene, who like her parents subscribes to Paul’s example of practical work as a segue to sharing the gospel, works as an engraver. Bernadene, her brother Bob Trenchuk and sister Rhoda Kanna (R to L) have reflected many times on the example of Dave and Wanetta in their practicality, faith, and setting aside money in their wills to advance their values.

DID YOU KNOW?

The $700,000+ in Charitable Gift Annuities invested by the Alberta Conference continues to exceed average investment returns. That means that most of the donated funds will be available for use in ministries named by the donor or, if not restricted, they may be used for ministries and needs arising in the future.

By Lynn McDowell, JD, CSPG \ Director of Planned Giving | Philanthropy Alberta Conference (587) 815-8785