Bequests.
Your chance to make a lasting impact.
Uniting Church in Australia vision
Uniting Church in Australia Synod of Victoria and Tasmania believes God in Christ is at mission in the world and sends the Church in the Spirit to:
share the Good News of Jesus Christ
nurture followers of Christ in life-giving communities of reconciliation
respond in compassion to human need
live justly and seek justice for all
care for creation
listen to each generation and culture so as to live out the Gospel in fresh ways
pursue God’s mission in partnership.
This mission creates an ongoing need to raise funds from generous Church members which helps shape the future of our community. Fortunately, leaving a bequest is easy. Just a relatively small donation from your overall estate could make a great difference helping the work of the Church.
Your legacy
Making a Will provides a rare opportunity to review your life and to look at your most cherished relationships. Deciding who will benefit from your Will is deeply personal and can be enormously satisfying.
For most people, their priority is to provide for the immediate needs and future security of family members, then consider bequests to relatives and others who have been close in their lifetime.
Many people then look to the balance of their estate to provide a gift to charitable causes, including religions that they support. Others leave a specific amount, percentage or an item from their estate for charitable causes. These gifts are known as ‘bequests.’
This charitable giving provides a practical avenue through which people can make a lasting impact. Bequests are critical to the work of the Church: educating, transforming unjust social structures, safeguarding our vital community support, looking after the next generation, and helping to continue our faith and mission.
After providing for your family, a bequest is a special way of ensuring the work of the Church continues.
Types of bequests
Specific bequest: This relates to the specific type of gift. For example, a set amount of money, property, or shares. These can be left to family, relatives and others, or to your chosen charities.
Residual bequest: Once specific bequests have been distributed, everything that is left in your estate is called the ‘residue.’ A residual bequest will ensure the remainder of your estate (‘the residue’) is distributed to family, relatives or your chosen charity.
How your bequest can help
T he work of the Church takes many forms and constantly evolves. A bequest for the Church’s general purposes can be put to the most pressing need at a particular time. Some bequests support one local congregation helping with maintenance of church buildings and other ongoing costs. Other bequests assist the Church’s mission work in aged care, children’s services, crisis support, counselling, refugee work, social housing and disability services.
Your bequest might be a much-needed building project, sponsorship for a minister of the word, funds for distribution by our rural chaplains in times of need or disaster, hospital and prison chaplaincy, training and education to equip people of faith. The Uniting Church in Australia does all this, and your gift would allow it to do even more.
How to make a bequest
We recommend you contact a solicitor when preparing a Will. They will help ensure the appropriate wording is included in your Will. Synod Trusts would be pleased to talk with you or your solicitor regarding suggestions, correct names of Church groups, or specific wording.
If you reside in Victoria then The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (Victoria) has the responsibility to direct gifts to The Uniting Church in Australia in accordance with the terms of your Will. In Tasmania The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (Tas.) has this role.
If your bequest is up to $200,000, we recommend a bequest for the general purposes of the Church.
If your bequest is more than $200,000, or involves property, then a trust in your name or for a specific purpose is a great idea.
You can tailor the purposes to where your trust is allocated. A trust with a charitable purpose may run forever, providing benefits each year and it can bear any name you select, which provides a great way to honour and commemorate you or a loved one for decades to come.
To discuss ideas for a new trust, please contact the Church’s Trust office on 03 9116 1400 or go to our website: www.uca.victas.org.au.
Please let us know if you have included a gift to the Church in your Will so we can take the opportunity to thank you personally. Of course any information provided by you will be treated with the strictest confidence and in line with our Privacy Policy .
Corinthians
Thank you for considering leaving a gift to the Church and its mission.
03 9116 1400
www.uca.victas.org.au
But since you excel in everything –in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you –see that you also excel in this grace