• Home
  • I’m New
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • First Steps
    • Becoming A Member
    • Beacon Co-op
    • Location & Parking
    • Contact Us
    • Unitarian Universalism
      • UU History
      • The Flaming Chalice
  • Who We Are
    • Our Mission and Vision
      • Strategic Plan
    • Board of Trustees
    • Our Staff
    • Policies & Documents
    • Our History
    • Contact Us
    • Directory
      • Create An Account
      • Texting
      • Review Your Account
      • Add A Picture
    • Ceremonies
  • Feeding the Spirit
    • Worship
      • Podcasts
      • Music
    • Children & Families
    • Beacon Youth
      • S.T.A.R.: Summit Teens Against Racism (Youth)
    • Adults
      • Community Groups
      • Beloved Conversations
  • Healing the World
    • Social Justice Team
      • Climate Activism
      • Racial Justice
      • Refugee Response Ministry & Immigrant Rights
  • Magnify the Light
  • Stewardship
    • Annual Giving
    • Social Action Special Plates
    • Legacy Giving
      • Legacy Gift Assets
      • Legacy Giving Options – Bequests
      • Legacy Giving Options – Income Producing Gifts
      • Legacy Giving – FAQ
    • Services Auction
    • Sunday Offering
  • Calendar

Beacon

Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit

You are here: Home / Stewardship / Legacy Giving

Legacy Giving

 Beacon’s Blueberry Bush Program

Legacy Giving

 

Beacon’s Blueberry Bush Program is based on a poem written by Minister of Worship and Outreach, Rev. Robin Tanner:

I rush toward the short shrubs

Like puppies in a pen,

Wanting to pick them each up and snuggle the branches.

“What are these?”

A bittersweet excitement ensues as he says only,

“The future.”

I hold the hunter green un-budded branch.

“I need to cross pollinate.

Create a new plant,

Then plant the children of these

Two.”

He motions across the rows of bushes.

“How long?”

My eyes are filled with the immediacy of the sweet, tart burst of a blueberry, the way the soft skin brushes the side of the tongue.

“Ten years to really produce.”

My eyes fall to the red clay earth

as the intimacy and importance of this small shrub falls over me:

A 82-year old man planting shrubs whose fruit is ten years off.

He coughs to disrupt the shear tenderness of legacy hovering about us.

I am relieved to not have to find the words to say:

“Thank you for the blessing of berries

For the generosity of this gift.”

Instead

The 82-year old lawyer turned blueberry farmer hands me the offering bucket

And we walk on in the sanctuary of shrubs

Quietly dreaming of the pie that will be baked

A decade from now.

This must be how hope feels,

The fruit of the ancestors dreaming

In the hands of the children.

 

A Legacy Gift to Beacon will:

  • Sustain Our Shared Values
  • Pay Forward What Others Have Given Us
  • Strengthen Our Mission in the Community and the World
  • Assure a Vibrant Future for Unitarian Universalism
  • Lower Taxes on Your Estate

A gift to Beacon is both a spiritual and social investment. By virtue of your Legacy Gift, you allow our congregation to perpetuate its mission “to be a radically inclusive religious community that feeds the human spirit and heals the world.”

P3011396

Photo Credit: Jean Crichton

Legacy Giving in Brief 

How Do I Make a Legacy Gift?

  • In making a Legacy Gift, you typically make a gift from your assets—savings and investments– not necessarily income, allowing you to make larger gifts that often include significant tax benefits to your estate and heirs.
  • A Legacy Gift can be made through a will and a variety of planned giving vehicles.

What is Planned Giving?

  • Planned giving is simply planning on how one’s assets will be distributed at the time of death. Without taking an active role in determining how your assets will be distributed, state law will make the determination.
  • Planned giving is anticipated during the lifetime of the donor and results in a charitable contribution upon the donor’s death.

Is Planned Giving for Me?

Planned giving is not just beneficial for the wealthy. Planned giving is for anyone interested in:

  • how their assets are distributed,
  • conscientious and intentional use of personal resources,
  • lowering taxes paid to the government.

 

GraziosoHow Will My Legacy Gift Be Used?

When a Legacy Gift is realized, typically upon the death of the donor, funds are allocated to the Beacon Endowment Fund. The Endowment Fund is invested in a variety of asset classes and managed to achieve returns in excess of inflation and target a 5% return consistent with prudent risk.

Income earned from the Endowment Fund is used primarily to help fund a portion of the congregation’s annual budget. According to Beacon’s Distribution Policy, 5% of the average of the total value of the Endowment Fund for the prior three years as of December 31 will be available for distribution to the operating budget for the successive fiscal year.

See The Beacon Endowment and Planned Giving Committee Investment and Distribution Policy.

By increasing the Endowment Fund through the addition of Legacy Gifts, Beacon can enhance its ministerial programming, develop social justice initiatives, expand its religious education programming for children, youth, and adults, and fund other opportunities that align with our mission.

For more information on making a Legacy Gift to Beacon contact Beacon’s Stewardship Director at Stewardship@summitbeacon.org

Beacon,  Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit

4 Waldron Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901

908-273-3245  SummitBeacon.org

Tax ID: 22-1508563

Prospective donors should consult their own financial adviser, accountant, or attorney to plan the legacy gift that maximizes benefits to them and Beacon.

pics 1pics 2

 

 

Two services at 9:30 & 11:15 am – Refuel at 6:30 pm

Refuel, Sundays at 6:30 pm

April 22, What I Cannot Explain

April 29, The Albert Einstein Code of Living

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=464U7PP-qW4

Volunteer Opportunities

Sign Up for Tutoring at Chancellor Ave: Be a Beacon for a Child! Assist a Teacher

Listen to Our Podcasts

April 15, Holding Onto Humanity

April 15, Holding Onto Humanity

April 8, Ordinary Miracles

April 8, Ordinary Miracles

April 1, Believing in Absence

April 1, Believing in Absence

More Podcasts

Refuel Meditations

Meditation, January 21, 2018

Meditation, January 21, 2018

Subscribe on YouTube

Support Beacon

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Copyright © 2018 · Beacon - Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit
4 Waldron Ave, Summit, NJ 07901 908-273-3245 · Log in