Planned Giving at First UMC
The Legacy Circle
The Legacy Circle was started in 2013 to provide First United Methodist Church members meaningful and effective ways of funding future growth of the mission and ministries of First UMC through the Church and the Methodist Foundation. Now, as we continue past our 10th Anniversary, we rejoice to expand awareness of and participation in the Legacy Circle.
The purpose of the Legacy Circle is to raise awareness to the possibilities to include the Church and Foundation in their estate plans. Instill a culture of leaving a lasting legacy to ensure that the message of Christ continues in our community in perpetuity through the ministries and mission of the First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica. To date, generous and faithful legacy gifts have supported Church Beautiful and the maintenance of our beautiful facilities, scholarships, the Health Ministry and Youth Ministry, Music, Worship, Missions, and general ministries of the church. Learn more here
July 2022: We can’t believe it! It’s been nearly TEN years since First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica and the Methodist Foundation of Santa Monica jointly launched the Legacy Circle. Our goal was to educate everyone in planning for our future by committing to planning to remember the Church and Foundation in their estate planning.
Ten years later, 48 members, and over $1M received has been such an important part of growing the church and creating stability and long-term planning. We couldn’t do it without you! 39 Charter members were honored at the November, 2013 All Saints Day, and other members have been honored each November during Charge Conference as joining. We are so grateful for the gifts now and into our future.
Most recently this past season, five Church committees met together with The Reverend John Woodall, President of the California Pacific Methodist Foundation, to see what more we can do. He is currently the CEO of this Foundation and he is passionate about leading the church into the next century. It led us to some big questions for reflection. There are so many things we are doing right. But we know there is so much more to do. We give thanks for our community (you) and we listen. But are we doing enough for our future? Are we doing enough building? Asking? Sourcing? Have we set the vision and norm to focus on the present AND the future across all generations? With the Cal-Pac Foundation, our Planned Giving Committee, and YOU, we can do just that.
Other big takeaways from our time with Rev. Woodall included stay the course in these tricky times of other economic needs weighing on generosity to the church, offer transparency in all we do, give thanks and recognition, and keep growing. Thank you for being a part of the legacy now and into the future.
Planned Giving Update – Join the Legacy Circle today!
I am pleased to announce that over 40 families have as of this writing made their commitment to join our Legacy Circle by agreeing to remember First UMC or our affiliated Methodist Foundation of Santa Monica in their estate plans! Some of these families have already made plans to remember the Church, some are modifying their plans to include the Church, and others don’t have a plan yet but have committed to remembering the Church when they do. You don’t have to provide any details or dollars of your exact plans to join the Legacy Circle – just your commitment, no matter the amount, is what’s important.
We’d love to have you be a part of this founding charter group so we can include your name on that special day when we remember those who have gone on to our Father as well as renew the promise we make to move forward with the work of the Church in their names. In addition, we will recognize the Legacy Circle members at the Annual Charge Conference. Of course, if you wish to remain anonymous, we’ll certainly respect that wish!
The members of the committee are as follows:
Reverend Patricia Farris
Russ Whittenburg
John Stutsman
Todd Erlandson
David Guyette
Please feel free to contact the church office with any questions.