#vaumc

[emilyelgin]

These kids are so pumped to be here it's inspiring! #called2015 #vaumc2015 #vaumc #vaumcyouth @vine_church @christchurchva @oakgroveumcyouth @florisumc @floriskrew (at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center)

[vaumf-blog]

Endowments Help Extend Mission!

Churches and other ministries are blessed to receive and benefit from bequests and other gifts that create an Endowment.  A donor instructs The Foundation that the interest or earnings be used to benefit a purpose, but the principal or corpus of the fund remain intact.  By law this describes what the state determines to be an Endowment.  In Virginia, the state legislature has adopted the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA) to help guide the proper investment of such funds as well as assist with guidance in distributing from endowments.

The Foundation helps many churches and ministries invest their endowments properly.  We suggest they diversify - and not put all their eggs in one basket.  Our Balanced Fund offers a low cost, diversified way to reduce risk and provide returns. While investing an endowment properly is important, we have found that proper distributions from an endowment is just as crucial. UPMIFA requires awareness of inflation and suggests the use of a rolling 3-year market value average in making distributions. In other words the spending power of the fund must rise over time to keep up with inflation.

The Foundation manages many Endowments with the purpose of expanding ministry … and we recently received the following note about one such ministry.

Dear Rev. Clark, In this land of plenty, it is shocking that more than 900,000 of our brothers and sisters in Virginia didn’t always know where their next meal is coming from. We are so grateful for the VAUMF’s long-standing commitment to alleviating hunger in the Commonwealth through the Hunger Trust. Thank you for again selecting The Society of St. Andrew as one of the agencies through which that commitment is lived out. Through the 2015 disbursement of $895.94, The Virginia United Methodist Foundation and its donors will share 44,794 servings of nourishing food with those who need it most. Thank you for partnering with The Society of St. Andrew to serve health and hope in Christ’s name. Photo: Everyone helps bag sweet potatoes for hungry neighbors at an April 2015 SoSA crop drop, made possible by gifts like yours. Every blessing, Lynette Johnson Director of Church Relations

[vaumf-blog]

We all desire significance—to lead happy and fulfilled lives surrounded by family and friends.

For many of us, there is a compelling need to make a difference – to leave a lasting impact on the people most dear to us and the world in which we live.  The seeds we plant today through effective planning can produce a growing legacy for the future. The search for significance and desire to plan for the future leads many to ponder their legacy. What kind of legacy will you leave? A bequest is perhaps the easiest and most tangible way to have a lasting impact on the ministries of your local church that mean the most to you. A bequest may also be an effective way to lessen the burden of taxes on your family and estate. The Foundation staff is available for private consultation with persons who are interested in planning their legacy.  Our consultation is confidential and without expense.  While our staff may assist with will and bequest planning, we do not prepare the legal documents and would point you to a qualified professional advisor.  The Foundation can provide individualized donor information to assure one’s charitable interests are carried out when the time comes for your estate design to be executed. The Foundation can also provide a template for standard language in revising or updating one’s will to include a benefit to their local church. We travel throughout the Conference meeting with individuals in planning their estate as well as with church leadership who steward assets and promote legacy giving in their church.  Please contact our office if you need additional information or would like to schedule a private consultation.

[umnerd89-blog]

Today I was blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Richmond with a group of youth from my home church, but it has left me with a ton of mixed emotions. Please be warned I'm not looking to start arguments but maybe a grace filled conversation could begin. I grew up in the United Methodist church. I was a calling 21 intern through the VA UMC and honestly I probably know more about UMC history and traditions than the the average 24 year old. Today I saw old friends and new who continue to move the church through the 21st century yet neglect to hold honest and open conversations about how God's creation is moaning and groaning for a change. A change that will allow all gifted people to sit at the table and express their ideas,thoughts and feelings. A church that worries less about who you sleep with and more about how we can help the world around us. I want to teach the next generation that change isn't easy but it doesn't mean that it should stop us. Our African-American sisters and brothers were not and are not stopped. Women in all parts of the church refuse to take the back seat to men and have gained the right to ordination and it's only a matter of time until we fully accept people of all sexual orientations to stand in front of church and share the good news, bless communion and baptize all in the name of the Creator, the Son and the Holy Spirit. So I ask all my friends in the UNITED Methodist Church, are you ready to fully live into the idea of Open hearts, Open minds and Open doors?Because the 21st century world needs us to.