When parishioners gather to plan a funeral, the conversation often centers on liturgy, readings, and music. Yet end-of-life planning is also one of the most profound acts of Christian stewardship available to us. By connecting funeral preparations with legacy giving, Episcopalians ensure that their commitment to Christ’s ministry endures long after their earthly journey ends.
Few examples illustrate this as powerfully as the story of Holy Trinity Parish in Decatur. When long-time parishioner Patricia “Pat” Giles passed away, her estate plans revealed an extraordinary gift: a $6.5 million bequest left to the church for community outreach. Pat’s intentionality transformed her personal legacy into a perpetual engine for good. Pat’s gift has enabled Holy Trinity to expand local ministries, fund community grants, and tend to the material and spiritual needs of neighbors across the region.
The Giles Bequest testifies to what happens when faithful planning meets visionary generosity. Yet planned giving encompasses more than gifts of extraordinary scale. Every planned gift – regardless of size – strengthens the financial foundation of our parishes and equips future generations to do God’s work.
Integrating Faith and Estate Planning
Integrating legacy giving into funeral and estate planning is a seamless, deeply pastoral process.
Specify Memorial Intentions
When detailing burial preferences and liturgy choices, parishioners can designate their parish or diocesan ministries as beneficiaries in their will, trust, or life insurance policies.
Define Your Legacy
Estate gifts can support specific parish endowments or capital improvements. Or, like Pat Giles’ gift, community outreach initiatives that serve vulnerable neighbors.
Relieve Family Burden
Pre-planning both funeral rites and estate directives provides clear guidance and peace of mind for loved ones during a time of grief.
Partnering with the Episcopal Community Foundation
Navigating planned giving does not have to be complicated. ECF serves as a vital partner to individuals and parishes throughout the Diocese. We offer resources, planned giving expertise, and fund management tools. These tools help parishioners to structure gifts that align with their personal values and financial goals.
By taking time today to complete a funeral-planning guide and review estate documents, parishioners engage in a quiet act of faith. A few thoughtful lines in a will can ensure so much. That the church continues to proclaim the Gospel. That the church continues to care for those in need. That the church continues to build vibrant communities of faith for generations to come.
Little more than 82 years ago, Holocaust diarist Anne Frank wrote: “I want to go on living even after my death!”[1] Funeral planning that incorporates legacy giving is one way to ensure that we go on living even after our deaths. Because it helps to ensure that the communities of faith, which we build and love, endure and thrive.
[1] Anne Frank, “April 4, 1994,” in The Diary of a Young Girl, https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.201940/2015.201940.Anne-Frank_djvu.txt
