I just returned from a three-day course on Charitable Gift Planning that was taught at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Warren, MIchigan.  The course was presented by three staff members of the LCMS Foundation and the purpose was to teach churches and other ministries how to use charitable gift planning so that God’s gifts can be used for God’s purposes.  I learned much about how planning can benefit churches and church members in their current and future giving and I will be sharing these in some future articles.

Here I will describe the course, which I think is taught twice a year in different locations.  My class had nine students.  Three (including me) represented churches, two were staff from the Fort Wayne seminary, two were new LCMS Foundation employees taking training, one was on the Lutheran Hour Ministries staff, and one was the executive director of Global Lutheran Outreach and also was a missionary based in Chili.  At the end of the course we were told that our class was a little smaller than typical, but was the “most enthusiastic” that they had experienced.  Two of the presenters were named Phil, so I am privileged to know my new “brother Phil and my other brother Phil”.

I knew little about the LCMS Foundation, but learned that it is a nonprofit that provides gift planning services to families and ministries and investment services to ministries, so Redeemer and our members can make use of those services.  Their web site, www.LCMSFoundation.org, has more description.

Phil Gaarenstroom,
Stewardship Chairperson