Coker’s Legacy Spirit
By: Rick McManus
“Anyone who tends a fig tree, will eat of its fruit, and
anyone who takes care of a master will be honored.”
Proverbs 27:18
Have you ever wanted to provide for God’s work in a way that would never stop giving? Well, you can…through the spirit of giving as your legacy. Many of you already are and I know many of you would like to start. But how?
One significant way is by participating in a spirit of legacy giving through the Coker Permanent Endowment Fund. Once donated, your contributions become a perpetual giving source that will always be there for generations to come. This gift that never stops giving comes from the legacy our donations have established and nurture. Why is that?
As explained through the wisdom of Proverbs 27:18, Coker’s Endowment was created to tend the fruits of our labor well into our future generations. As the years go by and using only the Fund’s annual earnings, the Endowment perpetually honors the church’s needs for supporting unbudgeted missions, ministries, and Coker property needs, both on our campus and in the surrounding community. And I emphasize unbudgeted. Despite our church’s best intentions, Coker simply cannot afford to budget for the many needs this world presents to us. So God revealed a solution…build a pool of unbudgeted money.
In 1988, some caring and insightful Coker members started a small fund to do just that. In 2007, this Fund became the Coker Permanent Endowment Fund and began to grow from the donations of many caring people. As of 2021, the Endowment’s growing strength has provided more than three dozen vital grants covering a broad range of needs. These have included such needs as seed money for starting our Health and Wellness Center and Columbarium, pastoral and youth interns, domestic and foreign mission trips, Sanctuary audio, visual, and sound equipment, staff computers and software, youth programs, prison ministries, and much more. The absolute key element to the Endowment’s ministry is that it does not supplement any of Coker’s budget; it complements it by working alongside the budget as a source of vital unbudgeted funds.
So consider this. Like all churches, Coker depends on our annual pledges to support its operating budget. Yet the Endowment is different; it depends totally on donations and their subsequent earnings. Your giving in any amount is always welcome. For your flexibility, donations can be accomplished in a variety of ways…single lump sum, monthly giving, stock, life insurance, immediately through required minimum distributions from your IRA or 401K, and even bequests from your estate. When making a donation, be sure and specify your gift is for The Coker Permanent Endowment Fund.
Yet no matter what method you select, the result is always the same. Once donated, your contributions become a perpetual legacy, a giving source that will always be there for generations to come…the gift that never stops giving. So I am asking you to join us as we work together to build this vital source of unbudgeted funds we call The Coker Permanent Endowment Fund. By planting this tree now that will live well beyond us, the fruit of this fig tree will still be doing God’s work through our succeeding generations. Will you join us in tending this tree?
To learn more about how you can help, you can visit with Pastor Gene Roe, Becky Kirbo, Director of Finance, or any member of the Permanent Endowment Committee, chaired this year by Rick McManus. The church office number is 210-494-3455.
