“Johnny Appleseed” was more than just a Walt Disney animation. He was a real person. In the early 1800’s Jonathan Chapman, affectionately known as “Johnny Appleseed,” intentionally walked the frontier performing kind deeds, distributing Bibles and planting apple seeds.
These seeds were not haphazardly planted. For forty-nine years, he methodically selected suitable sites for nurseries to grow saplings which were sold to settlers. Johnny Appleseed’s dream was for a land where blossoming apple trees were everywhere and no one went hungry.
His intentional acts bore fruit. Today if you travel to Beaver County, Ohio, you can enjoy an apple harvested from a tree “Johnny Appleseed” planted. These trees stand as a living legacy to his life.
In a different way, you too, can be intentional and create a living legacy - a spiritual legacy. Through carefully giving today, you can help satisfy the spiritual hunger of multiple generations.
How a Permanent Charitable Fund can help
A permanent charitable fund is an easy way to leave a living legacy and sow Gospel seeds among today’s generation and future ones. When you give a donation to a permanent fund during your life or through your estate, it is permanently set aside for the long-term benefit of Kingdom ministry. For instance, the annual distribution from a fund’s investment return could help start new churches in Illinois, strengthen existing churches, come to the aid of a distressed minister, support disaster relief efforts or provide academic scholarships, year after year.
As the years pass, these annual distributions touch multiple generations and will total more than the original donation. Just like Jonathan Chapman, your generosity today will have a lasting effect.
Do permanent funds help? Consider the following testimonies from church planters:
“I want to thank you for the funds to new work. We were able to purchase chairs and do some building renovations with the funds. We are moving this Sunday from the school we meet in to our new location.”
“We want to express our appreciation for the thoughtful gift of the projector. It met a tremendous need and we thank God for the His provision through you. Thank you for your heart to support new works such as ours.”
How you can give
Donations to a permanent charitable fund can be given in various ways. The following are examples:
Memorial or Tribute Gift -- There is no easier way to make a donation than by simply writing a check to the Baptist Foundation of Illinois in memory of or in tribute to a loved one.
Bequest -- A common method of giving a donation is making a bequest in your will or revocable living trust. For example, you might leave 10% of your estate to the Foundation with the stipulation that the bequest be placed in a particular permanent fund.
Stocks, Mutual Fund Shares or Bonds -- Giving long-term appreciated securities provides a tax deduction for the full market value of the gift and avoids the capital gains tax due if you sold the securities.
Donations that Generate Income for You:
A gift annuity is a contract between a donor and the Foundation. In return for a donation of cash or other assets, the Foundation agrees to pay the donor (or a friend or family member), a fixed payment for life. The rate of return is based upon the age of the donor or donors. The older the individual - the higher the rate. For example, a 70 year old individual would receive a 6.5% rate. At the end of the annuity, a designated permanent fund receives the remaining value of the annuity.
A Remainder Trust makes payments, either in a fixed amount or a percentage of trust principal, to whomever the donor chooses to receive the income. At the end of the trust term, a designated endowment receives whatever remains in the trust.
To learn more about legacy giving and permanent charitable funds, contact the Baptist Foundation at P. O. Box 19247, Springfield, IL62794-9247; (217) 391-3102; rickheironimus@ibsa.org.
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