Legacy worth passing on

Art and Evelyn have always humbly and quietly given some of their financial blessings back to God. “Whatever we were given, church amounts were given first and then we’d figure out what we’d eat,“ says Evelyn. “Some people wonder, ‘If we give, are we really going to be able to afford this?’ People who haven’t tried it don’t realize how wonderful it really is.”

They wanted to pass the joy of giving along to their grandchildren, and came up with a unique and wonderful way to do it. Using proceeds from the sale of a business, they established two donor advised funds. With these funds, five percent of the balance each year is disbursed to different WELS ministries.

That’s where their family comes in. Each year, Evelyn puts together a list of five ministries throughout WELS with a brief explanation each. On Thanksgiving, the grandchildren divide into two groups, and each one numbers their preference and writes why that one is important to them. After she totals it up, the top two in each group receive the funds. (And in cases of a tie, like this year, the money gets divided among three ministries.)

Pastor Dave Dolan, a Christian giving counselor, loves this idea. “They involved their grandchildren to teach them principles of Christian stewardship, and to help them develop an interest in and concern for the wider mission of the church.”

That’s a legacy definitely worth passing on.

* Names have been changed to protect donor confidentiality.