Taking the first steps

Is it time to update your will? Many significant things can happen in a year. The Foundation suggests you consider reviewing your will or estate plan every four years. Here are several life changes and other noteworthy reasons to update your will, as well as your estate plans. You give birth to or adopt a...

January marks Foundation Month

Each year, January is recognized as Foundation Month throughout our annual conference. The Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation uses this time to create awareness of the need for proper estate planning. More than half of all adults in our country do not have a will. If you die without a will, the state will decide how your estate is distributed and who will care for your minor children or individuals with special needs. The...

Give a gift in memory of the ones you love

Sample bequest language for your attorney Below are two sets of suggested wording to include your church in your will. Please discuss and share these options with your attorney. Specific Amount of Estate I give and bequeath to The Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation, Inc., an Oklahoma, not-for-profit, tax-exempt...

Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation insights -- Year End Gifts

The year is quickly coming to an end, and 2012 will be here before we know it. Many times we get caught up in the holiday season and planning for the next year, and we forget about making year-end gifts to our churches and beloved United Methodist ministries. These gifts, large and small, are important to ministry. They can be as simple as giving an additional amount to your church’s permanent endowment fund or missions fund, or...

Charitable gift annuity helps Crooches achieve their goals

‘Giving now is personally a great value’ —John Crooch John and Jamie Crooch love children. They believe the love and care we pour into children today make a difference in the kind of people they will be in the future. John and Jamie play active roles in helping raise their two granddaughters and in extending themselves to help other children as well. John previously volunteered as a chaplain for The Children’s...

Plan to care by caring to plan

Sample language for you attorney A gift through your will may be made several ways. Below are two sets of suggested wording to include your church in your will. Please discuss and share these options with your attorney. Specific...

Stewardship Focus Day 2011

Friday, August 26 Oklahoma City United Methodist Church of the Servant   Registration $60 per person Sign up: www.okumf.org  or Loyce at 800-259-6863 Continuing education credit available for clergy ...

'Our parents have taught us'

The Mark Barnett family of Midwest City. A legacy is born of passion and care for future generations. Mark and Linda Barnett and their two teenage daughters, Taylor and Brenden, are living out their...

Expert to lead August event

Make plans to attend the Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation’s Stewardship Focus Day on Aug. 26 in Oklahoma City at United Methodist Church of the Servant. Pastors and church leaders from across the state will gather for the Friday seminar featuring Clif Christopher, a church stewardship expert. Rev. Dr. Christopher consults nationwide on church growth and finance. He authored "Not Your Parents’ Offering...

Bishop blesses a Thunder storm

  Photo by Jennie Kiner At center court, Bishop Robert Hayes Jr. offers the invocation for "Nothing But Nets Night," April 8, at the OKC Thunder basketball game. Players and a military color guard surround him. Ticket sales topped 600 through the Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation, benefitting the global campaign to eradicate malaria. United Methodists and the NBA are founding partners in the effort. Showcasing...

Events in May target personal finances

Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation insights Make plans to attend our free EQUIP training events: May 5 in Oklahoma City at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church May 19 in Broken Arrow at Abiding Harvest United Methodist Church. These two events will prepare your pastor and church leaders to launch EQUIP in your church. We especially...

Why do I need a plan?

Failure to plan may result in accidental disinheritance. Accidental disinheritance occurs when you die without a will or your will does not function properly. You risk harming those you love and subjecting your estate to needless tax. Because failure to plan leads to this great risk, most people need to make a plan for the future of their estates. There are several options for that planning. A will is a written document that...

Dale Levy joins Foundation staff

The Foundation welcomes its newest staff member, Dale Levy, as a planned giving officer. Dale will work with churches in the eastern part of the state to implement a wills program or campaign. Every year, a staggering number of people die without a will or proper estate planning. With Dale’s efforts, the Foundation hopes to better educate church members about the importance of having a will and using it as a tool to remember the...

First steps lead to lasting impressions

Overcoming your fears can be hardest part of creating a will Many people are intimidated by the prospect of creating a will. Yet preparing a will is as simple as writing a letter. A well-written will is nothing more and nothing less than a statement of what is important to you. The most complicated part of preparing a will is simply taking the first step: deciding to do it. The Oklahoma United...

Stewardship Focus Day

Aug. 26 with Clif Christopher Mark your calendar for the Foundation’s Stewardship Focus Day on Aug. 26 in Oklahoma City. The day-long seminar will feature Clif Christopher, author of "Not Your Parent’s Offering Plate" and, most recently, "Whose Offering Plate Is It?" Dr. Christopher is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church and founder of the Horizons Stewardship Co. As a pastor, he...

Churches host more classes to give people money skills

Financial Peace University offered at 100+ locations By Kristin Van Nort They didn’t seem to be having trouble financially. All the bills got paid, but they didn’t really know where their money went and, by month’s end, they would anxiously await the next paycheck. She heard about a budgeting class from her aunt and a cousin, but was not motivated to take it … until the day she...

Score on April 8 with the Thunder

Don’t forget to purchase your OKC Thunder Nothing But Nets tickets! The Foundation is partnering with the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team to bring the special benefit game on April 8. As the OKC Thunder players take on the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma United Methodists will take on the deadly disease malaria. When tickets for the April game are purchased through the Foundation, a portion of the price will go to...

Law extends tax-free option for some charitable IRA gifts

Congress has extended the legislation allowing donors to make tax-free gifts from their IRAs (Individual Retirement Accounts). Because Congress acted so late in the year, individuals can complete an IRA rollover through Jan. 31, 2011, and still elect to have it count as a 2010 IRA charitable rollover. If you are age 70½ or older and receive these distributions, you can make tax-free gifts, totaling up to $100,000,...

January is Oklahoma UM Foundation Month

Each year, January is recognized as Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation Month throughout our Annual Conference. The work and resources of the Foundation are emphasized; churches and individuals are encouraged to learn more about the financial ministry it performs and how it can help them be good stewards of what God provides. Especially during this designated time, the Foundation seeks to create awareness of...

Giving at Year-end

There's no better way to give and receive than to make a gift to your United Methodist church or ministry this time of year. The year is quickly coming to an end, and 2011 will be here before we know it. Many times we get caught up in the holiday season and planning for the next year, and we forget about making year-end gifts to our churches and beloved United Methodist ministries. These gifts, large and small, are important...