A Time for Giving

The Gift that Keeps Proclaiming Jesus Christ Forever

Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in managing little, so I will put you in charge of much." Matthew 25:21.

A Living Testament to Your Stewardship of God's Gifts

What is the Bethlehem Memorial Fund?

It is an endowment fund designated for the ministry of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and School.

What is an Endowment Fund?

It is a fund that takes contributions and invest them in relatively safe ways so as to provide the highest possible return. The profit from the investment is used by the church and school for the ongoing ministry. The original gift is never spent. In this way your gift to this fund will keep giving to the ministry of Bethlehem as long as it exists. For example, if you give a gift to the church of $1,000 it provides an immediate $1,000 to the church. A gift to the Memorial Fund invested at 10% interest will provide $100 every year. The original $1,000 gift will provide $10,000 for the first 100 years and keep giving beyond that.

How is the Memorial Fund Structured?

The following are the regulations of the Memorial Fund as set forth in the congregational by-laws:

ARTICLE X: MEMORIAL FUND

The congregation shall maintain a Memorial Fund for the purpose of providing a mean by which individuals may endow the congregation through special gifts or estates. The fund shall be administered by a committee chaired by the vice chairman with the chairman, treasurer, financial secretary, and pastor serving as members. They shall operate under the following stipulations:

Only the interest derived from the principal may be spent on special projects or the ongoing ministry of the congregation.
An annual report shall be published each year reporting all receipts and expenses of the fund.
The congregation may borrow from the fund by action of the Voter's Assembly. These funds must be repaid to the Memorial Fund in not less than twenty (20) years at an interest rate equal to the rate of return on the investments of the fund for the preceding year at the time of the loan. Interest from the remaining funds may only be used for part of the repayment program until all of of the principal has been repaid.

How Can I Make Gifts to the Memorial Fund?

All that has to be done is to designate "Bethlehem Memorial Fund" at the time the gift is made. This may be a gift in memory of someone else, a thanksgiving to God for some special blessing, an anniversary or other special occasion or as a designation in your will.

Do I Have to Designate the Bethlehem Memorial fund if I Want to Remember the Ministry of Bethlehem in my Will?

No. You only have to designate the Memorial Fund if that is where you want the gift to go. If you simply designate the church it will be put to use where it is needed most at the time.

Will my Gift Receive Recognition?

All gifts to the Memorial Fund are recognized in the church newsletter. If it is a gift in memory of someone else a note of recognition is sent to the family when possible.

Sustaining gifts, those that total $1,000 or more, by or in the name of an individual will be recognized by way of having their name, and the name of the giver, placed on the special Memorial Fund plaque in the Narthex of the church.

Why Does the Congregation Have this Fund?

It is because we feel we need to provide for the ongoing ministry in future years. We want to see the ministry of Bethlehem remain strong well into the future. We think not only of today but also of tomorrow.

Contact Us! Directions Last Updated: 11/24/2008
2624 Oak Street River Grove, IL 60171 (Church) 708-453-1113 (School) 708-456-8786

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