Legacies are a huge blessing to our parishes.
Each year approximately 5,000 people leave a gift in their wills to a Church of England parish. This amounts to around £50 million in legacy gifts each year. These gifts finance mission projects, maintain beautiful church buildings and grow faithful communities.
“No gift to the church that will contribute towards the ongoing mission and ministry of the church is too small, because every penny helps us carry on the kingdom work that Jesus has set us into.”
The Revd. Jim Findlay, Priest in Charge Throop
For many people, leaving a gift in their will is a final opportunity to make a lasting gift to God and to their church family. It is also a way to make a lasting difference to the future of their church and community.
It is recommended that each PCC has its own unique Legacy Policy and ensures that resources are available to individuals, outlining why legacies are so significant and the way in which people can organise a legacy gift.
We have put together a best practice guide for encouraging legacy giving within a parish. See below.
Interested in Will Writing?
The Diocese of Winchester is pleased to be able to offer a number of FREE wills through our two recommended will writing providers, Farewill and Batt Broadbent.
There is no obligation to leave a legacy gift through this scheme however both providers will enable you the opportunity to leave a legacy to your chosen parish if you would like to do so. All free wills are provided on a first-come-first-serve basis. If you require further support do not hesitate to get in touch with stewardship@winchester.anglican.org
Download the ‘Why Every Christian Should Have a Will’ leaflet below to find our more:
For more information, please see the links below:
www.parishresources.org.uk/legacies
www.churchlegacy.org.uk
