Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 428
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 428

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

428 SPECIAL MINISTRIES AND SUNDRY MATTERS

church is the desire to advance the cause of Christ. Yet
every prudent steward of God's resources must recog-
nize that making a gift or bequest to the church in-
volves tax considerations. It is important that each
person consider the tax benefits that obtain under each
of the services offered by the Foundation. By -taking
advantage of all tax savings, a donor can reduce the cost
of his gifts to the church while at the same time creating
a fund that will extend his Christian influence far into
the future. The areas of possible tax savings include
federal income tax, state income tax, estate tax, and
inheritance and gift taxes. The application of these re-
spective tax benefits to a specific situation may often
prove complicated. The Foundation retains legal coun-
sel who is happy to advise prospective donors regarding
specific tax implications related to Christian giving.

Changes in Personnel and Trustees

In February 1967 Dr. E. R. Bertermann left the di-
rectorship of the Foundation to become executive direc-
tor of the Lutheran Laymen’s League. Upon the request
of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees he continued to
carry on the business of the Foundation on a part-time
basis until a replacement could be procured. It was on
Jan. 2, 1968, that the undersigned assumed his new
duties as Executive Director of the Foundation.

In March 1968 the Board of Directors of the Synod
elected men to fill various vacancies on the Foundation’s
Board of Trustees, which board, according to the Arti-
cles of Incorporation, should consist of seven pastors
and 14 laymen. Elected were: Rev. Martin A. Brauer,
St. Louis, Mo.; Rev. Stewart A. Burk, Phoenix, Md.;
Rev. Dr. O. E. Graebner, Austin, Tex.; Rev. Louis W.
Grother, Kalamazoo, Mich., Rev. Edwin A. Nerger, Fort
Wayne, Ind., Rev. Erwin L. Paul, Forest Park, IIl.; Rev.
Gustav C. Schramm, San Diego, Calif.: Messrs. Vernon
Bryant, Great Bend, Kans.; Richard F. Huegli, Detroit,
Mich.; Edwin O. Schiewe, Chicago, IIl.; Werner Strang-
hoener, Appleton, Wis.; and Mrs. E. H. Ruprecht, Val-
paraiso, Ind. When in the autumn of 1968 resignations
were regretfully received from Mr, Fred Puelle, New
York, N. Y., and Mrs. Helene Uhlig, Arcadia, Mich., the
Board of Directors of the Synod, in a subsequent meet-
ing, elected Mrs. Arthur R. Huber, Shawnee Mission.
Kans., and Mrs. Harold Rammler, Monroe, Mich., to fill
their unexpired terms of trusteeship.

Other members of the Board of Trustees are: Messrs.
Walter Gross, Flossmoor, Ill.; Len C. Heine, Omaha,
Nebr.; Walter W. Kayser, Grand Rapids, Mich.; and
Glen L. Peglau, Oak Park, III.

The present officers of the Foundation are: Messrs.
W. P. Rucklos, San Gabriel, Calif., president; Leslie G.
Allenstein, Gadsden, Ala., vice-president; Werner
Stranghoener, Appleton, Wis., treasurer; and Fred L.
Precht, secretary. In recognition of his many faithful
years of service as president of the Foundation, the
Board of Trustees elected Dr. E. J. Gallmeyer, Fort
Wayne, Ind., as honorary president.

Areas of Activity

A word of additional comment concerning the in-
creased activity of several areas of the Foundation ser-
vices may well be in order.

l. Outright Gifts of Money. The Foundation is happy
to receive, administer, and distribute such gifts whether
for the general work of our church or designated for
any phase of its activities. Although these gifts are
usually in small amounts, they add up to a sizable sum.
For the years 1967 and 1968 this aggregate sum
amounted to $122,000, including approximately $80,000
for 1968.

2. Bequests Through Wills. Experience is demon-
strating that bequests may prove to be a major source
of Foundation income. The Foundation therefore en-
courages people first of all to make a will and secondly
to remember the church in their wills in gratitude to
God for the resources entrusted to them. Such wills can
be a final and lasting witness to the testator’s Christian
faith.

Our files reveal that within the last 10 years 21 wills
were closed, representing a total sum of approximately
$111,000 given to the church and/or its agencies. Seven
of these were closed in the year 1968, accounting for
approximately $29,000 of the above sum. In some cases
bequests were designated for some specific cause within
our church; in others the bequests were undesignated,
thus going to the Foundation for later distribution by
the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of
the Synod. From all indications there exist many wills
remembering the Foundation of which we are unaware.

3. Gift-Annuity Agreements. Such an agreement
enables the donor to make a substantial gift while at
the same time receiving a fixed and guaranteed income
for life. The rate of return is dependent on the age
and sex of the annuitant at the time the gift is made
and is based on actuarial tables of life expectancy.
Annuities constitute what we consider our bread-and-
butter item. As of Jan. 31, 1969, the Foundation had
issued 531 annuities representing an aggregate prin-
cipal sum of approximately $1,721,000. For the calendar
year 1968 the Foundation wrote gift annuities amount-
ing to a total of $316,000. This was $45,000 over any
previous year.

4, Life-Income Agreements. Life-income gift agree-
ments similarly enable the donor to make a substan-
tial contribution to the church while at the same time
receiving an income for life. This income, however, is
not at a fixed or guaranteed rate but is dependent on
economic conditions and safety of principal. As of Jan.
31, 1969, the Foundation had issued 67 such agreements,
representing a total principal sum of $940,000. For the
calendar year 1968 the Foundation wrote agreements
totaling approximately $137,600, in contrast to approxi-
mately $11,000 in the year 1967. Possibly the relatively
higher rate of return than an annuity offers, particu-
larly in the case of younger people, has prompted
a rise in the receipts of life-income gifts.

5. Gifts Through Life Insurance. This constitutes