Minute for Mission: Legacy Giving Sunday

May 7, 2023

A dear friend from my church passed away in July 2022. Kevin was just 55 years old. Just writing that pricks my eyes with tears.

He loved, loved, loved my three daughters. They loved him right back. He was their confirmation mentor, their Sunday school teacher, their chaperone, and a foundational rock in their lives and in the life of our church. He was the kind of person you called when you couldn’t make sense of the world, and his rational, calm read on things would calm you down and give you hope. In many ways, Kevin was an “adulty adult” who made everything feel like it would be OK.

Kevin and I had some time to talk about the meaning of legacy, and the things he wanted to accomplish before he passed. Kevin was ill for a few years – and in some ways, this slow departure from our planet is a gift. It is time for you think through what matters to you, and how you want to be remembered. It gives you time to tell people you love them, and people get the chance to tell you how much you influenced them.

While many of us are in denial about death — and secretly think, well, maybe I won’t die! — Kevin knew it was coming, and made his plans to ensure that his earthly matters would be entrusted to the organizations and people he loved. He cared deeply for his family and wanted to ensure that they felt cared for and loved after his passing.

As I write this, I think about my own legacy. What, and who, do I love? What organizations have made a huge difference in my life, the life of my family, and my community? Who is changing the world?

I’d put my own church at the top of that list, and I hope that you would, too. For many of us, our churches are places we’ve spent an enormous amount of time, and given so much of our lives and energy. They’ve given back to us, too, surrounding us with love in difficult times, buoying our spirits when we’ve faced personal traumas, and bringing us meals when we were exhausted and couldn’t bear to think about cooking.

One of the best gifts Kevin gave to his family and to our church is the preparation he did in the past few years. It’s a wonderful gift for you to give your family, too. Express both verbally and on paper (in a legal document) where you want gifts to go. It’s also crucial to tell the church or other ministries what your plans are, so that they know your intentions and know how you would like your gift to be used.

You may not feel you have much to give. It’s not about the amount; it’s about acknowledging the importance of your church or an important ministry in your life and in the life of your family. Your estate plans tell your family what matters to you, and sets an example for the next generation. Your estate is the largest gift you’ll ever have to give.

What’s more, once this item is checked off of your to-do list, you’ll feel better. What a sense of relief to know you’ve had this hard conversation, you’ve made these plans, and you have been able to make choices that will both communicate your legacy and ensure that your church, the ministries you supported and so much more will continue to benefit from your generous spirit.

I have a will. It’s been in place since my oldest daughter was born. I’ll be getting it out and reading it over, and ensuring that the plans I made still make sense, and also considering making a larger gift to my church in my estate.

In life and death, we belong to God. And so does our stuff.

The Presbyterian Foundation is able to assist congregations and church members who are ready to think about how to share all that God has given to us. Your Ministry Relations Officer can help. You can find yours at presbyterianfoundation.org/mro.

Robyn Davis Sekula serves as Vice President of Communications and Marketing for the Presbyterian Foundation. She is a ruling elder in the PC(USA) and member of Highland Presbyterian Church.

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Diana Burgos, Kitchen Assistant, Stony Point Center
Becky Burton, Data Representative, Ministry Engagement & Support, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)

Let us pray

Dear God, teach us to be generous with all that we have, which all comes from you. Help us to discern the best path in caring for all that has been entrusted to us. Teach us to hear your call. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Mission work in Romania inspires ongoing support

100-year-old Jack Ferlino has journeyed to Romania more than a dozen times since his retirement

April 25, 2022

Jack Ferlino, in front, is pictured with family members. (Contributed photo)

Sometimes an invitation to visit a new place is life-changing. That’s certainly what happened to Jack Ferlino.

Nearly 30 years ago, he was invited to go to Romania, and what he witnessed then and in more than a dozen trips since inspired him to make a permanent gift through the World Communion of Reformed Churches, for the Hungarian Reformed Church in Romania. The relationship was fostered through Lehigh Presbytery‘s Worldwide Ministries mission efforts.

Ferlino, now 100 years old, says there were many experiences there that inspired his gift. He summarizes it this way: “I finally came across a group of churches that really practice the Six Great Ends of the Church,” Ferlino said. “It was a wonderful relationship to have, so we entered into partnership.”

The Rev. Ellie Johns-Kelley has worked with Ferlino to set up the fund. She is a Ministry Relations Officer for the Presbyterian Foundation. “Jack’s love for both God and the church are deep,” Johns-Kelley said. “His relationships in partnering in ministry around the world will be enduring as well as invitational as others may make additions and thereby join in supporting the Hungarian Reformed Church in Romania.”

Hungarians are an ethnic minority in Romania. A series of treaties, battles and political moves in Romania during World War I ceded Transylvania to Romania, taking it from its Hungarian origins.

Romania was under communist rule until 1989. During that time Christians were harassed, making Christian worship difficult. Christianity is strong in Romania today, and the Hungarian Reformed Church in Romania has a special ministry to the Hungarians that no one else is fulfilling.

These churches are so much more than places of worship; they are centers of life and care for the people that they serve, Ferlino says. “The church there is the focal point of their life,” Ferlino said. “Everything is around the church, including social activities. Diaconia is the organization that attends to the shut-ins and the sick, and the orphanages as well.”

Ferlino recalls another moving story from a visit to Romania. He was asked to visit a farm owned by a mother and son. They enjoyed the visit, but around noon, they found the mother of the family crying in the kitchen. Ferlino asked if they had done something inadvertently to upset her. “They told me she is crying because you have come this far to visit us, and she can’t set the table the way she wants to,” Ferlino said. “I was in tears then, as I am now. I hope this gift will help her, and the others as well.”

Ferlino was particularly moved by meeting pastors. “We have one pastor who serves seven churches,” Ferlino said. That pastor visits one church each day of the week. “All of the churches are rural. They are all very old. Some of them go back 500 years.”

Ferlino is a lifelong Presbyterian whose roots go back to 1894, when his ancestors immigrated to the U.S. from Italy and were instrumental in establishing the Italian Presbyterian Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. It eventually closed and merged with First Presbyterian Church in Hazleton. He’s now a member of Faith Presbyterian Church in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

His pastor, the Rev. Rebecca Mallozzi, says Ferlino is a man of incredible faith. “Jack has a heart and passion for all mission, and he definitely has a passion for the Hungarian Reformed Church of Romania,” Mallozzi said. “He genuinely cares for them. Jack embodies what we mean when we say, ‘The table shall be wide.’”

In an article published by Lehigh Presbytery in January 2021, the Rev. Tibor Kiss, counselor in the Department of International Relations of the Transylvanian District of the Reformed Church in Romania, praised Ferlino for his role as a bridge builder. He said Ferlino helped church members in the United States and Transylvania together meet the “challenges of human life in a secular, unjust, discriminatory social environment.”

Mallozzi says Ferlino has never tired of the work. “Jack’s heart and passion for mission always reminds me that as the body of Christ, we never retire from finding ways to love and serve God by loving and serving our neighbors,” she said.

 Robyn Davis Sekula, Vice President of Communications and Marketing, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Jason Peterson, Director, Loan Operations, Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program
Jim Phares, Web Systems Developer, IT Application Development, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)

Let us pray

Gracious God, thank you for our mission co-workers who have the challenge and great privilege to be the hands and feet of Jesus in responding alongside brothers and sisters to the great needs around them. Help us to faithfully support them. Amen.

Minute for Mission: Legacy Giving Sunday

May 2, 2021

Caroline Davis Rourk (Provided)

Caroline Davis Rourk has been a member of her church for her entire life. It’s a place of hope, friendship and a place that challenges her spiritually. And it’s a place that she wants to be around for generations to come.

That’s why she decided to leave a gift to her congregation in her estate. She is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina.

She’s part of a growing number of Presbyterians who have left gifts to the church through life insurance proceeds, beneficiaries of retirement plans, wills, estates and trusts.

“I’ve pledged and tithed my entire life to my church, but I’ve never felt like I could give as much as I wanted to,” Rourk says. “By leaving a gift to the church in my will, I can give them what I wasn’t able to during my lifetime. And that’s really important to me.”

Watch a video about First Presbyterian’s legacy giving program here.

You, too, can leave a legacy to support the ministry of your congregation, ensuring the congregation that has nurtured your spiritual life and served your community thrives for generations to come.

Please consider making a gift to your church or ministry that tells the story of your hope in Christ.

Each will is unique and must be structured to fit the needs and estate plans of each individual in accordance with the laws of the state in which they live. For this reason, you should consult a lawyer to assist you in drafting your will and estate plan.

The Presbyterian Foundation is able to assist congregations and church members who are ready to think about how to share all that God has given to us. Your Ministry Relations Officer can help. You can find yours at presbyterianfoundation.org/mro.

Robyn Davis Sekula, Vice President of Communications and Marketing at the Presbyterian Foundation, Ruling Elder in the PC(USA) and Member of Highland Presbyterian Church in Louisville.

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Bintou Jalloh, Board of Pensions
Ellie Johns-Kelley, Presbyterian Foundation

Let us pray:

Dear God, teach us to be generous with all that we have, which all comes from you. Help us to discern the best path in caring for all that has been entrusted to us. Teach us to hear your call. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Forman Christian College continues to offer education in Pakistan amid pandemic

Flexibility, tireless work ethic and technology are keys to carry on despite COVID-19

August 17, 2020

Students at Forman Christian College in Lahore, Pakistan, study together in the fall of 2019, prior to the pandemic. (Photo by Robyn Davis Sekula)

Though in-person classes are suspended at Forman Christian College in Lahore, Pakistan, faculty are doing all they can to ensure that the university’s more than 5,000 students are still receiving an education.

After two weeks of rewriting course objectives and outlines, faculty began teaching virtually on March 30. If students don’t have internet access, packets that include lectures and coursework are being mailed to students.

And in several cases of extreme dedication, a faculty member called a student and read the student the lecture for that day’s class so the student could keep up. Other faculty have loaned out used laptops and smartphones.

Flexibility and tireless dedication are part of the work ethic of Forman, which was founded in 1864 by Dr. Charles W. Forman, a Presbyterian missionary. The college served India and then Pakistan for more than 150 years. It’s prepared to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, too.

“We did our budget projections through December, taking a fairly pessimistic view,” says Dr. James Tebbe, rector of Forman Christian College. “I have to admit I was very relieved when I saw that we could keep all of our faculty and staff.”

Diligent stewardship has helped Forman’s leadership build up reserves that are helping cushion the university during this time. Technology improvements on campus have been key as well, Tebbe says. The school also has its own water supply and electrical system that augments water supplied by the city. This has been helpful in allowing the staff who live on campus, including Tebbe, to remain safely sequestered.

Out of 5,000 or so university students, about 100 do not have internet access, estimates Cheryl Burke, head of Academic Advising at Forman. Only about 50 cannot be reached; some may have changed phone numbers or email addresses recently.

During her 16-year tenure at Forman, Burke has been largely responsible for student activities and how they augment academics on campus. She’s helped the college turn its attention toward helping students succeed. Her most recent position is serving as head of the Academic Advising Center, which works with students to ensure they have what they need to complete courses and graduate on time. This work has helped Forman build a strong foundation for academic success — and it’s part of why students can continue to succeed off campus while learning at home.

Burke’s work is sponsored by Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.

“Our students are doing really well,” Burke says. “The biggest issue is the emotional toll it is taking. We’ve received a lot of panicky emails from students. We’re telling them, ‘Just breathe. It will be OK.’”

Forman has been on a rapid growth trajectory for the past few years, Tebbe says. The campus is busy and crowded in normal circumstances.

Enrollment may take a dip in the fall, Tebbe says, and Forman is preparing for that financially.

For Christians in Pakistan, Forman is a place where they can receive an education on an equal playing field with non-Christian students, says Rev. Sam Schreiner, executive director of the Friends of Forman, a nonprofit organization that supports Forman Christian College.

Christians are about 2% of the population in Pakistan. Christian churches have been targeted for violence. Christians are given far fewer opportunities to receive an education and do not have access to the same services as others. In many cases, Christians are given the most menial of jobs for low pay. Scholarships funded by contributions from the U.S. are crucially important to allowing students to rise above these circumstances, Schreiner says.

Christians make up 12% of the Forman student body, and 80% of them need some form of scholarship.

The other important cultural aspect of Forman is that Muslim and Christian students can study alongside each other, which is a rarity in Pakistan, Schreiner says. They can get to know each other as friends, and change perceptions of each other. “Forman is doing so much more than providing an education in Pakistan,” Schreiner says. “Forman is changing the culture of Pakistan and modeling tolerance.”

Robyn Davis Sekula, Vice President of Communications and Marketing for the Presbyterian Foundation, a ruling elder in the PC(USA) and an active member of Highland Presbyterian Church in Louisville

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Shanea Leonard, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Heather Leoncini, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray:

 Loving Lord, thank you for those who hold so much hope and potential. Work through your people to enable them to grow in faith, wisdom and skill to become positive agents of change to your glory. Amen.

Minute for Mission: Legacy Sunday (Wills Emphasis)

May 3, 2020

Photo caption/credit: Rev. Dr. Sam Miglarese (provided)

Faith has always played an important role in the Rev. Dr. Sam Miglarese’s life. He spent most of his life as a Catholic priest, but decided to become Presbyterian and became a teaching elder at First Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina.

The church was warm and welcoming, valuing community involvement and commitment to Christ. Making the church a priority in his family’s estate plan seemed natural. “I’ve always asked the question at various levels of my ministry: What prompts a generous spirit?” Sam said. “For those of us who are convinced of our faith in Christ Jesus as our Lord, there is this awareness of an overwhelming sense of grace that leaves us grateful, indebted and wanting to respond. And one of the many responses we can make is this: to contribute to God’s good future through planned giving.”

Beyond leaving a gift to the church in their estate plan, Sam and his wife, Sheila, have become advocates in the church for creating a legacy society that calls other committed members to remember the church in their plans. The legacy society has prompted many church members to commit to supporting First Presbyterian beyond their lifetime. “I don’t think people realize the many options they have to support their church into the future,” Sam said. “We need to step up, realize the significance of planning and encourage folks to include a gift for the church in their estate so that we can be part of a future that we know not but is in God’s good hands.”

The Presbyterian Foundation is able to assist congregations and church members who are ready to think about how to share all that God has given to us. Your Ministry Relations Officer can help. You can find yours at presbyterianfoundation.org/mro.

Robyn Davis Sekula, Vice President of Communications and Marketing at the Presbyterian Foundation, Ruling Elder in the PC(USA), and Member of Highland Presbyterian Church in Louisville

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Devan Caton, Presbyterian Foundation
Stephanie Caudill, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Let us pray:

Oh Lord, every blessing that we have is from you. Teach us to be cheerful givers and to give from a full heart that serves and uses your gifts in ways that will bless others. Help us to plan boldly and confidently for the future of your Church. Amen.