Planned Giving Committee Member Testimonials

Rob and Suzanne Boas
Suzanne and I started going to St. Christopher’s in June of 2013, our first summer on the Cape after building our home in Brewster. From the very start, we found St. Christopher’s to be a warm and welcoming parish, and it soon became our spiritual home for the five months that we spend on Cape Cod each year. We have loved starting each week with the familiar Episcopal liturgy, the beautiful music, and the uplifting sermons that we regularly experience at the 10 a.m. Choral Eucharist. Our two adult children often accompanied us to church when they were in town during the summer, and we were delighted when, in 2016, our daughter told us that she wanted to get married at St. Christopher’s.

Because of our fondness for St. Christopher’s, we have been happy to support it financially, both through our pledge to the annual giving campaign and through a planned gift to the church that will take effect after our deaths. We firmly believe that both are important. The parish needs a steady source of pledge and plate income to: pay for its clergy and staff; maintain its beautiful church building; support its outstanding music program; and provide for its various outreach programs, both locally and internationally.

Additionally, the church needs a healthy and increasing endowment to help secure its economic vitality. The provision that we have made for St. Christopher’s in our wills will continue our financial support of the church into the future, standing as a testament to our children and grandchildren of our values and of the importance that St. Christopher’s had to us during our lifetimes.

Jim and Mary Bast
St. Christopher’s has been our spiritual home and community for more than 25 years. It is our source of faith, strength, and purpose. We joined The Cloister Society at its formation, recognizing that a legacy gift in addition to our annual pledge is a good way to support and ensure the future of St. Christopher’s.

Including St. Christopher’s in our estate plan was a simple decision. It brings us confidence that our ministries, worship, music, and sacred spaces will be sustained for the future. Through The Cloister Society, we feel connected to others who care deeply about our church and its long-range strengths. We invite you to consider joining The Cloister Society with us. It is never about the size of the planned gift, but it is the intention and continued impact it will have on our future. Together, we can carry out St. Christopher’s mission to experience the love of Christ and inspire compassion in the world for years to come.

Pam Hufnagel
When asked about why I put St. Christopher’s in my will, providing an unrestricted gift to the endowment, I had to really think about the many factors that play into this decision.

First, my husband and I began updating our wills after relocating to Chatham, which prompted me to think deeply about my legacy. It was timely that the Planned Giving Committee provided education on the endowment’s goals and significance. Giving a gift to the church endowment is more than a generous act—it is an investment in the enduring vitality and spiritual mission of your faith community. In an era of uncertainty, where congregational needs and societal challenges are in a state of change, I view my gift as a testament to my faith, stewardship and hope.

Second, my faith is deeply rooted in me. I’ve been fortunate to have had generations of family where spirituality has been important in their daily lives and they have demonstrated their faith in visible and not so visible ways. I learned the importance of giving and the joy of participating in a faith community. As a young girl, I can recall going to a church in Rhode Island where my great-grandparents had donated a stained glass window. The light shining through the stained glass window filled me with a profound sense of connection to God and my ancestors, making me feel their presence beside me. Faith has played an important role for me and has been my “rock” that I lean against in difficult times. St. Christopher’s has played an important role in helping me grow spiritually and I hope my gift will allow it to continue to support others in their spiritual journeys. I have been amazed at the talented, kind, and giving community at St. Christopher’s who together, accomplish so much with liturgy, music, pastoral care, our beautiful building and grounds, and community and global outreach. I want to see this preserved and grow indefinitely which is what the endowment will do.

Last, I wanted to formalize my wishes so that there is no confusion within my family. I may change or adjust the amount going forward, but I wanted to make sure if I died tomorrow, that St. Christopher’s would benefit.

By supporting an endowment, we enable St. Christopher’s to serve, to dream, to lead, and to love—today, tomorrow, and always. As we invest together, we build a legacy of hope, generosity, and enduring faith.

Nancy & Errol James
In loving memory of Reverend William Blackstone (1595–1675), my 8th great-grandfather, I am honored to share his legacy with the St. Christopher’s community. As the first European settler of Boston and pioneer clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal Church, the Rev. Blackstone embodied faith, courage, independence, and compassion. After arriving in America in 1623, aboard the ship named Katherine, he settled on the Shawmut Peninsula—now Boston—and later moved to the Pawtucket River located within Plymouth Colony in 1635.  His home, “Study Hill,” stood in what is now Cumberland, R.I. His legacy lives on through Boston Common, the Blackstone River and Valley, and the enduring Episcopal faith he brought to the region.

He once said, “I came from England because I did not like the Lord Bishops; but I cannot join with you because I would not be under the Lord Brethren.” His faith and independent spirit continue to inspire our stewardship today.

Just as Reverend Blackstone planted seeds of faith, an endowed bequest to St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church ensures that our mission flourishes for generations. Nancy and I invite you to join us in celebrating the Rev. Blackstone’s 400-year legacy with an endowed planned bequest that nurtures faith, community, and enduring impact.

Jill Nickerson MacDonald
My husband and I bought a home in Chatham in 1996. Our choice of Chatham was driven by the fact that I am a direct descendant of Chatham’s founders, William and Anne Nickerson. They emigrated from England in 1637 with their children and Anne’s parents. In 1656 William purchased 4000 acres of land that makes up most of modern-day Chatham with plans to develop a community here. They built their home in 1664 and moved from Yarmouth. Several of their adult children and their families also came and built homes. Soon other families came to settle here. By 1678 William was able to have his community declared a township by the Crown. Church services were initially held in William and Anne’s home and William was instrumental in establishing the Congregational Church.

Once Alan and I were both retired we spent every summer in Chatham. St. Christopher’s became my church home in 2000 and my husband and I attended the 8 a.m. Holy Eucharist faithfully. I was asked to work on the campaign that raised the funds for the major expansion of the church facility and I later joined the Planned Giving Committee. For a number of summers I taught at Vacation Bible School. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish as a church over the past 25 years. Like many, we are concerned about the drift of future generations away from a healthy dedication to sustaining our spiritual home. God has blessed us in our lives and we are committed to giving a legacy gift to St. Christopher’s to support our Christian faith so that the worship of God will always continue in this unique place.

Joe and Debby Saliba
Joe and I are lifelong Episcopalians, and making a bequest to The Cloister Society gives us an opportunity to support an organization that carries on our faith, gives back to the community, and through St. Christopher’s ministries encourages a thoughtful, giving, and loving community inside and outside the church.

For more information about Planned Giving, please click here.

An Anonymous Cloister Society Member Testimonial

Prologue

Estate Planning…sounds like Vanderbilts and Rockefellers, very wealthy folks.

Estate planning is a scary phrase, but all of us have an estate. It’s what we own when we die. One way or another your estate accumulates, and you have to give it back when you die. If no estate planning is done by an individual or a family, the federal and state governments get an early look at your estate for taxation…we call that “unplanned giving.”

Chapter One

My parents had a farm that they would retreat to almost every weekend. When their children, my sister and I, were more or less settled, they began a process of gifting the farm to us, using the allowable tax exempt dollars per person each year. My Dad died, and my Mother used the farm less and less. My sister lived in Virginia, I was headed to Chatham. As Mother approached 90, my sister and I sold the farm. The value had grown by leaps and bounds since our parents bought the farm in 1946, so my sister and I faced sizeable capital gains taxes.

Our estate planning lawyer suggested we put the proceeds from the sale into a Charitable Remainder Trust. The Trust provides significant income to us as long as we live. At our deaths (last to die), the investments in the Trust are distributed to our chosen charities (colleges, church, hospital). This allowed us to avoid all Capital Gains taxes on the sale of the property and also gave us a sizable Charitable Deduction from our income taxes spread over a number of years following setup of the Trust.

Chapter Two

This seemed like a win-win situation except that our children would lose a portion of their inheritance (the proceeds of the farm sale would go to our favorite charities rather than to our children). We solved that by purchasing a life insurance policy on us equal in value to the farm sale amount. That policy is in our Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust. Income from the Charitable Remainder Trust more than pays the premiums on the insurance policy and also provides some income to us for our lifetime. At our last to die, the children receive equal shares of the insurance policy benefit and our chosen charities benefit from the Charitable Remainder Unitrust distribution. This is indeed a win-win.

Epilogue

Lots of people own property or stock that has grown in value over the decades. Estate Planning Attorneys, who understand the current laws and rules about taxation, should be able to help you plan estate documentation so as to avoid some taxation and preserve your estate value for future generations and also keep plans updated as laws and rules change.

We are delighted that, with the help of our lawyer, we have developed a plan that avoids considerable death taxes, protects our children’s inheritance and allows us the opportunity to contribute to our favorite non-profits. St. Christopher’s is high on that list. After what God has given and is giving to us, is there a better way to give back to God?

Also important is to hold family conferences periodically so all children are aware of plans for the future; they can pass this along to the grandchildren.