Legacy

Leaving a Gift to St Peter’s

The following information tells you about the difference you could make simply by leaving a gift to St Peter’s in your will.

Including a gift can be simple to do and have a tremendous impact on the future life of St Peter’s. 

Thinking about life after death should not be difficult for Christians!

Make sure you are prepared practically as well as spiritually: whatever your age, write a will and regularly update it. Having a will can save your loved ones a lot of trouble.

Please read the following and think seriously about acting on it

Why should I leave a gift to St Peter’s ??

• As a Church our passion is that people know God’s Love, and live and give generously in response (God’s Love: Know it! Live it! Give It!). Giving through a will enables us to give in response to God’s love even beyond our lifetimes.
• Leaving a gift in your will goes hand in hand with regular giving: it is an important part of our Christian Stewardship.
• Remembering St Peter’s in your will is a wonderful way both to thank God for the blessings that you have received and to help meet the needs of future generations. No matter how large or small, every gift that is left to St Peter’s can make a significant impact on our mission and ministry.

Please note too that leaving a gift in your will can reduce the amount of inheritance tax you pay.  If you leave at least 10% of your estate to charity, inheritance tax due on the rest of your estate will be charged at a lower rate.

Why should I consider giving a share of my estate rather than a lump sum?

When leaving gifts in your will, you might like to consider dividing your estate into ‘shares’ rather than specific cash amounts.  This has a number of benefits:

• It can help you provide for your family and friends first and share what is left over between St Peter’s and other charities that you care about;
• It reflects the Church’s teaching on proportionate giving (many people give away a percentage of their income each week, so why not a percentage of their estate too?);
• The value of your gift will not be eroded by inflation over time (a gift of £1,000 today may be worth a lot less in 30 years, whereas a gift of 5% of your estate will hold its relative value); and
• Dividing your estate into shares means that you don’t have to worry about re-writing your will if the actual amount you have to leave diminishes through, for example, costs of retirement care.

Your solicitor will be able to help you with this. Including a gift to St Peter’s in your will can be a simple process and need not cost much.

“All things come from you O Lord and of Your own do we give You”

1 Chronicles 29: 14

 

What part will you play in St Peter’s future story?

A gift in your will can make a lasting difference by enabling St Peter’s to achieve something that it would not normally be able to.

You may wish to channel your gift to mission or community projects, to maintenance of the church fabric, to youth work or music, or in some other way.

St Peter’s has produced a policy on how it will use legacies. This should help you see how a gift in your will can make a significant difference to its longer-term mission and ministry.

Over the centuries, generous church members have left gifts in their wills which have often been transformational in helping St Peter’s in its mission and in the local community.

The light modern and beautiful interior of the building was created in the 1990’s    largely through generous bequests made in people’s wills.  Nearly 30 years on we benefit and will do for decades to come.  Similarly our more recent glass entrance doors were made possible through legacies.

These exciting developments could not have happened without the generosity and foresight of individuals like you. Long after their lifetimes these people have continued to bring blessings to others in Jesus’ name.

What part of the future story of St Peter’s could be formed by a gift from you in your will?

If you would like to talk to someone in confidence about leaving a gift in your will to St Peter’s, please contact a member of Clergy or St Peter’s Legacy Officer.

What is a legacy?

“It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” 

Alexander Hamilton in the musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda