Synod contributors ‘blessed to be a blessing’

Elvina Miller discusses her estate plan with Mike Fischer, senior gift planning advocate for LCMS Mission Advancement. (Nick Deverian)

In July, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) launched a new website to provide information and assistance to those interested in giving back to the church via a specific planned gift or Christian estate plan.

Mike Fischer, senior gift planning advocate for LCMS Mission Advancement, describes the site’s goal as providing “an opportunity for those in the Synod who have been greatly blessed to make a transformative gift toward the church’s mission.”

Fischer adds, “It is not we who determine what a transformative gift is. It is the faithful contributor who wants to support the work of God’s Word — both in our midst, as the church cares for its own, and in the world, as the church seeks to carry the Gospel to all four corners of the globe.”

Elvina Miller is one such faithful contributor. She and her husband, Everett, were longtime supporters of many LCMS ministries. Fischer met the Millers in the mid-1990s when he assisted them with setting up their first Christian estate plan.

After Everett died a few years ago, Elvina faced not only the loss of her husband and the task of managing her estate alone but her own health challenges. After sitting down with Fischer again, she made a new estate plan that will provide for her own needs while continuing to support her beloved church. The knowledge that her estate is in order and that it will bless others long after she has gone to be with her Lord gives her great peace.

One component of Elvina’s estate plan is an endowment supporting the work of the LCMS Office of National Mission. “I just want people to know Jesus,” she says.

Elvina’s story, along with many others, is available at the “Blessed to Be a Blessing” website. In addition, the website offers:

Helpful news and resources;

Information about various types of planned gifts; and

A sign-up form for a weekly electronic newsletter.

Free gift-planning assistance is also available to interested individuals. The LCMS utilizes the services of the LCMS Foundation as its partner in providing gift-planning services.

For more information, visit giftplanning.lcms.org .

Posted Oct. 17, 2022