December 9, 2002
TOGETHER:
Exercise stewardship with a will
___Not long ago, Rosemary and I realized we needed to update our estate plan. Our will still included instructions about what to do with our children if we both died at the same time. Our four grown children were no longer interested in being sent off to relatives who had agreed to care for them!
___But I have learned that we are not so unusual. Seven of 10 family wills need to be updated. At least we have a will. Seven out of 10 Texans diewithout one.
CHARLES WADE
Executive Director
BGCT Executive Board
___A will allows us to determine in advance what we can accomplish with whatever God allows us to accumulate through the years. When you give careful thought to what you want to achieve with the resources left at your death, everyone related to your life fares better. We all have seen how family relationships can go sour when there is uncertainty about the disposal of an estate.
___A good estate plan expressed through a will can protect your family and your assets when you die. A good will makes it possible for you to distribute your estate assets in the most beneficial and cost-effective way so that you provide for your family and also for those Christian causes that mean the most to you and those you love.
___Not only has the situation regarding our children changed, but also the list of Baptist causes that we want to support.
___Rosemary and I have had occasion to observe Texas Baptists' wide-ranging ministries across this state. So we are changing our will to include not only the ministry of our home church, but also missions outreach programs and institutional ministries of the BGCT.
___There may be specific institutions that have been a particular blessing to you and your family. You may want to support certain ministries because you believe they are special instruments in God's hands. When we die, we would like for the things that were important to us throughout our lives to be blessed and strengthened. We want to do the best we can for our children and their families. And we want to place priority on doing God's work. We believe our children will be happy to know that when they receive whatever we have to give them at the end of our lives, some will also be shared with the Lord's work.
___Money can get so much good done if it is linked to lives that God has called and equipped to do his work in the world. You can't buy spiritual passion, but you can support it when you find it.
___Because we want to help church members who have been good stewards of their financial resources through the years continue to be good stewards after death, the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation has designated February as "Make Your Will Month." The foundation has prepared a worship folder insert for churches to use any Sunday in that month. Order the free copies from the Missions Foundation by calling (800) 558-8263, toll-free. The foundation's staff can be a valuable resource to answer any questions you have about your estate plan.
___Let us pray for one another in these matters. I would like it to be said of Texas Baptists: "They want to do God's work in life and in death. They never quit wanting to be useful to the Lord who saved them."
___We are loved.
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