Legacies to Methodist Fund to Boost Mission Abroad

|TOP|Mission work has been given a welcome boost as legacies to the Methodist Fund for World Mission in 2005 nearly doubled the amount for the previous year.

The total amount received by the fund in the year to 31 Aug 2005 reached a high £779,000, the fund’s highest total for three years.

The income generated through the offering of legacies has also proved vital in offsetting a fall in donations from churches. With the amount that has come in to the fund, even more mission projects can be undertaken by the Methodist Fund for World Mission.

Mission support worker, Dr John Newton, said the generosity of people is ‘amazing’, adding that the amount of money received through legacies this year was equivalent to the cost of supporting 50 more mission partners for a year, building 780 homes in Pakistan or providing over 38,000 Love Boxes to people in South Africa living with HIV/AIDS.

|AD|Legacies are a vital source of funding in addition to the regular giving although the income generated by legacies is hard to predict, said Newton.

In the last decade the amount of funding that has come through the offering of legacies has ranged from a low of £281,000 to a high of £1.8 million.

“Every penny counts in helping support important work around the world,” he said.

“People leave very different amounts depending on their circumstances, although a typical amount is about £5,000.

“Every legacy is welcome, and every gift shows how much someone cares.”

Anyone interested in leaving a legacy to one of the Methodist funds, which also include Home Mission, Property or The Methodist Church Fund, can obtain more information through the No More Tears guide produced in 2004. The guide is available free of charge from the Methodist Publishing House or the Mission Education department.

The Methodist Church Fund for World Mission supports numerous programmes, including Nationals in Mission Appointment, Mission Partners and the Experience Exchange Programme.