Have you seen our new addition? No, I don’t mean the Sanctuary construction. I’m referring to the new plaques that are going up at Daniels Hall and the Pat Robitaille Room which acknowledge these church members who gave to the OCUUC Endowment Fund. We’ve had numerous donors to OCUUC over the years and we appreciate everyone’s generosity.
In the past few weeks, the Stewards have been focusing on Legacy Giving and developed a brochure to help explain how your contribution to our Endowment Fund is a donation that “lasts forever.” The principal is invested within a fund managed by the UU Association that continues to grow; the distributions from the fund helps our congregation in multiple ways. The Endowment Fund allowed us to move from the older Victoria site to our current location and is now helping to support the building of the Sanctuary.
I think of our pledges and annual budget as the church’s checking account which keeps us operating, whereas the Endowment Fund is more like our savings account which provides us a solid foundation for making big changes at OC-UUC.
Usually, people think of an Endowment Fund as being funded with big chunks of money – thousands from someone’s will or proceeds from the sale of a property; and we certainly hope you’ll consider OCUUC as a beneficiary when you write your will. But the Endowment Fund can also be considered at other times as well.
Rev. Sian referenced her previous church where congregants were encouraged to give to their Endowment Fund on their birthdays, writing a check equaling their age each year. These smaller donations over time are important to maintain the health of our Fund.
I hope each of us will take a few minutes to consider how we can individually support OCUUC’s Endowment Fund – an important element that gives financial security and stability to our church.
Kathleen McFarlin is Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church's Board President.