Bequests

An excellent way for you to support the Reformed Church in the United States’s mission is to leave a bequest in your will or living trust. You can also add a “codicil” to an existing will or trust. (A codicil is an amendment you attach to an existing will or trust document.) There are two reasons many choose to make a bequest:

1. You continue to use the asset willed during your lifetime, and
2. Your bequest becomes a lasting legacy supporting the ministry of the church.

There are a number of ways you can make a bequest to the Reformed Church in the United States. We’ll provide suggested language below, but first, let’s introduce the types of bequests you may choose.

Specific Bequest. A specific bequest involves designating a specific asset such as real estate, a car, or a gift for a specific dollar amount. For example, you may wish to leave a house, e.g. a cash gift of $20,000 or other amount to the Reformed Church in the United States. 

Percentage Bequest. Another kind of specific bequest involves leaving a specific percentage of your estate to the church. For example, you may wish designate 10% of your estate to the Reformed Church in the United States.

Residual Bequest. A residual bequest is a gift of all of part of what is left over after your other specific bequests have been taken care of. For example, you may wish to leave 25% of the residual of your estate to the Reformed Church in the United States.

Contingent Bequest. A contingent bequest is made to the church only if the purpose of the primary bequest cannot be met. For example, you could leave specific property, such as a vacation home, to a relative, but the bequest language could provide that if the relative is not alive at the time of your death, the vacation home will go to support the ministry of the Reformed Church in the United States.

Bequest Benefits

A bequest is generally a revocable gift, which means it can be changed or modified at any time. You can choose to designate that a bequest be used for a general or specific purpose so you have the peace of mind knowing that your gift will be used as intended. Bequests are exempt from federal estate taxes. If you have a taxable estate, the estate tax charitable deduction may offset or eliminate estate taxes, resulting in a larger inheritance for your heirs.

Bequest Language

In order to make a bequest, you should speak with your attorney. Your attorney can help you include a bequest to the Reformed Church in the United States in your estate plan. We have provided some basic bequest language to assist you and your attorney. For an enduring legacy, you may wish to designate the “RCUS ENDOWMENT FUND.”Earnings from the Endowment Fund annually support missions, seminary training, diaconal acts of mercy, and our retired ministers and widows, in perpetuity.

1. Specific Bequest

If you are considering making an outright bequest to the Reformed Church in the United States, we recommend the following language:

Bequest of a Specific Dollar Amount

I hereby give, devise and bequeath _________ and No/100 dollars ($DOLLARS) to the Reformed Church in the United States, a nonprofit organization located at 620 S. Clydes Way! Archbold OH 43502, Federal Tax ID #51-0202914, for the Reformed Church in the United States’s general use and purpose.

Bequest of Specific Personal Property

I hereby give, devise and bequeath DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to the Reformed Church in the United States, a nonprofit organization located at 620 S. Clydes Way! Archbold OH 43502, Federal Tax ID #51-0202914, for the Reformed Church in the United States’s general use and purpose.

Bequest of Specific Real Estate

I hereby give, devise and bequeath all of the right, title and interest in and to the real estate located at ADDRESS OR DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to the Reformed Church in the United States, a nonprofit organization located at 620 S. Clydes Way, Archbold OH 43502,  Federal Tax ID #51-0202914 for the Reformed Church in the United States’s general use and purpose.

2. Percentage Bequest

If you are considering making a bequest of a percentage of your estate to the Reformed Church in the United States, we recommend the following language:

I hereby give, devise and bequeath ____ percent (___%) of my total estate, determined as of the date of my death, to the Reformed Church in the United States, a nonprofit organization located at 620 S. Clydes Way! Archbold OH 43502, Federal Tax ID #51-0202914, for the Reformed Church in the United States’s general use and purpose.

3. Residual Bequest

I hereby give, devise and bequeath to the Reformed Church in the United States, a nonprofit organization located at  620 S. Clydes Way! Archbold OH 43502,, Federal Tax ID #51-0202914 ALL OR A PERCENTAGE of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to be used for the Reformed Church in the United States’s general use and purpose. 

4. Contingent Bequest

If (primary beneficiary) does not survive me, then I hereby give, devise and bequeath to the Reformed Church in the United States, a nonprofit organization located at 620 S. Clydes Way! Archbold OH 43502, Federal Tax ID #51-0202914  [DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY] to be used for the Reformed Church in the United States’s general use and purpose.

Restricted Bequests

If you wish your gift to be restricted to a specific purpose, we encourage you or your attorney to contact us at finance@RCUS.org to ensure we are able to honor your request as you intend. We will make every effort to ensure your wishes are followed, but we recognize that circumstances might arise in which the specific ministry you designate is not able to receive or use the funds.

If you are making a restricted bequest, we recommend that your attorney include the following provision to give the Reformed Church in the United States flexibility should it no longer be possible for the Reformed Church in the United States to use your gift as you originally intended: 

“If, in the judgment of the Synod of the Reformed Church in the United States, it shall become impossible for the Reformed Church in the United States to use this bequest to accomplish the specific purposes of this bequest, the Reformed Church in the United States may use the income and principal of this gift to support the RCUS Endowment Fund.”

Contact Us

If you have included a bequest for the Reformed Church in the United States in your estate plan, please contact us to let us know. We would like to thank you and recognize you for your gift. You may do this by emailing finance@RCUS.org.