Intentional Giving

St. Matthew's Society is the planned giving program of the Diocese of Bethlehem which encourages provisions for St. Andrew’s future through estate planning. Those who plan bequests are eligible for the St. Matthew’s Society and are recognized for their generosity on our honor board and by the Diocese of Bethlehem. 

To join this group, simply include a gift to the church in your estate planning and inform the Rector or the finance team of your intention. 

Legacy Endowment Fund

A church cannot fulfill its mission and vision if it doesn’t have adequate resources, both now and in the future. An endowment fund allows your church to be a good steward of the gifts entrusted to it, and thus ensure its vitality for years to come. In addition to your regular giving to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, you may make a single or periodic gifts of $1000 or more to the Legacy Endowment Fund. Supporting St. Andrew's endowment fund is one of the best ways you can ensure that our congregation’s mission and vision will thrive for years to come.  

Gifts may be made in life, by bequest, or on a deferred basis. Gifts of cash, life insurance, and assets that can easily be converted into cash, such as publicly traded securities, are appropriate to donate to the endowment fund. Gifts to endowment funds are easy to facilitate during life and after death, and can provide significant tax advantages to donors. 

Gifts to the Legacy Endowment are invested in the Diocesan Investment Trust (D.I.T.). Distributions are made only from the income (interest) the endowment fund produces; the principal remains intact. Because the principal is left untouched year after year and increases as more people contribute to the endowment fund, the fund will provide a secure financial base from which the congregation can realize its future vision.

Download the brochure above, or contact Mark Shipman (Finance Committee Chair) for more information.