Leaving a legacy in your will is an amazing opportunity to make a final gift to God. This will make a lasting difference to the future of St James and Emmanuel, and our ministries and mission in the Didsbury community.
No matter how big or small, every gift in every will can make a significant impact. Gifts in wills are an important part of Christian giving and leaving a gift to your church is a way to thank God for all the blessings you have received in your lifetime.
There is a Church tradition of giving a tithe – a proportion of one’s income devoted to God’s work through the Church. Your legacy gift can be viewed as a tithe.
Legacy gifts can be used to fund mission and ministry projects, help to maintain church buildings, and ensure faithful people can be at the heart of the community for years to come. Parishes in the Church of England benefit from over 5,000 people each year who have decided to leave a gift in their Wills. This means over £50 million in legacy gifts are left to the Church each year.
At St James and Emmanuel, we encourage and welcome all legacy gifts, and we promise to use them to make a difference.
How the Gardner Legacy is being used.
Our legacy policy
The Parochial Church Council’s (PCC) policy is to use legacy gifts to fund development projects inside our church buildings and wider parish. This could be building maintenance and improvements, purchasing new equipment, or investing in people.
It is a great help if legacy gifts are left for general purposes, and not for a specific appeal or project, which may have ended by the time you have died. The PCC can discuss with the executors of your Will how your gifts can be utilised at that time. This can be a wonderful experience, as both parties can discuss areas of the church’s work that interested you. For example, this could be music, buildings and facilities, or children’s work.
How to leave a legacy gift
Write your will for free online
Will writing can often seem like a time consuming and expensive thing to do – and that’s a big reason why many people put it off. The Church of England has partnered with award-winning online will-writing company Farewill to offer a free online Will writing service (RRP £90). You can complete from the comfort of your home in less than 30 minutes, or as part of your funeral planning.
This has been piloted in 2021 in Manchester and Winchester dioceses to help the Church to understand whether a national will-writing scheme would be a useful resource in the future. These pilot schemes are showing genuine signs of success.
Formally making a will and keeping it updated is the only way to make sure your wishes are carried out after your death, giving you peace of mind that you can continue to support the family, friends, and charities you love.
If you live in England or Wales, you can redeem your free online will at farewill.com
Disclaimer: by participating in this will writing scheme, your details will not be shared with the Church of England. If you use the Church of England will writing scheme, there is no obligation to leave a gift to a church in your will. Your loved ones should always come first. If you do choose to remember your local or a favourite church, thank you. Every gift, great or small will make a real difference to that church and its mission and ministry in your community for future generations.
Need to write a will?
Should your circumstances be more complex, we strongly advise you to seek professional advice and to see a solicitor when making or revising your will. The Church of England can help you find a local solicitor.
You may wish to write a ‘Letter of Wishes’ to sit alongside your will. Download the Church of England’s Letter of Wishes template.
A standard Will costs around £199 + VAT, and please ensure your solicitor outlines the cost upfront before you visit them. Again, you may find the Church of England’s document Preparing to visit your Solicitor helpful.
Made a will already?
It is a simple process to make an amendment to an existing will to leave a legacy to your church. This is done via a Codicil (an amendment document) to your existing will at no cost. Downloaded a template codicil.
If your will is more complicated, please make sure you consult a solicitor to ensure your wishes are recorded accurately.
If you wish to speak to a representative from St James and Emmanuel in greater detail about this in and in complete confidence, please contact our Treasurer, Hilary Lowe via the Parish Office – office@stjamesandemmanuel.org or 0161 446 4151.
