Leaving a legacy gift in your will
After a lifetime of faithful, charitable giving, for many leaving a charitable legacy is viewed as a final opportunity to make a lasting gift to God as an act of thanksgiving.
Gifts in wills can be left to local churches, Synods and to serve the denomination. If you wish to leave a gift to benefit at local level, then please contact the elders of your local church or your Synod Treasurer.
It is also possible to leave a legacy gift to benefit across the denomination. If this is your wish, then you might find the following information helpful.
Who is the proper receiving body?
The money which supports and enables the work of the Church through the General Assembly is held on behalf of the Church by the United Reformed Church Trust. The appropriate receiving body of a legacy for the work of the United Reformed Church is the United Reformed Church Trust, which is a limited company registered in England and Wales (Registered Number 135934) and a registered charity (Registration 1133373).
For what purpose can I leave a gift?
Unrestricted legacy gifts are those which can be applied to any purpose which fulfils the charitable objectives and charitable purposes of the Church. Such gifts are therefore extremely helpful in meeting the needs of the Church at a particular time. The Church would apply unrestricted legacy gifts in accordance with its legacy policy.
Alternatively, you can leave a legacy gift to support a particular aspect of the work of the Church.
Possible clause wording
There are two main ways in which you can specify the amount you wish to leave as a gift. One is as a percentage of your residuary estate (i.e. a percentage of the estate left after payment of debts, duties and other specific gifts within your will), the other is as a specific sum of money.
The wording for such gifts is as follows: –
a) Residual gift
I give ___% of my residuary estate free of all taxes to the United Reformed Church Trust, 86 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9RT (registered charity number 1133373) for its general purposes and I declare that the receipt of a proper officer of the United Reformed Church Trust shall be sufficient to discharge my executors and trustees.
b) Specific gift
I give £___ (pounds only) free of all taxes to the United Reformed Church Trust, 86 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9RT (registered charity number 1133373) for its general purposes and I declare that the receipt of a proper officer of the United Reformed Church Trust shall be sufficient to discharge my executors and trustees.
You should however seek legal advice before signing a new or updated will.