What is the First United Methodist Church Missouri City Foundation?

Our church formed a Foundation in 2003 to provide an opportunity for members of our church family and friends to make gifts to perpetuate Christ's work. The Foundation is a non-profit organization, separate from our church. Its mission is to help raise and maintain a permanent source of funds, or a "nest egg," the earnings from which are used to advance the Church's values and long-term goals forever. Donors may earmark their gifts (such as memorial gifts or bequests) for a special purpose or ministry or they may make unrestricted gifts to give the Foundation's leadership the flexibility to meet changing church needs in the future.

- Answer provided by Tom Moore, Foundation Trustee

I plan to include the Church in my will. Does that mean that my gift will go to the Foundation?

No, it does not. Whether or not you leave a gift via a will directly to the Church or to the Foundation depends entirely on your objectives. Both certainly benefit the ongoing work of the Church. Should you wish to benefit the Church with funding to meet current budget or capital needs, then giving the money to the Church would be appropriate. However, designation the gift to the Foundation is fitting should you desire to endow a permanent fund to benefit the ever-changing requirements of the Church, a particular church ministry or the Church's outreach activities.

- Answer provided by Earnest Allen, Foundation Trustee

What types of projects has the Foundation funded?

Since being founded in 2003, the Foundation already has supported four exciting projects. These grants were made possible because of the generosity of many church members who made modest, unrestricted gifts to give the Foundation the flexibility to support projects that further the gospel of Jesus Christ at FUMC MC. The grants have supported:

• The church's Friends of the Arts program;

• An Eagle Scout project by one of our church members, Steve Goodwin, to build benches and a drain in the wooded Prayer Trail west of our church;

• Our church's recycling project; and

• The launch of Family Promise, a ministry our church participates in with several area churches. This ministry began in 2005 to assist homeless families during times of transition.

How can I help?

Consider making a gift to the Foundation in someone's honor to mark a special occasion, a birth, a holiday, or an anniversary. The Foundation will mail a card to the person you are honoring to let them know you have made a gift to the Foundation in their name. We will not reveal the size of the gift to the person you are honoring unless you specifically instruct us to do so.

- Answer provided by Tom Moore, Foundation Trustee