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A Legacy of Love and Giving

Established in 1985, the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church Foundation manages accumulated capital assets in an Endowment Fund for the benefit of the Church. The Foundation also administers memorial gifts made to the Church as well as several funds dedicated to specific interests of Church committees.

Donations, bequests and other planned gifts can be made directly to the Foundation with the same tax benefits as those made to the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church.

Through the years, as the Endowment Fund has grown, the Foundation has supported the funding of large-scale capital projects, charitable endeavors and capital improvements which would normally fall outside the Church’s annual operating budget. For example, the Foundation provided major funding to the Church for the purchase of the “Peters’ Property,” located adjacent to church property.

In December 2018, the Foundation created the Lewinsville Capital Campaign Fund, an action that was followed in June 2019 with a MOU with the Lewinsville Capital Campaign Committee to manage and invest the majority of income received for the Church’s renovation of Heritage Hall. Further, the Foundation pledged a total of $1.5 million from the Endowment Fund for the Lewinsville Capital Building Campaign.

The Governing Board of Directors is elected by the congregation and is subject to the authority of Session.

To explore making a gift to the Foundation, please contact the current Chairman of the Foundation’s Governing Board (click the Current Foundation Board Members link below to see the current officers) or send USPS mail to Chairman, Lewinsville Presbyterian Church Foundation, 1724 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101.  General information regarding donations, bequests and other planned gifts will be made available upon request.

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MEMORIALS AT LEWINSVILLE

One important function of the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church Foundation is to receive and administer monetary gifts that are given in memory of a departed and beloved family member or friend. Some of these gifts are restricted or designated with instructions for a specific purpose; other gifts are unrestricted. Checks are usually made out to the Foundation and annotated with the honoree’s name. However, some checks are made out to Lewinsville Presbyterian Church and given to the Foundation to be managed. How do memorials work?

Frequently, the church receives a check that is a donation in memory or in honor of someone. Sometimes, a Lewinsville family tells the Office Manager, that they would like to designate Lewinsville as a recipient for gifts in memory of their loved one, but this is not required. The family may choose a particular function of the church, such as the Music Fund, the Flower Committee, or a building fund. However, a special designation is not necessary. Upon receipt of the check, the Foundation Memorials Administrator creates a Memorial Fund in the name of the deceased person.

As gifts are received, the Memorials Administrator sends a letter of acknowledgement to each donor, stating for whom it was given, the amount of the donation, and when it was given. In addition to thanking the donor, the letter also provides documentation of a charitable donation to a nonprofit organization as defined under section 501(c)(3).

At the same time, the Memorials Administrator corresponds with the designated family member of the deceased, conveying the names and addresses of those who have given to the memorial; however, the amount of the donation is not given. Families appreciate receiving these names so that they can personally thank the donors. All memorial gifts, both restricted and unrestricted, are also reported to the Session in the monthly financial report of the Foundation Treasurer. To protect the confidentiality of memorial donors, reports to Session are not itemized by donor name.

The memorials administrator also deposits these checks in the Foundation’s Raymond James Memorials Fund on a regular basis. In paragraph 5, the Foundation Trust (Section 6b) requires that all memorial gifts that have not been designated and expended for a particular purpose by the family after three years will be deposited into the Endowment Fund. This is never done without again contacting the family and advising that this action is going to be taken – thus giving the family another chance to make a decision of how the donated money is to be used.

If moved to the Endowment Fund, the monetary gifts are invested. As stated in the Lewinsville Foundation Governance Provisions, “The purpose of this trust is to devote and apply the assets and the net income derived from said assets…for the benefit of…Lewinsville Presbyterian Church, to assist it by providing…funds for major programs and charitable purposes out of the general operating budget and for additions to Church property.”

In addition to the records kept by the Memorials Administrator, a complete listing of memorials may be found in the Book of Remembrance, which is in the hallway outside the Narthex. New Memorial Funds can be established at any time.

If you have questions about memorials, please contact the current Memorial Chairperson (CLICK HERE for current officers).