A Legacy of Generosity

On Monday, June 8, the office staff opened a very special piece of mail: an estate gift in the amount of $231,000. Alvin and Pauline Harkness attended Peace Lutheran Church from 1987 to 2007 when they moved to Elk Point, SD, where they attended Immanuel Lutheran Church. 

This is the largest estate gift Peace has ever received, and it will be a significant blessing to the mission and ministry of this congregation. Some years ago, our council decided that gifts of more than $10,000 would be divided equally, with 50% going to the endowment and 50% going to the General Fund. 

This gift will increase the value of our endowment to more than $500,000. Under current conditions, that increase will generate over $4,000 in quarterly earnings. The endowment is a gift that keeps on giving to the mission and ministry of Peace Lutheran Church by supporting both new ministry ideas, such as our Vine ministry partnership, and ongoing opportunities, such as providing resources for events like the End of Year Bash. As the capacity of the endowment grows, so too will the possibilities for ministry in the years ahead! 

The other portion of this gift will help replenish funds used to complete phase one of the Peace NEXT capital project. In turn, that will allow Peace to address numerous facility maintenance projects that have been deferred over the past several years. 

We are deeply grateful for the generosity of the Harkness family, as well as for all the families who call Peace Lutheran Church home. 

If you would like more information about giving in this way, we encourage you to use Freewill.com, where you can create a will and name Peace as a beneficiary. For more information about giving non-cash gifts to Peace, please contact the church office at 605/361.3638 or info@peacelutheran.com.