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Endowment Fund Information
The
Endowment Fund of Grace-Calvary
Episcopal Church The
Endowment Fund was established by the Vestry of Grace-Calvary in
November, 2005. Rather than
supporting the annual operating budget of the parish, the purpose of the
Fund is to provide financial resources for the capital needs, for
outreach and for special one-time and start-up projects of the parish.
The Fund is managed by a Board of Directors as an endowment; that
is, only the growth from investment performance of the fund will be
distributed and then, under current spending rules, not more than 5% of
the total value of the Fund in any one year. CAPITAL
NEEDS Grace-Calvary
parish is housed in the historic Grace Episcopal Church in Clarkesville.
The sanctuary was consecrated on October 10, 1842.
The “very neat wooden building, with bell tower” which
then-Bishop Stephen Elliott, Jr., observed has been preserved into the
twenty-first century in very much its original configuration and is on
the National Register of Historic Places.
The Baroque-voiced, tracker-action Erben organ installed in 1852
is the oldest working pipe organ of its type in Georgia.
The parish also maintains Holy Cross Cemetery, located outside of
Clarkesville at the site of the former Chapel of the Holy Cross, in
which many parishioners and their families are buried. As
former rector, Barbara Brown Taylor described her first approach to
Grace-Calvary in her recent memoir: Because
of the age and historic status of the building, the organ and the
furnishings of the sanctuary, maintenance of the fabric of the church
and of the cemetery requires the expenditure of substantial sums on a
continuing basis. Not only
do the building and organ require attention, but also the setting of
this sacred place must be maintained and protected from the encroachment
of development that would detract from the serenity of the historic
church building. A
substantial portion of the funds available for distribution from the
Endowment Fund will be used to preserve and protect the church buildings
and cemetery and their surroundings. OUTREACH Grace-Calvary
was established in 1838 to provide for the spiritual needs of people who
lived in the then-remote frontier country of Habersham County as a
mission of the Diocese of Georgia.
The parish served local families, seasonal residents from the
Georgia and South Carolina coast and their servants.
From its beginning as a mission, Grace-Calvary has itself
supported missions which have developed into St. Clare’s in
Blairsville and the Church of the Resurrection in White County, as well
as foreign missions. In
addition, major outreach ministries of the parish have been Ecumenical
Sharing and Caring for women and children in abusive situations; Habitat
for Humanity in Habersham and White Counties; and the Foothills
Counseling Service. The
parish had adopted for itself the standard of the Diocese of Atlanta,
that it will spend as much on outreach as on its own activities.
The Endowment Fund intends to follow that guideline and provide
financing to the outreach programs of the parish. START-UP
AND ONE-TIME PROJECTS From
time to time opportunities and needs arise which cannot be budgeted in
advance. The hurricane
disasters of the summer of 2005 presented a need for outreach funds that
was unexpected and that could not have been planned in the ordinary
budgeting of the parish. In
the summer of 2006, the parish felt the need to bring in a priest to
assist in services and with Christian education.
The Rev. Don Harrison was available to fill that role at that
time. No funds had been
budgeted for such a position in the 2006 budget.
If the Endowment had had funds available at that time, it could
have assisted in funding this new position with a “one-time,
start-up” grant. Such
needs and opportunities will continue to arise unexpectedly and in
amounts that cannot be predicted. The
Endowment Fund can provide the Parish with a source of funding that can
cushion any one year from the impact of that type of expenditure. GRATEFUL
HEARTS Through
many years, Grace-Calvary has provided much to its communicants, the
community and those in need. The
current members have inherited the church building, land and cemetery
from their predecessors. We
are giving our time, talent and treasure to the ministries of the church
at this time. Grateful for
what we have received from those who established the parish, and from
the efforts of the present members, we are looking to extend the
ministry of the parish into the indefinite future by means of
establishing and funding the Endowment. MEANS
OF CONTRIBUTING TO THE ENDOWMENT FUND Gifts
to the Endowment Fund of Grace-Calvary Episcopal Church of cash and
negotiable securities are needed to initially create the fund.
In addition, planned gifts in the form of bequests made in wills,
various estate planning devices such as trusts or life insurance for the
benefit of the Endowment will strengthen the Fund in future years.
Members
of the Board of the Endowment Fund and The Episcopal Church Foundation
can assist you in making your gift.
Your financial advisor, lawyer or estate planning counselor can
also assist you in consideration and preparation of the more technically
complex vehicles. WORDING
FOR GIFTS To
make a bequest or other gift to the Endowment Fund, the beneficiary
should be named as “The Endowment Fund of Grace-Calvary Episcopal
Church, Clarkesville, Georgia.” To
make a bequest or other gift to the Parish, the beneficiary should be
named as “Grace-Calvary Episcopal Church, Clarkesville, Georgia.” CONTACT
THE ENDOWMENT FUND If
you are interested in contacting the Endowment Fund, you may do so by
speaking to any of the members of the Board, who are Walton Smith, John
Davis, Maggie Fletcher and Walter Jarck or by writing the Board of the
Endowment Fund of Grace Calvary Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 490,
Clarkesville, GA 30523. Telephone:
706.754.2451. E-mail: gcalvary@alltel.net. If
you would like to contact the Episcopal Church Foundation directly, you
may view the ECF web site at http://www.episcopalfoundation.org/ Or Write: The Episcopal Church Foundation | 815 Second Avenue | New York, NY 10017 Call:
(800) 697-2858 | (212) 697-2858 Fax: (212) 297-0142 |