DSUMF Newsletter May 21, 2025
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
We are all familiar with the fifth Commandment. And with May being the month of Mother’s Day and June being the month of Father’s Day, this might be a good time to reflect on honoring parents with our gifts.
Making a simple memorial contribution to your Church or your Church’s foundation is a thoughtful way to honor your parents. If your parents are still living, knowing that you have honored them in such a way is, indeed, a special gift.
Sometimes a family will create a permanent fund named after their parents as a memorial tribute. Often the endowment fund created reflects not only the values of the parents, but also their interests. Creating an individual endowment fund to memorialize a family requires a gift commitment and completing a short document with the Desert Southwest United Methodist Foundation.
Several donors who have recently created endowment funds with DSUMF have done so with an estate gift through their will or trust. The fund will be established and funded with a legacy gift after they have passed and will carry on the family values through Methodist endeavors.
Sometimes the gift is given in memory of someone who acted as a parent. You may recall the heartwarming story of Dr. Simon Myint who makes regular memorial contributions to the Charles Kendall Scholarship Fund for those who plan to enter the Christian ministry or become Christian workers in the Methodist Church.
Dr. Myint arrived in Phoenix at age 18 from Burma after an arduous 48-day trip. Dr. Kendall found Simon lodging, bought him clothes and supplies, and introduced him to the local Methodist community who nurtured him through his degrees from Phoenix College and the University of Arizona before he went to Chicago, where he would receive his medical degree from Northwestern University. You can read more here: Charles Kendall article
Creating an endowment fund honoring a parent is a lasting tribute to a parent or vital influence on your life. If you have an interest in that, please connect with me by phone or email. We can guide you through a simple process that will result in honoring your parents with a fund that will carry their name and perpetuate Methodist values forever.
Blessings,
Anne Green
Executive Director
602-798-8202
agreen@dsumf.org