Join Chalice Keepers

The JPD Endowment Fund for Growth

Building dreams and affirming UU Values

We drink from wells we did not dig and eat from vineyards we did not plant. 

We have been warmed by fires we did not kindle.                             Deuteronomy, VI:10-11

The Chalice Keepers Endowment Fund complements Chalice Lighters and helps to:

Ø Purchase land and create inspiring buildings that will nurture our children and grandchildren.

Ø Support awareness and growth of Unitarian Universalism in the region

Ø Initiate special programs such as campus chaplains for college students and young adults vital to our future.

It’s easy!  When you pledge or make a gift you will be considered a Member of Chalice Keepers and will receive a special pin and recognition in the newsletter.  All kinds of gifts are needed and welcome.  Please download this form to make a gift or receive more information about tax advantaged gifts and bequests.

Your gift to Chalice Keepers will strengthen JPD congregations and sustain our vision 

Many of us care deeply for our church and want to make Unitarian Universalism accessible to more people.  The JPD Endowment will enable small and growing congregations to apply for significant funds to help them acquire land or build inspiring sanctuaries that will attract more members.  This need is urgent as the cost of land and buildings continues to escalate out of reach. 

Many of us support the Chalice Lighters Program with annual donations.  Much more could be accomplished by thoughtful planning and end of life gifts through bequests and planned giving.  You can even provide for your own church, the UUA, and the JPD District at the same time through umbrella giving, assigning a percentage to each according to your wishes. 

Generations of Unitarian Universalists have framed our principles and built congregations where the inherent worth and dignity of every individual are respected.  We honor our past pioneers and seek to build on their legacy.   We believe that many people are looking for what we have to offer, but they know little if anything about Unitarian Universalism and have never found their way into one of our churches.  

You can help to enable healthy, growing and diverse congregations expand Unitarian Universalism in the Joseph Priestley District by becoming a Chalice Keeper. 100% of the JPD Board, members of the Growth & Extension Committee, the staff, and many of our ministers and religious educators have made generous pledges and gifts.   You can join them and help to promote awareness and deepen understanding and commitment to UU principles and values.  

Our successful Chalice Lighter program has accomplished a great deal, but we dream well beyond our existing resources.    

Chalice Keepers Expand Opportunities

Chalice Keepers grants are regional.  They will provide added opportunities in the intensely competitive world of fund raising.  You will be able to visit the congregations who receive grants, and sponsoring churches will be able to offer advice and experience to smaller congregations. 

The investments will be handled by the Unitarian Universalist Association, which has a long and successful history of managing such funds.  Chalice Keepers will establish two funds and handle them separately. One fund will be used to help congregations purchase land and/or buildings.   One fund will be used to make grants for projects that stimulate growth.  These grants are not intended to provide operating support.  All grant decisions will be made by a committee established by the JPD Board.   

GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF CHALICE KEEPERS

Ø You are strongly urged to contribute generously to your own local congregation’s operating and capital campaigns and endowment funds before considering a gift to the JPD endowment.

Ø The District will work with local leaders to support congregational endowment programs.

Ø The JPD Endowment Fund will complement our successful Chalice Lighter program and Young Adult/Campus Ministry program by providing significantly greater funds for land, buildings, and programs.

How to Leave a legacy:

Some farsighted members have already provided for the JPD Endowment Fund in their wills.  With broad-based support from members through estate planning, bequests, planned giving, and gifts of appreciated assets the JPD Endowment Fund can provide a lasting legacy for Unitarian Universalism in our region.  You can help plant the seeds today that will sustain our values for future generations.  

Now more than ever before it is important to have an up-to-date will so that your final wishes will be honored.  Sample wording for bequests is included below, but before making changes or drawing up a will, please consult with your lawyer or personal financial advisor.   

If you are considering a gift or bequest to the JPD Endowment Fund, or if you have already made such a gift, please let us know, so that we may recognize your generosity and include you in our planning.  If you have questions or would like more information, please contact the JPD Director of Development Joan W. Priest by phone at 610-869-9335 or email: joan.priest@rhodes-alumni.net. 

Sample wording for bequests:

I give (___ dollars/ __ percentage) or all of the residue of my estate to the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, a Massachusetts religious, charitable corporation, for the benefit of  Chalice Keepers, the Endowment Fund of the Joseph Priestley District.

Umbrella Giving: 

You may also assign a percentage of your donation or estate to benefit each or all of your UU philanthropies:  your home church, the JPD, and the UUA.   The UUA has developed a simple and creative solution that we call “umbrella giving.”  Umbrella giving means making one gift to the Unitarian Universalist Association, which will benefit all the UU entities you care for.  All you need do is tell the UUA how you want that gift to be shared.  The UUA promises to honor your wishes and do all the paper work necessary to ensure that your wishes are fulfilled.  The Association will notify the UU entities of your intentions, if you wish.  You may contact them at Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, Stewardship and Development, 25 Beacon Street, Boston, MA  02108-2800.  Toll Free:  (888) 792-5885 or e-mail:  giftplans@uua.org.

The time is now!

The JPD is in a unique position at this time to meet the challenge to raise the necessary funds that will achieve our vision.  In the past three years we have adopted a long-range plan and assembled a competent and dedicated staff.  We have ambitious goals for growth, and this level of growth needs the kind of substantial support that Chalice Keepers can provide through endowment.  The district has adopted policy governance to assure strong staff support for our many committed volunteers.  Two groups have formed and are planning for growth in their regions.  The steps for a new congregation in the Philadelphia area are well underway, and other locations are under consideration.  The time is now to help them succeed and spread our healing message of Unitarian Universalism.