THE SANFORD SOCIETY

On Trinity Sunday this year (May 18^th), which marks the eightieth anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of our present building, Trinity Church will officially launch the Sanford Society. Named after the fourteenth rector of Trinity Church, the Rev. Edgar L. Sanford, whose rectorship spanned the years 1926 to 1949, the Sanford Society will be open to all parishioners who include Trinity Church in their estate planning by designating the parish as a beneficiary in their wills or other financial vehicles (trusts, annuities, etc).

Membership in the Society will be posted periodically in the Chimes, and annually the membership will gather for a special program or outing to honor those who have joined the Society. For example, plans are being made for the first such gathering to include a guided tour of the Coriell Institute for Medical Research in Camden, New Jersey, followed by a reception at the Rectory. Anyone is welcome to join the Sanford Society by so informing the Rector and Wardens of Trinity Church that such planning has been executed so as to include the parish as a designated beneficiary in his or her estate plans. If you need assistance in setting up an appropriate method of donation, we will be happy to have a parish attorney provide you with the necessary legal documentation. The exact amount of what is being given to the parish never needs to be revealed. Funds thus contributed will become a permanent part of the Trinity Church Endowment Fund, which is governed by a skilled and responsible committee of investment advisors.

The purpose of the Sanford Society is to provide for the future and continued financial viability of Trinity Church to carry out his mission of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and making known his love in our community, our diocese, the national church, and the world-wide Anglican Communion, of which we are members. So important is this provision for the financial health of any parish that the national canons of our church state that the Rector shall from time to time inform his parishioners of the necessity and need for them to include the parish in their estate plans for the sake of prudent stewardship as mandated by the Bible. We at Trinity Church are the undeserving recipients of the generosity of previous worshipers at Trinity Church, and it is our intention to continue this tradition and heritage for future generations to come.

Please contact the Rector and Wardens at your earliest convenience if you have already included Trinity Church in your estate plans, and if you have not done so, please give your participation in the Sanford Society your prayerful and thoughtful consideration.