On Sunday, September 29, members of the Theo & Belle Moll Society will be available after each of the three services to answer any questions about how and why they decided to join the Theo & Belle Moll Society. Theo & Belle Moll Society members are those who have made plans, regardless of amount, to give through their estate or directly to the endowment fund of Rocky River United Methodist Church. Betsy and Gary Lanzen have graciously shared their testimony as to why they became members of the Theo & Belle Moll Society:
As active church members for close to fifty years, we wanted to share what motivated us to join the Theo & Belle Moll Society. We were privileged to have known Theo and Belle Moll and to witness their generosity firsthand. They were true stewards of our church as well as of Baldwin Wallace University, Cleveland Clinic and many other worthy organizations. When you see what a difference they made through their generosity, it inspires you to step up and make a difference through whatever means you have available. We wanted to give back to our church, our community and our alma mater. We believe it is important to pay it forward just as the Molls did, not only during their lifetime but also through the legacy they left. Their creation and funding of our endowment at Rocky River United Methodist Church so many years ago continues to be a lasting gift to our church and a foundation upon which to build for the future.
As a trustee, Gary sees firsthand how the endowment, which has grown significantly over the years to nearly $7 million, is able to support the maintenance and enhancements for two churches and two parsonages. We find it energizing when we see what has been accomplished through this endowment. The gifts we make today will continue a legacy for the future of our church. It is most rewarding to be part of that process.
We would like to share with you the simple steps we took to become members of the Theo & Belle Moll Society. First, we had a permanent universal life insurance policy that was no longer needed to provide benefits to our family. We changed the beneficiary designation and now 50 percent will go to Rocky River United Methodist Church and 50 percent to the University of Mount Union, where we both went to college and where we met. Second, we changed the beneficiary designations on each of our IRAs so that a percentage of those retirement plans will also be payable to RRUMC and the University of Mount Union.
Our intent is that, upon our deaths, sufficient funds will be left to RRUMC to more than replace our annual pledges. We have established a scholarship at the University of Mount Union which will be fully funded upon our deaths as well. All of this was accomplished by making easy changes to the beneficiary designations on our life insurance and IRAs.
A former member of our church, who is an attorney specializing in charitable giving plans, once said: “Your heirs will never miss 10% of your estate if you give to charitable organizations.” We believe she is correct and that our gifts will allow us to make a difference and pay it forward.
- - Betsy and Gary Lanzen
