Faces
anda McNeill isn’t working for the prison ministry. She isn’t with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. She isn’t working full time on Native American issues.
But in a way she’s doing all of those things—and more. McNeill, pastor of Lake Preston and North Preston
By Jeff Favre
Lasting legacy thanks to a little planning W
Lutheran churches, Lake Preston, S.D., realized through meetings with members of ELCA Planned Giving that through her inheritance and through life insurance poli- cies, she was able to give away hundreds of thousands of dollars to about a dozen charitable organizations, includ- ing ELCA Congregational and Synodical Mission for new church starts, the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Phila- delphia and a South Dakota prison ministry. Though usually reserved, McNeill said she began to cry
when she realized how much assistance she would be able to provide. A seed for the money came from an inheritance, which
she believes was left to her with the thought that she’d know how best to use it. McNeill chose beneficiaries by looking at areas of per-
sonal interest. “I looked at what pulls at my heartstrings,” she said.
“There are places I’d like to help, and this allows me to do that. I might not make it longer than five more years, but what I am doing can have significance 10 years, 20 years, 30 years from now. This can help as I walk into the future on earth, and transition into another future.” McNeill said she has not been vocal about her giving,
but she hopes talking about it might inspire others to look at creative giving methods. What helped inspire McNeill was a quote by Dorothy
Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. She said, “Just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do something. Doing nothing is not an option.” Giving is not a new concept for McNeill. Her mother,
Wanda McNeill looks at her passions and for “what pulls her heartstrings” when choosing beneficiaries.
even without extra income, kept bread in the freezer to pro- vide for visitors and other baked treats for family and friends. For anyone looking for a beneficiary, McNeill said to look
at your passions, and research that area to find out where funds are needed. “Jesus talked about giving all the time,” she said. “I real-
ized I only need so much money. This allows me to give in ways I never could have imagined.”
To learn more about giving, visit
www.elca.org/give.
Author bio: Favre is an assistant professor at Pierce College in Los Angeles and a freelance theater critic.
100 + birthdays
106: Mildred Sundry Eckblad, Stordahl, Zumbrota, Minn. 105: Gertrude Fisher, Lord of Life, Columbus, Ohio. 104: Clara Landdeck, Galilean, Ocean Shores, Wash. 103: Kathryn Patterson, Salem English, Minneapolis. 102: Margaret Hudson, St. Michael, (Germantown) Philadelphia. 100: Marion Barfett, Faith, DeLand, Fla.; Elizabeth Davis, Reformation,
Columbia, S.C.; Lenora Hintze and Ethel Larson, Our Savior, Spring Valley, Minn.; Ralph H.D. Johnson, St. John, Boyertown, Pa.; Helen Kulseth, Redeemer, Thief River Falls, Minn.; Ida Meissner, Trinity, Sparta, Wis.
Send stories Share your stories of ELCA Lutherans and your 100+ members in “Faces.” Send to
lutheran@thelutheran.org or “Faces,” The Lutheran, 8765 W. Hig gins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631.
June 2014 43
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