BAPTIST FOUNDATION
Mission
Our mission is to inspire Christians to advance Christ’s Kingdom by making gifts through the Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware (BFMD) to support the benevolent and missionary enterprises of the BCM/D and to manage those gifts to preserve and perpetuate the giver’s Christian witness.
The Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware (BFMD) acknowledges that God is creator and owner of all wealth. As stewards, we must faithfully invest our lives, including our financial wealth, in ways that honor God and advance His Kingdom. The Baptist Foundation is your innovative and trustworthy partner in managing the resources with which God has entrusted you.
History
The Baptist Foundation of Maryland and Delaware began as the Baltimore Baptist Church Extension Society on January 2, 1854, with the express purpose to secure lots within the city of Baltimore in suitable locations for building churches or Sabbath school.
For the next 137 years, the Church Extension Society of MD/DE, as it was later known as, was committed to planting and developing churches. The practical work of this group included helping churches buy land, erect buildings, and retire troublesome construction debts through low cost loans and outright grants.
Another antecedent of the current foundation, the Baptist Foundation of Maryland, was established in 1959 to raise funds, invest and manage those funds, and distribute the proceeds according to the donors wishes. Through the years it provided scholarships for future missionaries and pastors, and contributed substantial sums to mission causes in Maryland, Delaware, and the Northeast.
The long standing evangelistic and missions commitment of these two distinct bodies were united on January 1, 1991, to form the Baptist Foundation of Maryland and Delaware.
To view a copy of the Foundation’s most recent audited financial statements,
Programs Offered
Church Loan Program
For over 150 years, the Baptist Foundation and its historical antecedents have been devoted to helping plant new churches in order to spread the Gospel. The Church Loan Program is part of that mission strategy.
First Mortgage loans are available to churches of the Baptist Convention of MD/DE that have exhibited loyalty, fellowship, and cooperation with the Convention and have participated in its Cooperative Program.
The church must show a consistent pattern of church finance and be located in an area that represents opportunities for building and maintaining a church. Loans are made for land acquisition and building financing. Priority is given to new work. Currently loans are made up to $600,000 at below market rates. Loans are usually made for a period of 60 months, but may be made for up to 15 years. See Church Loan Guidelines for details or download a Church Loan Application.
More information may be obtained by contacting the Foundation at 10255 Old Columbia Rd., Columbia MD, 21046, or by contacting Tom Stolle at 443-250-2554 or tstolle@bcmd.org. We look forward to serving you!
Planned Giving
You can make an eternal difference through planned gift arrangements of outright gifts such as cash, property, stocks and bonds, mutual funds and real estate. Below are some examples:
Wills: Benefitting your loved ones and others
In addition to being one of the simplest ways to distribute your estate, your will can also be a creative vehicle through which to make thoughtful gifts.
After providing for the needs of your loved ones, you may choose one of several ways to touch other individuals’ lives.
By having your attorney revise your will or add a simple amendment, you can make a charitable bequest of a dollar amount, specific property, a percentage of your estate, or what is left after others have been taken care of. You may also wish to name one or more charitable recipients in case others you have named do not survive you.
Gift Annuities
A donor can enter into a gift annuity agreement with the Baptist Foundation of Maryland and Delaware. They will then make a gift to the ministries of their church and receive a fixed income for life. This gift may be in the form of cash, securities, or marketable real estate.
One benefit of entering into a gift annuity agreement is that a gift annuity will provide an income that cannot be outlived. Another benefit is that it will provide a significant income tax deduction in the year of the gift because a part of the income is not taxable.
Life Insurance
Many people do not realize how convenient and welcome a gift of life insurance can be.
Life insurance needs change as life goes on. Children become self-sufficient and investments may provide unexpected income and security. After such developments, some life insurance coverage may no longer be needed for the reason it was originally purchased.
Also, because federal law now exempts many estates from taxation, life insurance purchased to cover estate taxes may be obsolete.
One of the simplest ways to make a significant gift in the future is to name a charitable beneficiary to receive all or a portion of the proceeds of a policy which is no longer needed for family protection.
Another way to make a gift of insurance is to take out a new policy, naming a favorite cause or causes as beneficiary or co-beneficiary. Many find this a convenient way to make a special gift “on the installment plan.” You can assure a gift which may be much larger than its cost.
Retirement Accounts
Whether in a company pension plan or other private fund such as an Individual Retirement Account, you may accumulate funds beyond your needs for comfortable support of yourself and loved ones.
In such a case, it may be very easy and convenient to make a gift of such accounts to perpetuate work you consider vital for the well-being of future generations.
It can be satisfying to know that the funds for which you have worked a lifetime and carefully saved may ultimately be put to good use when you no longer need them.
Memorial Giving
All of the ideas we have discussed can include a loving tribute to a friend or loved one. There may be no more meaningful way to honor a life than by a gift with lasting meaning.
Examples of memorial gifts are endless. Many organizations and institutions enjoy buildings, equipment, scholarship and endowment funds, and a multitude of other services which have been made possible by gifts in memory of loved ones.
Your imagination is the only limit to the ways in which you can honor a special person. We will be glad to assist you in choosing an appropriate commemoration for your gift.
Revocable Living Trusts
One of the most flexible giving plans is the revocable living trust, a gift that can be revoked or taken back.
Gifts should only be made on a permanent basis when it is in your best interest to do so. Through a revocable trust arrangement, you can make gifts of property and/or income now while retaining the rights to retrieve the property if necessary. Such a plan can result in estate settlement savings as well.
You may find this to be a convenient way to create a “living endowment” to which you can add each year. The earnings from the property will be paid to you, to others you name, or to fund charitable gifts-as you choose. If you require the property for any reason, it will be returned to you promptly upon request.
Annuity Trusts
A charitable remainder annuity trust is a way to make a gift that allows you to retain income from your property for life. Your funds are held separately and invested to earn a fixed and regular income for you.
Trust income can be a welcome supplement to a retirement plan. Management of assets can be achieved for yourself and surviving loved ones. At your death (or at the death of your surviving spouse or other loved one, if you designate), whatever remains in the trust is distributed to charitable beneficiaries.
The payments you receive each year will be at least 5 percent of the amount placed in the trust. The exact amount is determined by you when the plan is created. A tax deduction is allowed at the time you create your trust. Its size depends on your age, payment percentage, and other factors.
Unitrusts
Like the annuity trust, the unitrust provides for a gift which returns an income. But unlike the annuity trust, the income from a unitrust rises or falls with the value of the assets placed in the trust.
You determine the percentage of payout when the gift is made. Each year this percentage of the value of the trust assets is paid to you or others you select. When the value of the trust investments goes higher, more income is received. The income will be less if the value of the assets declines.
Additions can also be made to this trust, and a tax deduction is allowed for a portion of each amount contributed. For many taxpayers, deductions for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and other plans are now limited, so the unitrust could play a big role in planning for retirement years.
Charitable Lead Trusts
People who wish to make a meaningful gift over a period of years but want to be assured that their property will ultimately pass to loved ones will be interested in a variation on the theme of charitable trusts-the charitable lead trust.
The lead trust can be one of the few ways to eliminate taxes which would otherwise be due on assets left to children or grandchildren.
Estate Planning
The Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware is ready to conduct an Estate Planning Seminar for your church or group.
What is Estate Planning?
Estate Planning is a broad term that encompasses many aspects of financial planning. Estate plans should be designed to fit personal goals and financial situations. Certain items, however, are common to most estate plans.
The cornerstone of most estate plans is the Last Will and Testament. This legal document outlines personal bequests, specifies the financial arrangements to be made upon death for the benefit of heirs and can be used to appoint guardians for minor children. A Will is a flexible tool that can and should be revised as financial circumstances change.
In addition to drafting a Will, estate planning involves several other critical steps and decisions. These may include the following:
- Implementing tax-saving strategies through the proper use of gifts and trusts,
- Deciding on the best forms of property ownership,
- Periodically reviewing life insurance policies,
- Naming a personal representative or executor for your estate, and
- Naming a Health Care Power of Attorney, a Personal Guardian, and preparing an Advance Directive.
An Estate Planning Seminar can be helpful in conveying this information to churches or other groups, and can be tailored to meet their specific needs.
Loans
The Baptist Foundation has loans available for churches. Go to Financial and Legal under the Ministry Guide or contact Tom Stolle at 443-250-2554 or tstolle@bcmd.org.
Scholarships
Scholarships are offered for Seminary education, Mission education, Girls’ camps on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 410-290-5290 for more information.
Church Planting
Contact Jamie Caldwell at jcaldwell@namb.net for information on how to start a church.
Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware Sunday
To help individuals, families and churches know about opportunities to advance Christ’s Kingdom through gifts given to support the benevolent and missionary enterprises of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, February 20 has been designated as “Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware Sunday.” Download a BFM/D Bulletin Insert to share with your congregation.
BCM/D Short Term Fund
The Baptist Foundation of Maryland/Delaware (BFMD) is partnering with the Kentucky Baptist Foundation (KBF) to offer a new investment option for churches and ministries seeking a low-risk investment alternative to traditional savings or money market accounts. The goal of the Short Term Fund is to offer a stable value and an above-market earnings rate while maintaining liquidity and security. Call: 410-290-5290