4.4.3. Curation of Major Gifts

The following report was prepared by for the Executive Committee by the Select Committee on Finance. It was adopted by the Executive Committee and subsequently adopted by Synod Council (SC25.09.82).

Report of the Select Committee on Finance: On Curation of Major Gifts

The Select Committee on Finance met 15 July 2025 with T.Darr, J.Nichols, B.Crawford in attendance and M.Riegel as staff. During that time, the Committee drafted a mission support formula as directed by the Synod Council. This has already been reported to Synod Council and acted upon.

Also at that time, the Committee made substantial progress on the curation of major gifts received in the past several years. On 26 August 2025, the Committee met again, this time with T.Darr, B.Crawford, and B.Felici in attendance and M.Riegel as staff. The curation work was completed during this meeting. Included in this report is a summary of the gifts and a series of recommendations on disposition.

Curation of Major Gifts
The synod does not have a history of aggressive cultivation of major gifts. Some of the special funds that we do have, e.g., the Warwood Scholarship Fund, began as the designation by Warwood Lutheran Church of the assets from the closure of the congregation to a scholarship fund. This particular fund has been expanded to include receipts in honor of Bishop Emeritus Dunkin. There are other funds that pre-date Riegel’s bishopric, and they are not the concern of this curation effort.

Considering only the major gifts received during +Riegel’s bishopric, we have

The total of received gifts comes to $209,151.42.

The following allocations have already been made by Synod Council.

• Calvary, Brandywine: $15,000 to synod reserves. The other $15,000 was not designated.
• Mt. Olive, Peru: $142.65 for the Tri-Synod Archives (which was actually taken from the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund—the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund should be reimbursed).
• St. James, Uvilla: $2626.81 for Visit of Malagasy Bishops; $23,641.26 for Mountaintop Mission Assessment and Cooperative Work.
• Mary Caroline Spray: Total value designated by bequest for home mission and church extension.

This leaves a sizable amount not allocated. There is one confirmed constraint: an action of Synod Council in 2021 empowered Synod Council, at its discretion, to remit 1% of congregational closures to the Tri-Synod Archives Endowment. A second constraint (that is not confirmed): is a similar provision for a tithe (10%) to be remitted to the Churchwide Organization, again discretionary.

The reader will note that several items are mentioned in the following recommendations that are new or that have been mentioned in the past but not codified:

• Pastoral Care of Peru Members: Funds to subsidize the on-going care of the remaining members of Mt. Olive, Peru, envisioned as support checks to neighboring Lutheran ministries that agree to regular and emergency visitation along with other appropriate service.
• Seminarian Internships on Territory: Funds to subsidize, as opportunity arises, seminarian internships on the territory of the synod.
• Archives Support: This is a non-budget item. The Tri-Synod Archives has moved (as previously reported) and should undertake a retro-cataloging project along with the purchase of archival management supplies. The constitution requires the synod to maintain an archives, and we do this through the Tri-Synod Archives. Archival work internal to the WV-WMD Synod is also included under this classification.
• Synod History Project: In anticipation of a possible dissolution of the WV-WMD Synod by the Churchwide Assembly, the setting aside of funds for a final history of the synod is recommended. 5% from the funds from each congregational closure is proposed de facto.
  

If the Synod Council ultimately agrees to some of these designations, additional actions will be required to authorize the funds and set their respective parameters.

The following actions are recommended:

• Ravenswood
  • Distribution of $150 to Tri-Synod Archives Endowment Fund—though the gift was received prior to the policy going into effect, no designation has been made to this point.
  • Consideration of $2000 to have been used to cover expenses associated with the maintenance of Ravenswood prior to closure.
  • Designation of $12,100 for seminarian internships on the territory of the synod with creation of fund for that purpose.
  • Designate $750 (5%) for Synod History Project.
• Sharpsburg
  • Distribution of $300 to the Tri-Synod Archives Endowment Fund.
  • Designation of $28,200 for Archives Support.
  • Designate $1500 (5%) for Synod History Project.
• Brandywine
  • Designation of $15,000 to General Fund.
• Bishop Black
  • Allocate $1,425 to Bishop’s Discretionary Fund
• Upper Flats
  • Distribution of $192.71 to the Tri-Synod Archives Endowment Fund.
  • Designation of $18,114.90 for Archives Support.
  • Designate $963.56 (5%) for Synod History Project.
• Peru
  • Designation of $13,408.63 for pastoral care of Peru members.
  • Designate $713.23 (5%) for Synod History Project
  • Reimburse Bishop’s Discretionary Fund $142.65 (1%) for Tri-Synod Archives Endowment distribution.
• New Haven
  • Allocate to General Fund (if not already cleared from books as such).
• Jo Ann Katherine Musilli
  • Allocate to General Fund (if not already cleared from books as such)
• Evelyn Weirick Estate
  • Hold in undesignated until further conversation can be had with family.