FDN0901
September 16, 2009

Gift of $800,000 will fund Presbyterian Mission

Contact:
Colleen Hahn, (800) 858-6127, x5905

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — The generosity of a faithful Presbyterian has been realized as more than $800,000 from the estate of Ben Gumm has been released to the Presbyterian Foundation for the benefit of General Assembly mission and Gumm’s local congregation in San Diego, Calif.

Over the last decade, Ben and Anna Mae Gumm laid the groundwork to create a lasting legacy of their faith and generosity. Although Ben Gumm passed away on Feb. 1, 2008 (Anna Mae died in 2005), the proceeds from his estate have just recently been released to the Presbyterian Foundation and will provide more than $800,000 for the mission and ministries designated by the Gumms.

“I am forever touched and amazed at the generosity of Presbyterians,” said Linda Valentine, General Assembly Mission Council executive director. “This gift will be used to help fund scholarships for ministerial students and to provide health and medical services in underdeveloped countries.”

Ben Gumm, a resident of El Cajon, in the San Diego area, grew up in Wisconsin. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Wisconsin. Gumm moved to San Diego in 1946. For 30 years before his retirement in 1976, he was employed with the San Diego school system — first as an elementary school teacher, and then as an audio-visual specialist. Since 1951, he had served in various capacities in local Presbyterian churches. The Gumms were active members of Faith Presbyterian Church in San Diego.

The Gumms had consulted with their regional Presbyterian Foundation development officer during their lives for assistance in making gifts that would ultimately benefit local congregations, as well as the GAMC ministry programs that were so important to them as faithful Presbyterians.

“They were ever mindful of caring for those in need and then trying to help in the best way possible,” said John Turner, the Foundation development officer who worked with them.

In addition to the bequests from their estate, the Gumms established several gift annuities over the years. After their deaths, the charitable remainder provided $95,000 to mission programs of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and $46,000 to their local congregation, the Presbytery of San Diego, and churches that Ben and Anna Mae had attended when they were young.

“Throughout the Foundation’s history, we have been privileged to witness the generosity of individuals to further the mission of the Church. Through the relationships that we develop with donors, seeds are planted that come to fruition many years later,” explained Dick Clay, the interim President and CEO of the Presbyterian Foundation. “The legacy created by the Gumms stands as a reminder of the goodness that swells from the hearts and minds of very generous individuals to reach so many in need. We lift them up as an example of Christian stewardship to inspire us to consider the gift of our treasures given to us by God.”  

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) comprises 2.2 million members in more than 10,000 congregations, answering Christ’s call to mission and ministry throughout the United States and the world. See more information at the PC(USA) Web site. See more about the Presbyterian Foundation at their Web site and about the General Assembly Mission Council online.