Why I'm leaving a legacy

“My wife and I recently wrote our first will. Our lives are centred around the gospel and we were passionate that the resources God has given us be used when we die for His glory.

It was an easy decision to choose to leave a percentage of our estate to the Evangelical Alliance: because the organisation has an impactful legacy, it has existed for almost two centuries and will always be rooted around the good news of Jesus.

We feel confident that it will be serving the purposes of God whenever we die – which hopefully won’t be for a while! I enthusiastically affirm the Evangelical Alliance as a fruitful and wonderful place to invest your legacy.”

- Phil Knox

“I became a personal member of the Evangelical Alliance in 1985, as a result of friends telling me about the organisation, after they’d attended Spring Harvest.

In 1990, I went to theological college for a year, then worked for All Souls Church, Langham Place, in London — sensing a call to use my business skills in the Christian charity sector. In 1999 I was offered a job at Evangelical Alliance as head of finance. I went on to become part of the leadership team as an executive director. The fact that this was a charity I already supported was significant in accepting the offer.

One of the joys of the role were the days when we were notified of new legacies. Amazingly these were often at times when we needed a boost in income. They ranged from under one hundred pounds to six figure sums!

When I renewed my will, it made complete sense to include a legacy to the Evangelical Alliance. It’s a charity I’ve been involved with for nearly 40 years. I’ve invested my giving, my time, my energy, my skills and my career in the organisation. I retired from working for the organisation in 2016. Living on a pension I have less income and so am able to do less giving. However, I still support the Evangelical Alliance with a monthly donation and am reassured that my legacy will continue to support the charity, even after my death.

I continue to support the way in which the Evangelical Alliance serves and strengthens the UK church: representing Christians through its public policy work, drawing Christians in the UK together in unity and encouraging and equipping us to share the gospel.

May I invite you to consider including a legacy in your will to the Evangelical Alliance too?”

- Helen Calder

“I see leaving a legacy as a way of giving at another stage of life, leaving a portion of the many gifts that I have received and want to share with others.

When it came to making our wills, my husband Tim and I made provision for our families first, but we also wanted to know that a part of our estate was separated out for God’s work. We recognise that legacies are an important part of ensuring that the vital ongoing work of some charities is well-funded long into the future.

We are happy to share with others that we’ve left a legacy to help carry on the Evangelical Alliance’s work long after our lifetimes, promoting values that are important to us. I’m also pleased that the Evangelical Alliance know this and can continue to keep me updated with their plans for the future as a result.

I believe most Christians would be happy to consider including a legacy in their will for causes they love, and it’s probably something we should talk about more and share with one another.”

- Heather Rayner