Puebla, Mexico…[Libna Stevens/IAD]
Planning for the future is what dozens of church leaders from throughout the Seventh-day Adventist church in Mexico discussed during the first ever Trust Services Congress held in Puebla, Mexico, Oct. 2-5.
The four-day event kept directors reviewing the philosophy and objectives of the Trust Services department as well as studying an aggressive plan to promote its principles throughout their regions.
“This congress’s main objective was to educate the leadership and motivate them to have a program fully implemented in order for members and organizations to receive the benefits of this vital area of our denomination,” said Pastor Balvin Braham, trust services director for the church in Inter-America.
According to Pastor Braham, this event was long overdue.
“The philosophy and objectives of trust services have not been fully understood across the constituency,” he says. He adds that the lack of educating church members on the importance of planning for the future in regards to their estate has been one of the challenges affecting the IAD territory.
“Our greatest challenge has been that members are uncomfortable with including part of their estate in their will to the church,” explains Pastor Braham. “One objective is to help each member to plan the cycle of life and this includes caring for self, family, the Lord’s work and others. Estate planning is a major service of the trust services department.”
This challenge exists not only in Mexico but throughout the territory of the Inter-American Division, according to Pastor Braham.
“Trust Services has not been strong in the IAD,” he says. “One of the reasons is that we do not have a trust services director in place at the church local level.”
However, Pastor Braham says that a recent voted action requires a trust services director be present at the church level.
Other functions of trust services include helping people get tax exemptions, service of wills, help members in legal issues and support for retirees.
One way to meet that challenge is for an aggressive plan of action on behalf of the church in Mexico and the rest of the IAD territory, says Pastor Braham.
Church leaders among Mexico’s three regions came up with a 15-point resolution to implement an aggressive trust services networking and education plan to share with church members to facilitate planning for the cycle of life and the benefits for themselves, family and the church. In addition, a trust services manual for Mexico’s church regions will be drawn to include the four major areas of trust services: trust or investments, wills, annuities, and donations.
Pastor Braham also says that the trust services department at the headquarter office will embark on providing a certification course program which will be available to trust services directors throughout Inter-America. The three-year certification program will cover the aforementioned four primary areas.
Among the speakers at the congress were Pastor Willie Sumagaysay, associate director for the Adventist World Church, who spoke on the concept of stewardship in the context of estate planning.
A highlight of the presentations included the active role that Pastor Hayasaka and his daugher Yuri Hayasaka, both attorneys at law, presented to the trust services directors and church leaders the legal argument which confirmed that every aspect of the trust services program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church can be fully implemented across the country of Mexico, says Braham.
Other subjects covered included, The Relevance of Trust Services and the Mexican law, The Christian’s role in administrating God’s property, among others.
Next year plans are for three additional trust services congress throughout the territory.
For more information on the Trust Services department, visit www.interamerica.org
