Years ago, two seminary students were walking the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary and noticed most of the buildings on the campus had a nameplate depicting important leaders that blessed the Church in ancient times. But the gym had a name on it that was unfamiliar. It was the Wambsgans Gymnasium. The students started asking around to see if anyone knew who Wambsgans was. No one knew. It seemed odd that a plaque that was supposed to establish a legacy for this person wasn’t really accomplishing its purpose.

The two students became pastors and years went by. As fate would have it, both pastors served a congregation full of members from a Wambsgans family. It turned out that they were cousins, nieces or nephews of the man with the name on the gym. The family members knew he had played professional baseball but knew very little of him beyond that. None of them had many stories to share of this man.

Living life, creating a legacy and hoping to be remembered is a task seldom accomplished. For most people, no one will talk about them after only a couple generations since they have passed. But if they have shared the Gospel, worked with others to share the Gospel or financially supported the ministry of sharing the Gospel in the Church that grace of God will be generating new believers one generation after the next. It’s a force multiplying effect that lasts for eternity.

If you really want to think about creating a legacy, let that be your goal. Share Jesus. Use your gifts for sharing Jesus. Plan your estate to remind family of Jesus’ gifts and use estate gifts to support ministry when you are no longer here.

Jason Jones, CGP, CDE, is Saint John’s Gift Planning Counselor. Jason works with individuals in our congregation who want to discover the lifetime plan that God has planted in their heart. He will help them to use this plan to Transfer the Blessings God has given them to their family and the ministries they love. This service comes to you at no cost as a member of Saint John’s. To schedule a free meeting with Jason or ask questions about this special opportunity, visit www.StJohnsFC.org/transfer-the-blessings, call (970) 988-0305 or email Jason.Jones@lfnd.org.