The Cornerstone

Volume 2, Issue 2

Quarter 2, 2020

“From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from everyone to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.“  - Luke 12:48

A Tribute to Trinity Clergy, Staff, and Volunteers

The Trinity Foundation offers this tribute and our heartfelt thanks to the clergy, staff and volunteers who work together to enhance Trinity’s many ministries in a very difficult environment. Teams of staff and volunteers have invested and continue to invest their time and talents to provide services that meet the needs of Trinity ministries with phenomenal results that far exceed our expectations. The challenge created by the mandated closing of the Cathedral was designed to protect the health and well-being of the entire Trinity family and at the same time to meet our spiritual needs effectively. With the limited number of people allowed in the Cathedral, the task continues to be quite difficult. The online team working on the conversion from in-person services to online services initially involved two groups of people—the  visible group included a priest (without an assisting priest), the organist, and two cantors who were also lay readers and intercessors. The visible group in the Cathedral now involves less than ten people. The second and much larger group from the very beginning continues to include staff and volunteers who provide technical work, communications, bulletins, flowers, music programs, and sanitizing equipment, furnishings, and facilities, etc. This larger group is not very visible, but they cannot be overlooked. The entire team is critical to the excellent success of Sunday and weekday services, education and Christian formation offerings, and meeting the needs of many other ministries.  Our tribute includes the staff, volunteers, and the limited number of clergy who do an outstanding job expanding and enhancing pastoral care. Trinity ministries, including Outreach Ministries, the Trinity Learning Center, the Kitchen Ministries, the Music Ministries, the DHC and the Bazaar, Children and Youth Ministries, and Vacation Bible School continue to be dependent on the excellent support of staff and volunteers to manage effectively the significant challenges incurred. Please join us in recognizing these faithful efforts during these challenging times.

Canon Patsy Malanuk during a virtual service. Outfitting the Cathedral with the equipment needed to record and livestream took many hours to configure. Katie Gatch rehearses prior to a livestreamed service.

Legacy Builder's Bequest - Mamie Caughman Williamson

Mamie Caughman Williamson, the daughter of Pearlstein and William H. Caughman, was born in Columbia on December 14, 1922. Mamie excelled as a Music student at Converse College and graduated in 1944. In 1946, Mamie and James Foster Williamson, an OB/GYN physician, were married, and their son, James (Jim) Foster Williamson, Jr., was born in in 1948 in Prince William County, Virginia. Jim graduated from Clemson in 1970 and earned an MBA from the University of South Carolina in 1973. James Foster Williamson, Sr. died on November 20, 1999; Mamie died on November 4, 2011; and her son, Jim, died on June 23, 2020.  Mamie and her husband were long-term members of Trinity. She was devoted to the altar guild for many years and used her artistic talent in beautiful flower arrangements for Trinity.

The Rev. Canon Susan Heath described Mamie as being faithful in worship, a truly committed member of the altar guild, and was known as having a “killer sense of humor.” Susan shared a great story about one of her encounters with Mamie. Just before Thanksgiving, Mamie knocked on Susan’s third floor office door and asked her for an orange magic marker. They had to go down to the Children’s area to find a magic marker. Susan asked her what she was going to do with it. Mamie pointed to a large arrangement of fruit and veggies for the altar which had dull-colored gourds in the arrangement. They did not have any pumpkins, so she colored all of the gourds orange so that they looked like Thanksgiving pumpkins to the parishioners seated in the Cathedral. For many years, Mamie was a member of the Columbia Medical Society Auxiliary and was also an avid golfer at Forest Lake Club. Mamie was given a Trust from her parents with property on Assembly Street. On October 28, 2011, Mamie used the Trust from her parents to set up a Trust for her son and named Trinity Foundation as the sole beneficiary of the remaining assets of the Trust after the death of their son. A second Trust was set up for their son from his father’s will. The Foundation is very grateful to Mamie and her family for their devotion to the Cathedral and for such a generous gift. When the Trust is settled, the Williamson gift will have a very significant impact on the Foundation and the ministries of Trinity for many years to come.

Did You Know...

that in our post-COVID world, the role of the Foundation will be more important than ever? that Trinity Parishioners donated over $38,000 to the new Dean Search Fund, and the Foundation has designated $50,000 for the search and transition of the new Dean to Trinity? that Charitable IRA Rollover Funds and Donor Advised Funds are increasingly being used to provide donations to Trinity and the Foundation? that Trinity Legacy Builders often designate the Foundation as a beneficiary of an amount or percent of their IRA?

New Legacy Builders Mr. Joseph T. Bruce. Joseph moved from Camden to Columbia in 2019 and became a new member of Trinity Cathedral. He is a very strong advocate of the Music Program and especially the Anglican music of Compline. We are delighted to welcome Joseph as a new Legacy Builder in 2020. Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan P. (JP) Lee.  Clark and JP and their three children Thomas, Patrick, and Katherine are very active participants in Trinity’s Sunday and Weekday Services as well as many other endeavors. Co-chairs of Trinity’s 2020 Stewardship Committee, Clark is a member of the Vestry, and JP is the Vice-Chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina. We are grateful for their foresight and commitment to Trinity’s future. Ms. Rowena B. Lyles. Rowena is a long-term member of Trinity. Rowena is very active in the Trinity Jump Start group at Camille Griffin Correctional Institution, and she is involved in the Daughters of the Holy Cross, the Recovery and Support Ministry, Reading Matters, and other ministries. We are delighted that Rowena became a new Legacy Builder.

St. Lawrence Place St. Lawrence Place is the Transitional Housing program of Homeless No More (HNM). The St. Lawrence Place Fund is a non-endowed and permanently restricted Fund in the Trinity Foundation, which was created in 2001. Lila Anna Sauls, CEO of HNM, shared with us some of the challenges and the successes of HNM. Through the ability to adapt quickly and most effectively utilize resources and staff, HNM has been able to continue providing quality service and support to homeless and at-risk families in our community during an uncertain and unprecedented time. At the beginning of the COVID-19 public health crisis, the staff quickly changed the way families and children of St. Lawrence Place were supported. Program staff shifted to virtual case management with daily check-ins to include health screenings. Increased safety measures included regular communication and providing masks, gloves, and additional cleaning supplies. The basic needs of families, including three meals a day, were met fully. WiFi was installed to make e-learning possible and allowed the Youth Coordinator to keep students on track with school. A “hybrid” outdoor summer camp provided water activities, educational activities, and the experience of planting and harvesting a garden of vegetables and flowers.

Please save February 9, 2021 at 5:30 pm for the Fourth Annual Trinity Foundation Celebration. Last year’s celebration was a huge success and we look forward to another great event, regardless of how it may need to be staged.

Creating an Enduring Legacy! Jonathan P. (JP) Lee, Shareholder Sojourner, Caughman & Thomas, LLC Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law   Trusts Basics—A Significant Part of Estate Planning

What is a trust? A trust is a legal relationship whereby a Trustee owns and manages property on behalf of a beneficiary pursuant to certain terms set forth by the trust creator, known as the Settlor (or “Grantor” or “Trustor”).  While all trusts share certain characteristics, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all trust. Trusts expand the possibilities of transferring assets to control both to whom assets are transferred and in what manner . Trusts often are used to provide multi-generational plans of distribution (“for my husband for his lifetime, then to my children” or “to my daughter for her lifetime, then to Trinity Foundation”).   Trusts can be used for tax planning to provide management for minors or for beneficiaries unskilled in managing assets, to provide protection for the beneficiary from the claims of creditors or the claims of a divorcing spouse, to offer privacy, or to insure the ultimate recipient of property. The Trustee can be a person, such as a family member, business associate, attorney or accountant, or a bank or trust company. The Trustee owes certain duties to the beneficiary, such as a duty of care, loyalty, impartiality, confidentiality, and a duty to account to the beneficiary.   Trusts can have more than one beneficiary. Beneficiaries of a trust typically include family and loved ones but can be anyone, even a charity.  Beneficiaries of a trust include both current and future beneficiaries .   The amount or the manner in which a beneficiary can receive a gift varies widely and is set forth in the trust terms.  Beneficiaries can receive a specific sum (e.g., $100,000 or $10,000 annually),

a specific asset (e.g., my real estate in Richland County, South Carolina), a certain percentage (e.g. 4% of the value of the trust assets annually), all of the income earned by the trust, or the trust terms can provide that the Trustee has full discretion in making distributions to the beneficiary.  How is a trust created? Typically, a trust is created by a written agreement. A trust can be created in a stand-alone trust document, or a trust can be created pursuant to the terms of a Last Will and Testament (called a “Testamentary Trust”).  A trust can be revocable, which means it can be changed, or a trust can be irrevocable.   Tax consequences differ depending on whether a trust is revocable or irrevocable.  What property can be transferred to the Trustee?  Most commonly, the trustee owns money, stocks, bonds, real estate, and business interests on behalf of the beneficiary.  Special challenges such as taxes, insurance maintenance, or leases can arise when real estate is included in a trust.  While trusts are increasingly used by clients of varying economic backgrounds, clients should be advised that because of the fees paid to the trustee, the tax reporting requirements, and other requirements, assets of the trust should be worth several hundred thousand dollars.  Conclusion. Whether you are seeking to control how your assets are distributed after your death, or to minimize certain taxes, trusts may help you accomplish your estate planning goals. Trusts are versatile--many types of trusts exist, each designed for a specific purpose. You should consult your attorney to determine whether establishing a trust is the most advantageous method for you to accomplish your estate planning goals.