Foundation Honors Hennings at Annual Legacies Event
March 16th, 2007
Bill and Lena Henning of Henning Memorial UMC in Sulphur were the guests of honor March 15 at the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana's annual Legacies of Louisiana Gala.
The Hennings received the 2007 Jesse B. Stafford Award, given annually to an individual or couple dedicated to serving the United Methodist Church and its community through good works and generous philanthropy.
The Hennings set up a donor-advised fund through the United Methodist Foundation to support rural ministry in Louisiana. A donor-advised fund is unique in that it allows the donors to have ongoing input in specifying the charitable causes they wish to support.
Bishop William W. Hutchinson and several United Methodist agencies were part of the evening's program, held at the Gray Plantation Clubhouse in Lake Charles. The Wesley Center of Woodworth, the Louisiana Methodist Children's Home of Ruston, Centenary College, Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University and the Wesley Foundation of McNeese State University each presented updates on the activities of their ministries.
Rob Fairly, president of the Foundation, acknowledged the individuals and families who established permanent endowments or added to existing gifts to the Foundation in 2006, as well as those who have joined the Foundation's recognition society, The Third Testament.
The United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana was founded in 1975 and serves United Methodist churches, institutions and individuals within the Louisiana Annual Conference, providing financial management, consultation and education, loans and grants. It is the fourth largest United Methodist Foundation in the denomination.
