While taking a load of hay to bless fellow ranchers stricken from a massive Kansas wildfire, Lyn Saltzman said to her husband, Gene, “This is our first mission trip!” Little did they know this was the first of many mission opportunities that would become a new beginning in their lives. They had no idea how God would lead them next. They were blessed to be a blessing in ministry and mission.
Since that day in 2016, after multiple mission trips and a time of discovery and transition, the Saltzmans discerned that God was calling them to leave their previous lives as farmers and ranchers of Jamestown, KS, to be God’s servants in mission to the places where God would send them. Just like Abram and Sara were in Genesis 12, Gene and Lyn were being called to a new place:
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. …I will bless you, …so that you will be a blessing. …So [they] went, as the Lord had told [them].”
After Gene and Lyn made many mission trips, including to the United Methodist Committee on Relief supply depot in Baldwin, LA, to Guatemala, and to ReelFoot Rural Ministries in Tennessee, they came to the realization that the only way they could do more ministry is if they stopped farming. Each trip had been a step building upon the previous one and Gene and Lyn were open to going and serving wherever the Lord would lead. They placed their lives into God’s hands, believing that “God’s Word done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply!”
In the midst of this discernment journey, Alan D. Herndon, the then President and CEO of the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation, met the Saltzmans. Herndon made a presentation to the First United Methodist Church of Concordia, where he taught about ways that people can give generously that would make a lasting difference in the church and beyond. It was then that a new way forward was revealed to Gene and Lyn.
The couple decided to create a charitable remainder unitrust in partnership with the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation. The process involved giving their farm equipment to the trust, including tractor, combine, planters, and sprayer. The trust then sold the farm equipment and raised approximately $475,000 to provide a lifetime income for Gene and Lyn. This income will support them as they serve God in ministry and mission.
John Griffin, an estate planning consultant, prepared an agreement between the Saltzmans and the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation, which resulted in the establishment of the Two-Life Charitable Remainder Unitrust. This charitable instrument is designed to provide a charitable tax deduction and life-income for families. Then, at the time of the survivor’s death, the amount of money remaining will go into a permanent endowment fund, to be a lasting witness of the faithful disciples. Gene and Lyn saw this as a win-win opportunity and are grateful for the income now and that the remaining amount of money will be a lasting witness of their faith for the causes and ministries they care about.
Once the trust was in place, Gene and Lyn met with the new President and CEO of the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation, Dustin Petz, to decide how the remainder of the trust will make a lasting difference across Kansas and beyond. “It was a great joy to meet with Gene and Lyn and to hear their heart for giving.” Petz said. “They have a strong faith and are excited to serve and be a blessing in mission.”
At the beginning of 2019, the Saltzmans were serving at the ReelFoot Rural Ministries in Tennessee with plans to move to Alaska later in the year.
People of faith are transformed as they give generous gifts, and then those gifts grow to make a lasting impact beyond their lives.
The Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation seeks to cultivate generosity to change lives. If you would like to talk with a staff member to learn more about how you can give a gift of a lifetime by partnering with the Kansas Area United Methodist Foundation, please contact us. The Foundation would be honored to serve you.
