David Sigamani
Trust Services Director
David Sigamani has served as Trust Director for the Gulf State Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for six years. He first joined our Conference in 2011 as Publishing Director where he continues to serve today. Sigamani is blessed with a beautiful family, his wife Binu, daughter Priya, son Steven and daughter-in-law Valerie. It is his desire to share the benefits of proper estate planning with our constituents to fulfil the mission through planned gifts for the Lord’s work.
Trust services is uniquely poised to serve our members achieve their stewardship objectives both during and after their lifetime. In addition, the planned giving contribution is arranged in the present and allocated at a future date. Commonly donated through a Will or Trust, it is granted once the donor passes away.
What is Planned Giving?
Planned giving and trust services exists to help you experience the peace and joy of lifelong giving. We connect your passion with the mission and work of the Seventh-day Adventist church to build the kingdom of heaven. In seeking to support financial security for you, your family and your part in God’s work within the seventh day Adventist church, planned giving and trust services connects you with:
1. Information on the services provided, so you can look into options that match your family’s situation, intentions and planning needs.
2. Dedicated staff in our conference area that can help you coordinate and finalize your plans documents and legal directives.
3. Provide the information you will need to give a current lifetime gift to support the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Gulf States.
Church and Home Visitations
The planned giving and trust services director visits the local church and shares with members the benefits of planning the future and the legacy they will leave for their families. Before visits, it is important the members know the following:
1. List the aspirations for your legacy.
2. Note your wishes for your final arrangements.
3. Make an inventory of your assets.
4. List your beneficiaries.
5. Note any charitable intentions.
6. Gather official documents.
7. Note any complications, sensitives or other circumstances.
Planned giving is available for any income level, including younger adults and families as well. Every change in employment, investments, family dynamics or family size can affect your giving priorities and the way you plan for the future of your loved ones. There is no obligation in how or when to give when Adventist church members use these services to help everyone be faithful stewards with what God has given us to manage.
Goals
We are dedicated to serving our members and pledge to work faithfully to be worthy of the trust you have placed in us. In these past five years, we have been able to visit over 45 members in their homes every year, assisted in the origination of more than 200 documents, with more than 85 new wills executed and filed in our vault. We had the privilege of recording our first video last year and posted it on our conference website. It has been a blessing to visit 80% of our churches sharing God’s word and promoting the ministry of Trust Services.
We also give additional information on understanding Planned Giving and Trust Services, providing free support to church members who want to sustain the church through Wills, Trusts, Gift Annuities and other special gifts. We are looking forward to increasing the number of documents and support to church members who choose to create an estate plan. We also plan to increase visitations and begin plans for scheduling four to five “will days”, where we visit a district for the weekend and assist members locally at their church.
In the next five years, our goal is to visit 90% to 100% of our churches and promote the benefits of estate planning. We hope to educate people about the benefit of having a plan for the future and help them understand what we do, create a smart financial plan and help further God’s work in our territory and the world.