Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church Endowment Funds

The three Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist endowment funds are managed by the CLUUC Endowment Fund Committee (EFC) which is charged with maintaining, protecting and growing the assets of the endowment funds and other funds entrusted to it. The Committee guidelines limit the investments to common financial instruments and in practice the Committee invests only in stock and bond mutual funds, money market accounts, and occasionally individual government and corporate bonds. Investments are made according to the policy of maximizing total return while maintaining a high degree of safety.

Social Justice Endowment Fund

The Social Justice Endowment Fund was established in 2007 for the purpose of building an endowment which will generate funds in perpetuity solely dedicated to supporting social justice actions undertaken by the congregation. The Social Justice Council, which responds to and helps set the social action priorities of the congregation, will decide annually how the monies appropriated by the fund will be spent.

No money will be disbursed from the Fund until it reaches the amount of $200,000. By February 1 of the fiscal year following the calendar year during which the Fund total reaches $200,000, and every year thereafter, the EFC will determine what amount, if any, will be available to the SJC for the next fiscal year beginning on the first day of July. The annual rate of allowable appropriation may vary, but at no time will the appropriation reduce the principal of the Fund (the original $200,000 plus additional capital contributions).

The Endowment Fund

The Endowment Fund was established in 1984 with the proviso that not monies be appropriated by the Fund until its value reached $1 million. This amount was reached in 1999 and the first distribution to the church was made in 2000. Distributions are made according to a formula and at no time will the annual appropriations be allowed to invade the principal of the Fund (the original $1 million plus additional capital contributions)

Although the Charter for the Endowment Fund does not specify the uses of the monies generated by this fund, the general consensus of the congregation has been that this fund should be used primarily to maintain and improve the church building and property, and secondarily to fund outreach programs.             

The Memory Garden

ituated on a small rise above the main church building and driveway, the Memory Garden is a place of beauty and a meditative space. It is surrounded by majestic trees and greenery with a chalice-shaped water fountain providing a timeless serenade. Its location makes the Garden a connecting path between the church building and the Chalice House Education Center. In the midst of daily activities, those honored by the Garden become part of the church’s present.

Within the Garden, the Name Wall has nameplates of deceased individuals whom church Members and Friends wish to commemorate. In the Chalice House, a special room contains the church Archives, which document the people and events that created and nurtured the church and those who will do so in the future.

The Name Wall

he Name Wall enables  Members and Friends to remember, in a special and tangible way, a loved one who has died. Cast bronze nameplates (5 inches by 1˝ inches) containing the name and the years of birth and death in polished raised letters will be mounted permanently on the stone wall. The Garden now has one wall that can contain 378 nameplates, and the plans include space for two additional walls in the Memory Garden.

When a group of requests has been received, the church will purchase the nameplates and have them placed on the wall in the order in which completed Agreements are received. When the wall contains many nameplates, an alphabetized locator list will be created.

The Memory Fund

embers of our congregation created the Memory Garden and Archives in the late 1990s as visible witnesses that we remembered and honored the dedication, love, and service of others who preceded us in this church community. But the Garden and Archives are also a legacy for the future that must be protected and maintained at a high level. For that reason, the church has established a Memory Fund, the capital of which will be preserved; but its income will ensure the perpetual continuation of the Garden, with its Wall and Fountain, the Archives, and the grounds surrounding the church—all of which are hallowed.

Perpetual maintenance requires a dependable annual flow of funds. Capital invested in the Memory Fund generates the necessary income to maintain the Garden and our grounds. We invite contributions of any size from those who wish to help increase this fund.

Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4099
Tel:  301-493-8300; Fax:  301-897-5713
e-mail:  office@CedarLane.org
© 1998-2012, Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
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