CHAMPAIGN COUNTY THRIVENT CHAPTER MINUTES
Monday, January 13, 2004 6:30 p.m.
The January 2004 meeting of the Champaign Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans was called to order at 6:45PM at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Champaign. Present: Judy, Lynette, Erwin, Norm, Bob, Bobbie, Paul, Robin Purgett, the host congregational coordinator, and Rick and Ronda Craig.
Minutes for the previous meetings were not yet available for review.
Financial Report – We discussed the financial summary report, and noted various problems with it. It was mentioned that some of the differences might be that some funding remained from AAL or LB when we started at the beginning of last year which isn’t accounted for. An audit of our 2003 records must be completed and returned to Home Office by Feb 28th. The Dani’s should be contacted to find out if they have records of this.
A welcome was made to the visitor at the meeting, and thanks for the hospitality provided by them.
We need to establish a formal application process to get funding this year, and make sure each project gets an informational packet so we can keep documentation on all projects and all people involved know what is expected of them. Judy presented a sample letter that she wrote up that could be sent to an approved project with information on what steps need to be followed.
Criteria put down by the Home Office include a 50c (or less) match (using Chapter funds to generate more local dollar donations), volunteer hours at a high level based on the projects, and a full slate of chapter leaders. The maximum funding for any project has been raised this year from $800 to $1600, but the intention is NOT that we spend all $1600. We should have as many projects as we supported last year, if not more.
We discussed the purpose of having Financial Associate Advisor positions on the board; they have access through the web site to project information and can monitor congregational fundraising, and help advertise the Chapter programs at the congregational level and to those whom they come in contact with. It was M/S/C to appoint Rick Craig and Darrell Brandt as our 2004 Financial Associate Advisors to the board.
New Projects –
Community Youth Ministry – Rick brought forth information from Pastor Martin regarding their next event, to be held Feb 27th and 28th .. a service project bringing youth from several Lutheran churches in the community together to bring canned goods to help support World Vision. The event makes the youth aware of world hunger with a famine (the youth not eating during the 30-hour event) and a concert and a service project. We are asked to provide funding to bring a band to the event. There were enough unanswered questions that the discussion on this project was tabled until next month, with the request that Pastor Martin attend that meeting to be available to answer our questions.
Rick brought forward information from Boy Scout troop # 17, Scoutmaster Tim Beaulin – they have to have a sponsoring organization, and LB has done that in the past. The relationship has been mutually beneficial to both the boys and to LB. There is no cost involved, and the troop has advertised the LB name in the past and is willing to do the same for the Thrivent name in the future; we can also make use of their volunteerism for some of our projects. It was M/S/C to sponsor this organization.
The payment to the host church was brought up; it was M/S/C to continue our payment to a host church at the rate of $50 per meeting, for a total of $600 for the year. This helps get knowledge of the local chapter to the churches (by having our meetings at each church in the area, hopefully having Congregational Coordinators sponsor and attend our meetings).
The next meeting will be held at Grace Lutheran on MONDAY, the 9th of February. We are making an exception to our Tuesday meeting’s because Grace couldn’t hold our meeting on a Tuesday.
Norm will arrange with St Andrew’s and University Lutheran to hold our March/April meetings at those two churches.
It was mentioned that there is Leader Training at ALC in Rantoul on Saturday the 31st of January. Representatives from the regional office will be there, and all local Chapters are invited to the meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Norm Fisher for
Lynette Renfrow