Elections for the Arlington County Chapter Leadership Board will be held in each chapter congregation on November 4 or November 11 (contact each congregation for specifics).

Thrivent Financial provides funding for teams of members to help needy people and nonprofit organizations in the community.   The chapter leadership board reviews funding requests and decides on the amount of funds to provide for each request. In January, Thrivent Financial appropriated $11,300 to the Arlington County Chapter.  As of September 20, approximately $7,900 has been awarded to worthy charities.  Now, new leaders are needed on the chapter board to continue the fraternal benefit tradition of helping others.

REQUIREMENTS:  Board members must:
be Thrivent Financial members,
have a desire to help others,
and have five to 12 hours per month to donate to chapter activities.

BENEFITS: Smiles on the faces of those you've helped and a good feeling knowing you've made a difference in someone's life.

The chapter leadership board includes five required elected positions, five optional elected positions and advisors who are appointed by the elected leaders. The first five positions listed below are required and the rest are optional, but no less important.  Elected members serve for one year, January to December, with a maximum of four consecutive terms in any elected position.  After four consecutive terms, the member must take a two-year break before he or she can be re-elected to another board position.

PRESIDENT:  Oversees the planning and strategic direction of the chapter leadership board; schedules and conducts regular meetings; provides direction and oversees activity level of service teams; ensures with the support of the vice president that the chapter leadership board election occurs; ensures that the annual financial audit occurs; mentors the vice president; welcomes and admits new members; installs new chapter leaders; solicits input from advisors.  

VICE PRESIDENT:  Provides leadership to the chapter board in the absence of the president; together with or in the absence of the president undertakes the presidential responsibilities as described above; with assistance from the president, oversees the Fall elections of the chapter leadership board.

RECORDS DIRECTOR:  Provides leadership to the administrative functions of the chapter leadership board; receives and processes correspondence to and from community service teams; maintains accurate and up-to-date records, planning calendars, and meeting minutes; submits necessary nonfinancial reports to the Operations Center; verifies that reporting is accurate.  

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR:  Plays a significant role in maintaining financial records for the chapter leadership board; verifies and tracks requests from service teams for program funding; responds to service teams regarding board approval of requested project/funding; collects and retains receipts from service teams for all Care programs; verifies service team expenses and year-end financial reporting to the Operations Center; maintains financial records of income and expenses for the chapter leadership board and respective service teams; authorizes fund tranfers.  

CONGREGATIONAL SERVICE TEAM DIRECTOR:  Supports the congregational service teams by encouraging them to form and initiate projects that qualify for congregational program funds; plays a significant role in working to increase member engagement and growth in congregations with the chapter; monitors congregational coordinator vacancies; supports recruitment efforts to fill vacancies to assure funding occurs through Care in Congregations® programs; serves as a liaison between the chapter and congregational coordinators; trains and supports congregational coordinators; encourages congregational service teams to conduct projects to qualify for funding; provides follow-up to congregational servcice teams to assure projects are completed, funded and reported to the Operations Center; provides feedback to the chapter leadership board on the progress of congregational service teams.  

ASSISTANT FINANCIAL DIRECTOR:  Assists the Financial Director in maintaining financial accounting; supports financial director in all assigned duties, fills in, as necessary, when the Financial Director is absent; may seek to eventually fill the leadership position of the Financial Director.

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR:  Supports service teams and the chapter as they communicate with the congregations and communities; also acts as the liaison with the Operations Center; develops and distributes communications to service team and members; serves as backup to the vice president as legislative contact for the chapter; invites elected officials to attend chapter activities; invites public officials to attend chapter activities; and other duties as assigned.

COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM DIRECTOR:  Supports community service teams by encouraging them to form and initiate activities to qualify for funding; provides follow-up to community service teams to assure activities are completed, funded and reported to the Operations Center; provides feedback to the chapter leadership board on the progress of community service teams; evaluates and monitors progress toward member engagement and growth goals via community service teams.  

YOUTH DIRECTOR:  Looks for opportunities to involve youth in chapter and service team activities, service-learning projects and programs at educational sites; organizes teams of youth or students to lead a project or form a community service team; make youth groups aware of opportunities to get involved in community service teams; promote Thrivent Financial programs to youth at churches; support and represent youth and their involvement at the chapter leadership board meeting.

EVENTS DIRECTOR:  Determines appropriate recognition and events sponsored by the chapter leadership board; develops plans to recognize chapter leadership board members and service team volunteers; works with Manager of Lutheran Community Services to plan gatherings or recongition events; provides guidance and expertise to service teams in planning project and events; designs and sets up displays at events in cooperation with the communications director.  

If you are interested in any of these positions, or would like more information, please contact any chapter leadership board member listed below.  They would love to hear from you.

President Sharon Brickhill (Advent)                                             brickhil@hhmi.org
VP Rich Kauzlarich (Our Savior)                                                  rkauzlarich@cox.net
Records Dir. Marianne Hetzer (Advent)                                       mwhetzer@comcast.net
Financial Dir. Wendell Anderson (Advent)                                   annwen@erols.com
Congregational Svc Team Dir Tom Maxwell (Resurrection)         t.maxwell@att.net

On November 18, OSLC will hold a Holiday Gift Fair to raise money -- with Care Abounds in Communities support -- for medical missionary Gloria Salk in Kenya . (She is the sister of OSLC and Thrivent Financial Member Pat Fisher.)  We also will use some of the proceeds from the fair to support the Spinu family (our Katrina hurricane family) and NOVACO.

Part of OSLC's Care in Congregations® money will purchase materials for our traditional Advent Wreath making evening that has been a wonderful opportunity to bring OSLC families together as a kick off to the Advent Season.

Beyond the Care Programs of Thrivent, OSLC stresses the GivingPlus program as a way to support Our Savior Lutheran School (OSLS) -- a wonderful K-8 educational outreach ministry serving about 125 children.  For the last few years, we have raised -- through Thrivent Financial member contributions and GivingPlus matching funds -- thousands of dollars to provide scholarship and other support for OSLS.  Thrivent Financials GivingPlus is a God-send for our school.  

In May, OSLC (with others from the Arlington Chapter), provided money, volunteers and lunch to assist the DC Chapter with their Thrivent Builds/Habitat for Humanity project in Southeast DC.  We are also supporting the Dulles Chapter's Thrivent Builds/Habitat for Humanity condo project on Stevenson Street in Fairfax.  A door offering on September 10 raised money to help the Dulles Chapter meet their financial obligation and we look forward to providing volunteers to help with the build this fall.