Four page newsletter: Spring 2008| Four page newsletter: Spring 2008 | | |
| East King County Chapter, Spring News 2008 |
The East King County Chapter Board has new members! Meet your Board:
• President, Kathy Fisher. Kathy is the Director of Youth and Family Ministry at Holy Trinity Lutheran on Mercer Island. This is her fourth and final year on the Board. She enjoys intergenerational events that create community and help others ~ Habitat Work Days, Join Hands Day (recent years at Lutherwood), supporting quilting groups at churches, hunger projects and youth projects.
• Vice-President, Dan Selmann: Dan is a semi-retired ELCA Pastor, a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University and Wartburg Theological Seminary, and currently a member of Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Kirkland. He has been a Pastor in parishes in North Dakota and Western Washington, serving as the Executive Director of North Dakota's American Revolution Bicentennial
Commission from 1973-1977. Dan chaired the boards of Camp Lutherwood, Luther Child Center and the South Snohomish County Ministerial Association, and has served on the boards of Camp Metigoshe, Lutheran Community Services, LOMA, and local school advisory boards. Dan has been a Thrivent member for 44 years. He is also an avid baseball player (he participates on 2 teams) and Mariners fan.
• Financial Director: Joe Hart Joe is a retired USAF pilot and a retired Boeing Company Engineer. Joe graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering. Joe attends St. Luke’s Lutheran Church Church in Bellevue, He has served his congregations as an Elder, Treasurer and is always involved in the life of his church.
• Asst. Financial Director: Gary Knepkeens. Gary is the former Congregational Coordinator at Our Saviors’ Lutheran in Issaquah. He came on the Board last year, learning our Financial Director information and the Records’ Director tasks, while we searched for a new record’s director. He teaches skiing to children in the winter and enjoys time with his family.
• Records Director: Rich Erwin Rich is new to our chapter Board. He is a member at Holy Trinity Lutheran - Mercer Island, the father of a teen-aged daughter and a great volunteer. His passions are Adult Education, Teen/Young Adult Outreach, community support for congregations.
• Congregational Service Team Director: Richard Urie Richard has been attending meetings with wife, Leslie (our former records director) for the past few years. He wrote our newsletters and other communication in the past. This year, Leslie retired and Richard came on. It is his hope to meet at each church with each team of congregational coordinators. Please check your schedules and contact Richard for your one-on-one time! (He even has a gift for you!). Richard and Leslie are the Regional Directors of the World Mission Prayer League.
• Communications Director: Shirley CarrShirley is another new participant on the Board. She is the interim church administrator at First Lutheran, Bothell. She is a high school English teacher, is married and has 3 young children. We are looking forward to her way with words in future publications!
Did you know that Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has a program called Care in Congregations® where funding is provided to Thrivent Financial members to conduct fund-raising and/or hands-on service activities to benefit your congregation or its related Lutheran institutions? In fact, Thrivent Financial members are encouraged to use the funds to help the congregation in its ministry to the community.
If you see a need in your congregation that could be helped through this funding, please contact a Thrivent Financial congregational coordinator in your congregation. If you don't know who your three congregational coordinators are, please contact a member of our chapter leadership board as noted in this newsletter, and he/she will help you get in touch with a coordinator.
The East King County chapter set guidelines many years ago to attempt to be fair to our 27 congregations as they work to ‘Care in their Community’. We have generously been given @ $44,000 annually to grant to the projects and programs you submit to the chapter for additonal funds. We adopted the following guidelines:
• We will maintain a ‘ceiling’ of @ $1600 per congregation to support Care Abounds in Communities.
• As the year progresses, if money is available, we will grant additional money to congregations who have received $1600 or more. We will do our best to grant money equitably among our congregations.
• All project requests must be submitted (preferably by email to eastkingcochapter@yahoo.com) and approved before the event. We cannot approve any fundraiser or hands-on project after the fact.
• We will support larger Lutheran organizations (Compass Center, Foss Home, Camp Lutherwood) and their fundraising efforts to a smaller degree, we are aware that they apply to all Chapters in the area for funding.
• We request that all our approved projects be completed by our November chapter meeting each year.
o Remembering that we are all volunteers, it is our chapters’ decision that our books be closed by December 1 to accommodate our Board members December schedules.
We have been using these guidelines for the past five years. We appreciate all our congregations that follow these chapter rules.
We are supporting Camp Lutherwood’s efforts to get ready for summer on this intergenerational day of service. Talk to your congregations, contact Bob Merrill Bob.Merrill@camplutherwood.org and let him know you’re bringing a team. The project that the Chapter is funding is to add rock work to complete Spirit Lodge in memory of our friend and Board member, Jeff Brady.
I fondly remember Jeff at Join Hands Day last year, chatting all over the place, while Linda was on her hands and knees weeding and planting.
There is work for all ages and abilities, a great BBQ lunch and the knowledge that we’ve helped Camp Lutherwood get it together for summer campers!
| Your gift to a Lutheran organization can accomplish even more through the GivingPlus® program |
Are you aware that as a member of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, financial gifts you make to a Lutheran organization might be able to be supplemented by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans?
Through Thrivent Financial's GivingPlus® program, members can donate financial gifts to two different Lutheran organizations enrolled in the program each year, and Thrivent Financial will contribute $1 for every $2, up to $300 per year for each organization. For example, if you donate gifts of $600 or more to two eligible Lutheran organizations each, Thrivent Financial will contribute an additional $600 ($300 for each organization). In addition, Thrivent Financial will contribute an additional $25 for members who volunteer 25 hours or more at the organization receiving their gift.
All you need to do is complete a GivingPlus Member Gift form (available online or from the Lutheran organization) and submit it with your donation to the Lutheran organization. It's a very simple process.
For complete details and guidelines about this one-of-a-kind member benefit program and for copies of the Member Gift form, go to www.thrivent.com/fraternal/churchcommunity/givingplus.html.
| Thrivent Builds! Habitat for Humanity - Snoqualmie Ridge 08 |
Lucky us! We have been granted two homes again this year on Snoqualmie Ridge! To make it really fun, they will be built side-by-side in 8 weeks this summer!!! We need you and your churches to make it happen ~ a Thrivent Builds! project means that 50% or more of the labor is ‘Lutheran’. How can you help??
• Help us fund these projects… bring a few foursomes to Bear Creek County Club on Monday, May 19 for the 3rd annual Habitat Golf Tournament. Go to www.habitatekc.org/golf to sign up as an individual or foursome to golf and then attend the dinner and auction. Or, get a table together for the auction. It is a best ball tourney, so you don’t need to be a great golfer, just and enthusiastic participant
• Check the summer calendars and get work groups together to come and build. Work will begin June 27th (for you rebar and cement fans), and continue each weekend (Friday – Sunday) to the end of August.
o Who can build? Anyone 16 + … younger participants could bring lunch or as we get later in the process, work on landscaping or other ‘youth friendly’ areas.
Be creative – find a weekend to reunite your college kids and their parents or mentors to build and bond.
How about a ‘girl-power’ day? All women crews rock!
• How do you sign up? Email habitat@habitatekc.org to sign up a team, or email Thrivent Builds! specialist Woody Carlson at eastkingcochapter@yahoo.com .
| Help Others with Thrivent! |
If you like working with others and have a desire to reach out to those in need, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans can help. Funding is available for members to purchase materials for hands-on service activities benefiting individuals, families or communities.
So, if you are handy with a hammer, love landscaping, notice that sewing or knitting makes you smile, or you have another talent to share with others, why not partner with other Thrivent Financial members to make an impact in your community?
For example, a wheelchair ramp is so much more than wood and nails. For a wheelchair user, a ramp represents accessibility to life outside the house — to community, friends and family — and even to living independently.
Building a wheelchair ramp is only one example of the impact a little teamwork can have on someone's life. Can you think of other needs in your community and other ways you might be able to make an impact? Contact your chapter leadership board for more information at eastkingcochapter@yahoo.com
The East King County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month, 12 noon, in the Bellevue Gateway office complex.
All funding requests (Form #1) should be submitted via email (preferably) prior to those meetings.
All completed projects should have paperwork (Form #3), checks to supplement funds and/or necessary receipts submitted within 30 days after the event.
Think ahead -- submit early for your summer, fall and winter projects! Remember, we need all projects approved by our October meeting and totally completed by December 1. That is our chapter's specific rule (not a Thrivent rule) to accomodate our Board members' December obligations and schedules.
You are welcome to attend any Board meeting!
Contact your East King County Board by email: eastkingcochapter@yahoo.com.
Check meeting minutes and get forms at Lutherans Online, East King County Chapter.
Thank you for all the work you continue to do in your churches and communities.
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