Four page newsletter: APRIL 2005| Four page newsletter: APRIL 2005 | | |
| ...................The Waves..................... |
| News from the Gulf Coast Chapter of Thrivent Financial |
Chapter Leaders Assigned Congregations
Thirty-five (35) congregations in the Gulf Coast Chapter makes for a busy Chapter Leadership Board. Now, whenever your congregation or congregational coordinators have a question about Thrivent Financial for Lutherans programs to assist the congregation or a worthy cause in the community, you know who to ask. At the last Chapter Board Meeting the following assignments were made. (All phone numbers are in area code 361). Need help with a project? Have a question? Call the chapter leader assigned to your congregation……
Leroy DeHaven (993-8719) and Pat Dachenhaus (854-6067): Faith Lutheran – Taft; St. John – Bishop; St. John – Robstown; Faith Lutheran – Laredo; First Lutheran – Tivoli; Faith Lutheran – Aransas Pass; Peace Lutheran – Rockport
Elaine Brundrett (991-7947) and Oscar Migl (643-2250): Laredo Hispanic Mission – Laredo; Trinity Lutheran – Kingsville; Emanuel Lutheran – Alice; St. Paul Lutheran – Tynan; St. Mark Lutheran – Corpus Christi; Faith Lutheran – Beeville; Grace Lutheran – Mathis
Alice Luedke (364-3083) and Laura Atzenhoffer (364-3395): Nuestro Salvador Lutheran – Corpus Christi; Lord of Life Luthean – Flour Bluff; Gallilean Lutheran – Corpus Christi; Messiah Lutheran – Corpus Christi; St. Stephen – Portland; Peace Lutheran – Woodsboro; First Lutheran – Orange Grove
Eunice Lewis (850-8046) and Amy Arreola (334-6093): Fishers of Family Lutheran – Portland; Gethsemane Lutheran – Corpus Christi; Mt. Olive Lutheran – Corpus Christi; Abiding Savior Lutheran – Corpus Chirsti; St. Paul Lutheran – Bishop; Trinity Lutheran – Corpus Christi; Trinity Lutheran – Alice
Jim Bixler (992-1366) and Harlene Trevino (993-8936): St. Paul Lutheran – Kingsville; Trinity Lutheran – Odem (West Sinton); El Cenizo Hispanic Mission – Laredo; Iglesia Luterana San Lucas – Eagle Pass; Holy Cross Lutheran – Rockport; Trinity Lutheran – Refugio; Grace Lutheran – Sinton
There you have it. Ten Chapter Leaders assigned to 35 Lutheran Congregation in the Gulf Coast Chapter region. Let these chapter leaders help in securing congregational coordinators, and answering your questions about Thrivent care programs to help your church and community.
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Sad, but true, too many volunteer hours go unreported each year. The time spent at planning meetings, time spent on the phone in organizing and assigning workers, whenever you are engaged in an activity associated with a Care in Congregations®, or Care Abound in Communities™ project, the hours can add up fast, but too often go unreported. Keep track of all the volunteer hours, not only by Thrivent members, but non members alike. Maybe those non-members should become members. It’s simple to do through an Associate Family Membership. Cost is only $10.00. Contact your Congregational Coordinator or a Chapter Leader for an Associate Member Application form. As a Thrivent Financial for Lutherans member, you can help recruit members to assist in those care programs when the coordinators are looking for six member households.
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The Minutes of Chapter Board Meeting are available on line via the chapter website. The address is www.lutheransonline.com/gulfcoastchapter. You can keep up with care programs that have been approved, or are in the process of being approved, when and where the next board meeting will be held. In just a couple of months 2005 will be half over. To have a project approved for funding this year you better GET BUSY!!!...NOW!!!
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Congratulations on the great job all of you did in 2004. In the Gulf Coast Chapter, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has 2,614 members, with that number growing every month. Last year, 70 projects were conducted by Community and Congregational services teams that benefited our area with funds totaling $230,896. Members of the Gulf Coast Chapter conducted 77 programs or activities that were attended by 13,295, and resulted in over 35,000 volunteer man-hours.
Four hundred and seven (407) Members requested and received 1,211 educational items valued at $27,070. That means only 16 per-cent of the members in the Gulf Coast Chapter area are requesting these materials. For Associate Members, this is what makes membership such a great value. Contact member services at 800-372-8236 to take advantage of these items that are at no cost to you.
There were 44 members who raised $6,138 for Lutheran organizations that was matched with another $6,138 from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
All totaled, over a quarter of a million dollars of assistance was received by congregations, organizations, and individuals through The Gulf Coast Chapter of Thrivent in 2004. (The actual total was $273,013.) Congratulations to all who helped make 2004 a great success. The goal now is to top that in 2005.
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CARE ABOUNDS IN COMMUNITIES™
During the first four months in 2005, thirteen thousand dollars ($13,000) has been requested by congregations and service teams for Care Abounds in Communities™ projects. To date, the chapter board has granted half of the requested funds upon completion of the project and, the other half being granted after December 1, 2005 provided the funds are still available. You may recall that the chapter was allocated over $23,000 for all of 2005.
CARE IN CONGREGATIONS®
Most congregations have at least $1,300 in Care In Congregations® funds available. Congregational Coordinators have until December to hold fund raisers, etc. to claim the funds for your congregation. Several congregations in the Gulf Coast region did not use their funds. This amounted to almost $20,000 that could have benefited the congregations. Reasons for not claiming the funds range from not having three congregational coordinators to just not doing anything. Now you have a chapter leader to help. Find out who that is in this issue of the Waves. (See the first article in this newsletter). Remember it's as easy as A-B-C, 1-2-3.
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| Gulf Coast Chapter Board Meetings are Set... |
...for the remainder of 2005. This will give congregational coordinators and community service teams notice of when the board will meet to act upon their requests. The board will meet at 6:30 p.m on the following dates: May 17 in Sinton; June 28 in Corpus Christi; August 2 in Sinton; September 13 in Corpus Christi; October 25 in Sinton; December 6 at a place to be determined. Mark your calendar now for the annual meeting and election of officers on November 12. We expect to return to the Back Street Cafe in Sinton for this year's annual meeting.
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May 15 is the deadline to register for the Gulf Coast Chapter's "Clean The Beach Day" on the National Seashore at Malaquite Beach. Contact the Chapter Youth Director, Pat Dachenhaus at (361) 854-6067 to register your group. Join Hands Day is an annual event sponsored by fraternal benefit societies to join youth and adults together in a community improvement work day. The chapter also plans another Join Hands Day on June 7th to assist the Corpus Christi Food Bank. Congregations are being asked to conduct a food drive at their church during the month of May, and turn out to assist board members, along with church leaders and youth for a work day at the food bank. If there is a food bank in your community, the food drive and work day should be for your area.
Congregational Coordinators will be receiving more information soon regarding the food drive in May. The work day at the food bank will be on June 7, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
We would like to thank the congregations that participated in the beach clean up last year. Pastors, youth and adults from: First Lutheran Church in Floresville, St Paul in San Antonio, St. Paul, Bishop, Trininty in Corpus Christi, Galilean in Corpus Christi, Faith in Aransas Pass, Abiding Savior in Corpus Chirsti, and Peace Lutheran in Rockport. Hope to see all of you again on June 4th for a little work, a little play, and a lot of food and drink.
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Members of the Chapter Leadership Board of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans have an option of serving 3 or 4 year terms on the leadership board. Should chapter leaders select 3 year terms they must then take a 1 year rest before being eligible to return. If a 4 year term is selected, the layoff is 2 years before being allowed to return. This year will be the third year for about half of the present board. So, as you can see, chapter leaders are needed. If not this year, then next year.
Usually, a chapter leader will spend between 4 to 10 hours a month in chapter activities. Most of that time taken at meetings of the board to take care of business as required, at least eight or more times a year. The rest of the time might be taken in activities to assist congregations or service teams. Make yourself known if you have an interest in any chapter leader position. Call Elaine Brundrett (361) 991-7947 to become a candidate as a future chapter leader in the Gulf Coast Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Chapter leaders will be elected at the annual meeting on November 12, 2005.
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Warning: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.
Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.
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Please direct comments or suggestions for this newsletter to The Communications Director of the Gulf Coast Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Email Jim Bixler at jimbixler@hotmail.com
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