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Four page newsletter: 2009 No. 2
Four page newsletter: 2009 No. 2
 
Gulf Coast Chapter, The Wave..........
Get Set for Join Hands Day on June 6

For the past four years the Gulf Coast Chapter has had a great time, and great participation in cleaning up The Padre Island National Seashore on Malaquite Beach.  Perhaps you are new to Thrivent Financial, and are not clear on what Join Hands Day is all about.


Join Hands Day is a national volunteer day sponsored by America's fraternal benefit societies. This annual event generates awareness about what grassroots volunteerism can do in communities across the nation, while also bringing youth and adults together to build lasting friendships across generations.


Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and our members have been strong supporters of this event since its start in 2000. Thrivent chapters conduct nearly 3,000 Join Hands Day activities nationwide annually, resulting in nearly 590,000 volunteer hours of service.


The Gulf Coast Chapter will be returning to the Padre Island National Seashore at Malaquite Beach on Saturday, June 6th for our annual beach clean up. Bring your youth and adults to join hands for a morning of fun, fellowship and food.  You get all of that for just a little bit of work.


Contact Raymond Brundrett at 361-991-7947 and begin registering your group.  Please pre-register your group with Raymond in order to get a count on the number to feed at lunch time.  After participants sign in, the Park Rangers will have some special instructions for us, then we'll pick up beach trash until about noon, and enjoy some food off of the grill. The more youth and adults we have the more fun it is.  Your congregation will be receiving a special registration form. We hope to see you for this annual event.


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Thriving Around the World

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has committed $1.7 million to Habitat for Humanity for the *Thrivent Builds Worldwide Gulf Coast Community to build an additional 28 new Thrivent Builds home in the area in 2009. Around Texas, homes are being built in Bellville, Bryan, Plano and Conroe.  


During April homes are scheduled to be built in Fort Worth.  In September more Habitat builds will take place in Fort Worth, Dickinson and Rosenberg. Anyone interested in participating in these builds should contact Karen LiBassi at 866-525-7017, or you can email her at Karen.libassi@thrivent.com.


Maybe you would like to take a trip, experience a new culture, change lives in South Dakota or El Salvador.


Imagine life for a child who has no decent place to lay their head at night.  While many of us have cut back on the “extras” in our life, there are families in our world who don’t even have basic shelter. You can do something. Join Thrivent Financial members and other volunteers to help a family build a home in Eagle Butte, South Dakota or El Salvador.  



El Salvador


Trip Leader: Suzanne Kocurek, suzanne.kocurek@thrivent.com, 713-974-2843.
Date: November, 2009.  Thrivent member cost: $710 plus airfare


After Suzanne’s 2008 trip to El Salvador she said, “It was life changing.  I traveled to El Salvador with strangers and came back home with friends.  Working side by side with the El Salvador people, I witnessed firsthand the appreciation and thankfulness of people who have so little.  We worked hard, but also worshipped, danced, shared food and fellowship with each other.”  




Eagle Butte, SD


Trip Leader: Layne Hoppe, lhoppe@satx.rr.com, 830-557-5710
Dates: August 8 -15, 2009.  Thrivent members cost: $926 plus airfare


Experience another culture in your own country, helping Native Americans on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation renovate their reservation homes.  And, to add to your cultural awareness, you will be invited to a traditional meal, a remote buffalo ranch on the reservation, and a native spiritual ceremony in a sweat lodge.


If you have previous mission trip experience and are interested in leading a trip to another destination such as Mississippi, New Mexico, W. Virginia, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Hungary or Macedonia, contact Karen LiBassi.  If selected as a leader, trip expenses are covered (except for airfare).


Contact: karen.libassi@thrivent.com, 866-525-7017 and visit: http://www.thriventbuilds.com/worldwide/index.html


Let's show the world how we Thrive


*Thrivent Builds is a $125 million alliance that brings members of Thrivent Financial together with Lutheran congregations, other volunteers, Habitat affiliates and host communities to build simple, decent, affordable homes with and for families in need


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Congratulations to Coordinator Training Award Recipients

March 14th was the date for congregational coordinators in the Gulf Coast Region to gather at St. John Lutheran Church in Robstown for the annual coordinator training.  Special recognition for the number of activities held in 2008 went to Peace Lutheran Church in Rockport and Fishers of Families in Portland. The Women of the Churh at St. John prepared a delicious barbecue lunch.
This year's goal is to engage and involve more members in 2009 that we did in 2008.
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Gulf Coast Chapter Awarded 2008 Chapter of Excellence

Every year since the Chapter of Excellence program was initiated, the Gulf Coast Chapter has qualified for the award.  For 2008 our chapter shared the distinction with other Texas Chapters in the region.  Thrivent Financial for Lutherans singles out those chapters that demonstrate exemplary service to their members, dedication to their communities through volunteerism, and outstanding use of Care program dollars.  The award for 2008 was presented to the Brazos River Chapter, Dallas-Tarrant County Chapter, East Bexar County Chapter, Fort Bend-Wharton County Chapter, Northeast Houston Chapter, Piney Woods Chapter, Williamson County Chapter, and what we refer to as the 'git er done chapter' - The Gulf Coast Chapter.


Congratulations to our Chapter Leaders who worked so diligently to maintain Chapter of Excellence status.


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How About Nicaragua

The Coastal Bend Conference is undertaking a mission building project in Nicaragua.  A large percentage of the funding needed has been raised, and a team is being assembled to complete the building this summer.  Here's your chance to help a Lutheran congregation in Ojoche, Nicaragua build a facility that will serve as a school and Lutheran Church.


Estimated cost for the trip is $1,500.00 which includes your round trip air fare.  To receive more information or to join in the group contact Cecilia Rhoades at 361-853-8140 or Wanda Garcia at 361-387-9481.


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Visit our Chapter website at www.lutheransonline.com/gulfcoastchapter

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HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THRIVENT FINANCIAL FOR LUTHERANS?  Plenty of answers are available at www.thrivent.com.  Click around all the links at this website and you'll become a Thrivent expert.


HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE GULF COAST CHAPTER OF THRIVENT FINANCIAL FOR LUTHERANS?
Visit our website at www.lutheransonline.com/gulfcoast chapter to see our chapter leaders information.  Read about activities from the past and what's on tap for the future.  Keep up to date with chapter activities.
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Tell Us Your Story...........

................if you have a story to share about members or financial representatives helping others, or just a good Thrivent story in general, let us know.  Tell us in two easy steps:


                                                   1. Go to www.thrivent.com/stories, then


                                                   2. Fill in the information


Tell us how you THRIVE with Thrivent.


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Breaking news:


The man who fell into the upholstery machine is fully recovered.
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Done
 

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Contact Us
800-THRIVENT
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Insurance products issued or offered by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, WI. Not all products are available in all states. Products issued by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans are available to applicants who meet membership, insurability, U.S. citizenship and residency requirements. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55415, a FINRA and SIPC member and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Thrivent Financial representatives are registered representatives of Thrivent Investment Management Inc. They are also licensed insurance agents of Thrivent Financial.