President:  Paul Garrett is a retired accountant with 34 years experience with BP.  He has been an active member of Peace Lutheran Church in Texas City for 20 years.  He serves as the Chairman of the Board of Elders.   He is very active in Bible Study and in the Journey Bethlehem which Peace conducts each year at Christmas time for the community.  Paul is married to Dorothy and has three children, Troy, Dean and Jennifer.

Vice-President:  Pattye Morton lives in Clear Lake with her husband of 15 years and their 10 yr. old daughter Julia. They attend Faith Lutheran Church Dickinson. Pattye, currently serves as the Youth Coordinator for the Galveston County Thrivent Financial Chapter. She co-founded a unique Christmas gift program called "Teen TO Teen" that has been highly successful in providing holiday gifts to needy teenagers who reside in the greater Clear Lake area. She currently works as a hospice social worker with Regency Hospice in League City.

Records Director:  Dr. MaryAnn Waldon is retired after 39 years in the teaching field, 14 in Elementary School and 25 at Texas Southern University.  She is a lifetime Lutheran and has been a member of Hope Lutheran for 30 years.  She has served as president of two state organizations in Texas: The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, Alpha State and the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children.    She is married and has five children , two step children and twelve grandchildren.    She serves as President of the Zone of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League,  as Stephen Ministry Leader at Hope and the Prayer Circle Leader.  She is presently doing consultant work in education.

Financial Director:  Sheryl Holland lives with her husband in Texas City and assists in operating their business, Texas Air Services in Dickinson.  They have two grown children.  Sheryl is a member of Memorial Lutheran in Texas City and served this past year to complete the term of Community Service Team Director.  Sheryl has also served as treasurer of the Women of ELCA, Texas – Louisiana Synod of the Gulf Coast and is currently vice-president of that group.

Congregational Service Team Director:  Sandra Devall is a life time Lutheran, native Houstonian and retired school teacher.  She is a member of Faith Lutheran in Dickinson where she serves on the council for Evangelism, serves as the Sunday School Curriculum Coordinator, and the new member coordinator.  She and Bill, her husband, have six grown children, ten grandchildren and one great grandchild.  She has a passion for single parent families and spends her volunteer time in the community towards that effort.  She is a master gardener and for quiet time she reads, water colors and hugs her grandchildren.

Assistant Financial Director:  Raegan Mayville is a member of Peace Lutheran in Texas City who serves in a special Christmas project, “Journey to Bethlehem.”  She is married to Don and has one son, James.  She has served as the Congregation Coordinator for Peace and  works for a phone company in Houston.

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. If you used the program in the past, please review the site for excellent enhancements made to the 2005 program, which allow even more members to make an even greater impact to the organizations they support through their gifts.

Although congregations are not eligible recipients for the Care Abounds in Communities program, remember that service teams still can use the program to help an eligible recipient.

For more information on this program, please visit CHIP (CHapter Information Place) located in your Congregational Coordinator Only area of Members/Chapters at Thrivent.com. A printable version of the complete guidebook for this program is also available in the Volunteer Resources section of Members/Chapters.

For members who are interested see your Congregation Coordinator.  There are three Congregational Coordinators for each Congregation.

The Board of 2005 wishes you a wonderfully blessed Christmas.  Contact any member if you have questions or concerns.