Our Fort Bend-Wharton Chapter received the Chapter of Excellence Award for the third year in a row. The annual award is given to chapters that accomplish fifteen of eighteen goals set by the region. These goals designed to gauge how effective the chapter is in serving the community.  

Among those goals are: construction of a Habitat For Humanity home in Rosenberg through the Thrivent Builds program, and raising more than three times the matching funds allocated for the chapter. We were allocated $23,855 in matching funds while we raised $111.030.
· Eleven articles and photos were published in local newspapers highlighting the chapter’s activities.
· Congregations spent nearly all of their Care in Congregations matching funds while raising nearly twice as much in the churches and the community.
· We successfully submitted a candidate for Volunteer of the Year.

Each congregation needs to have a minimum of three designated Thrivent Congregational Coordinators. One of those coordinators is designated lead coordinator and must have computer online access to conduct business and lead activities. If a congregation does not have three coordinators they will not be able to get Care in Congregations funds for projects. Thrivent lists the following congregations as having less than three coordinators: St. Martin, Trinity, St. John, Living Word and Hope. Please contact Sean Gutierrez our Congregation Service Team Coordinator at 281-341-6630 for assistance, or call any other chapter leader.

. St. Paul Lutheran in Wharton had a bake sale and noisy offering to support the drilling a water well in the impoverished community of Gedamba in Ethiopia. The project which raised $2918 plus $1000 in matching funds is coordinated through Water 2 Thrive of Austin Texas, in a partnership with Thrivent Financial.
· The Youth of Joy Lutheran in Richmond held a BBQ Brisket sale and car wash to raise funds for a national youth gathering trip and outreach. Sunday, May 2nd, at 6:30 pm people were knocking on the church door looking for BBQ. Both activities raised over $4000 plus $1000 in matching funds from Thrivent.

· Faith Lutheran Sugar Land raised a total of $1882 plus $1000 in matching funds to support a missionary family with extraordinary uncovered medical bills.

· The folks at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Rosenberg are continuing their care packages for overseas military personnel project under the leadership of Doris Dahse. The chapter has allocated $1000 in support of assembling and mailing 150 kits with the niceties and necessities that the troops appreciate.

· The quilters at St. Paul Rosenberg are being supported by the chapter with $500 to help offset the cost to make numerous quilts for shelters and fundraising.

· The chapter allocated $500 for the planting of flowers at the dedication of the Ben Powell Family Waiting area at the Krause Center in Katy. On Saturday May 2nd over 40 of Ben’s friends and family met to plant annuals, dedicate the lovely waiting area and remember a wonderful servant of the Lord.

· The T.W. Davis YMCA golf tournament benefiting low income children was held at the Pecan Grove Country Club in March. Over $50000 was raised to support Y youth programs for kids who would not be able to afford them otherwise.

· The chapter contributed $500 to the Empty Bowls fund-raiser sponsored by East Fort Bend Human Needs of Stafford. The simple soup and bread supper was held at First Methodist of Sugar Land as a reminder of how many in our area have only the basics of life to exist on.

· Lutheran Social Services of the South is sponsoring its 20th annual Tomorrows Child Golf fund-raiser June 15th at the Pine Forest Country Club in Houston. Funds raised will benefit youth the Krause Center in Katy. The goal for the event this year is to raise $170,000 to which the chapter has allocated $1000 in matching funds.

· We are in the process of the Baby Bottle Boomerang Project to raise funds for the Pregnancy Resource Centers in Rosenberg and Sugar land. About 500 empty bottles have been distributed to ten of our chapter churches for families to fill with loose change, bills and checks for the centers. The bottles were sent out Mothers day and will be collected Fathers Day. The PRC provides a wide range of services for pregnant women. Their mission is to prevent abortion by offering women the information, emotional support, spiritual encouragement and practical help that will empower them to choose life for their child and sexual integrity for themselves. The operating budget for the mostly volunteer centers is $115,000

annually plus investments of over $110,000 in program and facilities. Services include pregnancy testing, information, parenting classes, mommy store, sexual integrity training, abortion recovery counseling, and community resource referrals.

· The Taste of Sugar Land fall festival sponsored by East Fort Bend Human Needs is scheduled for Sunday November at the Marriott in Sugar land Town Plaza. The festival includes continuous entertainment, silent and live auctions and some of the very best food from 20+local restaurants. The appetizers and auction preview start at 4:00 pm, the ballroom opens for tasting at 5:00 pm. EFBHN is a key provider of goods and services for low income families.

This year the Chapter had $19,644 in matching funds allocated to it. About $4000 less that last year. Consequently, we have been allocating a maximum of $1000 on matching funds to projects rather than the $1500 maximum allowed. As of June we have around $9000 remaining to allocate. Requests may be communicated through congregation coordinators or directly to the chapter leadership. Care in Communities Projects are approved by the chapter leadership in contrast to the Care in Congregations projects which are approved by congregation coordinators.