Your congregation will soon be receiving ballots  to elect members of the Duluth Area Chapter Board of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.  Please coordinate your election, which should be held in October.  Notify Liz Pearson at pearson1127@gmail.com, or 218/724-4819, to report when your election will be held.  As a membership organization, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is unique to the financial services world in many ways. Our members choose who will represent them on the national board of directors governing the organization as well as choose their local chapter leadership board.

The election process is a very important way for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to demonstrate two required elements of a fraternal benefit society:

1. An active, viable chapter system that involves many members
2. A representative form of government.

                                                                  Why this matters:

Without this election process, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans would not qualify as a tax-exempt fraternal benefit society and would not be able to provide the benefits to needy individuals, congregations and communities that it does today.

We need your help raising funds for the Thrivent Builds project being held in our area this year.  Because Habitat for Humanity combined some of its chapters, the house that Thrivent is supporting this year is being built in Cloquet, but we want to help support this build with our financial and volunteer resources.  Our local Thrivent chapters are asked to contribute 10% of the cost of the build.

One of the simpler ways to raise funds for the build is to have a coffee hour with the proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity.  Another is to have Darryl Yankee from Habitat for Humanity (218 722-3875), speak to your congregation and bring some 2 X 6 timbers to your church.  For a donation of $10 or more, a person can sign the 2 X 6, which will be used in building the home.  

The Chapter Board leadership would like as many of you as possible to arrange for a fund-raiser for Habitat for Humanity within your congregation before the end of this year. Please call Liz Pearson at 218-724-4819 if you have questions - or ideas!

President   Rev Craig S Carlson                                           Communications Director  Julie Birman
708 Bong Blvd                                                                      2218 W 22nd St.
Duluth, MN 55811                                                                  Duluth, Mn 55811 .
(218) 722-8072                                                                       (218) 310-5261
ccarlson1919@charter.net                                                     juliebirman@hotmail.com

Vice President   Esther M North                                              Assistant Financial Director John Nys
1515 Stanford Ave                                                                  230 W. Superior St. Suite 800
Duluth, MN  55811                                                                  Duluth, MN  55802
(218) 727-1043                                                                      (218) 206-0284
enorth1515@hotmail.com                                                        jnys@duluthlaw.com

Records Director   Jane M B Olson                                          Community Service Team Director
3769 W Tischer Rd                                                                   Diane L. Koranda
Duluth, MN  55803                                                                     2190 S Pit Rd
(218) 724-2368                                                                        Makinen, MN  55763
janeolson@isp.com                                                                   (218) 638-1213
                                                                                                 diane.koranda@gmail.com
Financial Director    Eric Branson                                              
2526 E 1st St Apt 3                                                                   Youth Director Laura Hanson        
Duluth, MN  55812                                                                     411 Kenilworth Ave.
(218) 343-2953                                                                         Duluth, MN  55803
brans041@d.umn.edu                                                                (218) 724-8539
                                                                                                   
Congregational Service Team Director                                       Events Director Zelda Cherne
Elizabeth A Pearson                                                                   128 W Skyline Pkwy
1826 Kenwood Dr                                                                        Duluth, MN  55806
Duluth, MN  55811                                                                       (218) 390-5592
(218) 724-4819                                                                           zlc13@hotmail.com
pearson1127@gmail.com

Volunteer hours include all time spent by Thrivent Financial members and nonmembers:
- Planning, preparing for and working at all funded and locally supported chapter activities hosted by a Thrivent Financial chapter service team or the chapter leadership board, including travel time.
- Planning and preparing for chapter business meetings (e.g. preparing agendas, reporting, purchasing supplies).
- Attending chapter business meetings.

Time spent attending activities does not count as volunteer hours.

For more information on volunteer hours and reporting, please refer to CHIP, the online chapter resource guide, located at www.thrivent.com/chip and search on "volunteer hours."