The Board of Directors of the Owatonna Chapter of Thrivent Financial invite you to a Sunday dinner.  The dinner will be held at 1:00 on April 24, 2005 at the VFW (Hugo Matejcek Post # 3723) at 135 West Oakdale Street in Owatonna.  The cost per member will be $4.00 (less than half the cost of the meal).

We hope you'll come!

In addition to the meal (baked chicken and beef roast plus trimmings) there will be a short program during which we will introduce the Owatonna Chapter of Thrivent Financial Congregational Coordinators.  There will be door prizes and gifts.

We need you to respond...an RSVP please

In an envelope addressed to Cherry Schwartz, 100 Shady Avenue, Owatonna, MN 55060 please include the following (please mail prior to April 15):
    1.  A 3 X 5 card with your name and the names of those coming to the dinner with you.  
    2.  A check ($4.00 X _____, including yourself and the number of persons coming with you, equals _____total)  made out to the Owatonna Chapter of Thrivent Financial.

We're looking forward to seeing you and being able to personally say, "Thank you" for all you do.

David Thomas
.....was elected the Vice President of the Owatonna Chapter of Thrivent Financial (451-9466).

Joan (Reiter) Mosher
.....was elected the Records Director of the Owatonna Chapter of Thrivent Financial.  Born and raised in Owatonna, MN Joan graduated from Owatonna High School in 1959.  She has done administrative assistant work for more than 40 years - - 28 years of that was spent at Jostens.  Joan is a member of the Board of Directors of the Woman's Club of Owatonna.  As part of the WCO she is also a member of a group known as "Pantry Secrets".  She enjoys genealogy and she enjoys being a member of a Red Hat group.  Joanie and her husband Chuck are retired.  They have two sons who live in the Twin Cities.  Her   telephone number is 451-7242.

Gary David Gilderhus
.....was elected the Financial Director of the Owatonna Chapter of Thrivent Financial.  He was baptized and confirmed in Marshall Lutheran Church in Adams, MN.  Gary is a 1974 graduate of Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, with a B.A. in accounting.  His employment history includes…Reese, Winter and Erickson CPA – Northfield MN; P & M Construction – Northfield, MN; Gopher Sport – Owatonna MN; and, Budget Oil Co. – Owatonna MN.  He is a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Owatonna where he serves as the Secretary of the Church Council and as a member of the Stewardship committee.  Because all application forms are to be returned to him we list the following:  120 18th Place N.E., Owatonna, MN 55060, telephone 455-1311, e-mail – gilderhus@ll.net

Dave Kenow
.....was elected the Assistant Financial Director of the Owatonna Chapter of Thrivent Financial.  He was born and raised in Faribault, MN and moved to Owatonna, MN in 1962 where he worked for Jostens, Inc until 1968 when he joined Truth Hardware Corporation and remained with them until December, 2004 when he retired.  His last position with them was that of Vice President of Human Resources.  Dave and his wife Gloria have four children, their son Peter and his family live in Seward, Nebraska, daughter Laura lives in McMinnville, Oregon, daughter Angela and her family lives in Medford, MN and daughter Merry lives in Bemidji, MN.  His telephone number is 451-6941.

Russell Rudolf
.....was elected the Owatonna Chapter of Thrivent Financial Congregational Service Team Director.  He is a native of Zeeland, ND - graduated from Wishek High School in 1951(Wishek,ND)...received his B.A from Wartburg College (Waverly, IA) in 1955.  Prior to spending a year of internship in San Diego, CA Russell Rudolf spent a year in the School of Speech at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL).  He received his Master's in Theology from Wartburg Theological Seminary (Dubuque, IA) in 1960.  He has served parishes at Raymond, MN (St. John Lutheran), Mankato, MN (Bethlehem Lutheran), and in Owatonna, MN (St. John Lutheran).  He retired in 1995.  His telephone number is 451-8911.

Dean Christianson
.....was elected the Owatonna Chapter of Thrivent Financial Community Service Team Director.  A native of southern Minnesota,Dean was born and raised on farm southwest of Blooming Prairie. He graduated from the Southern School of Agriculture in Waseca in 1957.  He received a B.A. from Luther College in 1961 and a B.S. from the University of Minnesota in 1967.  He has worked in accounting both in industry and in public accounting, including holding his CPA.  He has worked for several companies in the Owatonna area including as controller of the Owatonna Canning Co. and in public accounting with Judd, Ostermann & Demro, LTD.  He retired in 2004.  His telephone number is 451-2278.

Cherry (Schneider) Schwartz
.....was elected as the Owatonna Chapter of Thrivent Financial Events Director.  She was born on the Fourth of July.  She attended country school and graduated from Winona H.S.  She completed degrees at Mankato State University in English and Home Economics.  She has an English as a Second Language (ESL) Licensure from Hamline University.
.....She has taught at Plainview Public Schools, St Mary's Elementary and Marian Junior High in Owatonna and the Owatonna Public Schools.  She has been an instructor for the U. of MN. and St. Catherine's.  She is currently the  senior staff member of the ESL dept. for the Owatonna Public Schools and is assigned to both McKinley and Washington Elementaries.  Her telephone number is 451-6676.

Marlene Camilli
.....was elected as the Owatonna Chapter of Thrivent Financial Communications Director. She was born and raised in Rock Rapids, Iowa.  Marlene graduated from Morningside College, Sioux City, IA, with a BS degree followed by teaching junior and senior high school in Golden, CO, and Montpelier, OH.  She moved to Owatonna in 1975 with husband, Wayne, and 3 children.  For past 15 years was employed with Steele County Human Services.  Now retired and enjoying grandchildren, travel and setting my own schedule.  Her telephone number is 451-7292

    Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a major supporter of this special day. Last year, members had a ball conducting more than 3,000 activities across the country, everything from cleaning up city parks to helping seniors. The ideas were limited only by the imagination.

    Eight of the 20 activities chosen in 2004 by the Join Hands Day Foundation for Awards of Excellence were conducted by Thrivent Financial members. The planning groups received $1,000 each to be used for this year’s Join Hands Day activities and a distinctive glass award.  We encourage you to consider conducting a Join Hands Day activity and helping our community. Find a need, form a service team of individuals from six separate Thrivent Financial households, and contact one of our chapter leaders to see how we can help you. We have many resources to help make your activity great, such as:
- A Quick Reference Guide/Checklist that includes everything you’d need to know to conduct a successful Join Hands Day activity and receive funding from the chapter.
- Promotional items to help you recruit volunteers and publicize your activity for optimum attendance.
- Funding to purchase T-shirts, refreshments, supplies and more.

    While chapter service teams are encouraged to conduct Join Hands Day activities on May 7, they may conduct activities between April 1 and June 30. (However, only activities held on May 7 will be considered for national recognition by Join Hands Day.)

A Pentecost Vesper
The National Lutheran Choir

(This choir consists of 80 voices most of whom are professional musicians and most of whom have sung in a major college choir.  They rehearse weekly in Minneapolis.  Some have driven as far as 200 miles weekly to attend the rehearsals.  The Vesper will consist of a variety of favorite hymns with some participation by those sitting in the pews.)

Director and organist – Dr. David Cherwien
Saturday – May 14, 2005 – 7:00 p.m.

St. John Lutheran
1301 Lincoln Avenue SE
Owatonna, MN 55060

The ticket price of $16.00 or $12.00 is reduced to $8.00 for Thrivent Financial members with the use of a coupon that may be picked up from your Congregational Coordinator or from your Church office after April 24, 2005

Send your check ($8.00 X number of people – include a coupon for each person) for tickets prior to May 1, 2005 to R. Rudolf, 616 11th Street SE, Owatonna, MN 55060.  The tickets will be held for you at St. John Lutheran to pick up the evening of the Vesper.