Four page newsletter: Hudson Valley NY Thrivent chapter Newsletter, Spring 2008| Four page newsletter: Hudson Valley NY Thrivent chapter Newsletter, Spring 2008 | | |
| Hudson Valley NY Chapter, Hudson Valley NY Thrivent Chapter Newsletter, Spring 2008 |
| Introducing Your Chapter Leadership Board for 2008 |
Here is your Chapter Leadership Board for 2008. Please feel free to contact us for more information on how to utilize your Thrivent Financial connection to help your church and community.
We welcome all Thrivent members from our Chapter to join us for our monthly meetings, and also invite you to consider joining our Chapter Leadership Board. A few of the positions that we would like to fill are Communications Director, Community Service Team Director, Youth Director, Events Director. There is also room for Chapter Board members without specific titles. Please contact one of your Board Members if you or someone you know feels the tug of the Holy Spirit to serve on this Chapter Board. Thank You!
President: Stephen Fardig, 199 Pearl Street, Kingston, NY 12401 (845) 338-1559 vze48gh2@verizon.net
Vice President: LeRoi Armstead, 8 Walnut Hill Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 (845) 452-8342 leroi.armstead2@gmail.com
Records Director: Sharon Wuttke, 1040 Codwise Street, Kingston, NY 12401 (845) 336-6832 esw12401@verizon.net
Financial Director: David Adler, 111 Erikas Walk, Mount Tremper, NY 12457 (845) 679-5328 dadler@chirstwoodstock.org
Congregation Service Team Director: Janice Viola, 19 Monell Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 jviola9@aol.com
Thrivent Builds Chapter Specialist: Ernst Mossl, 265 Patura Road, Modena, NY 12548 (845) 883-9061 Emossl@yahoo.com
Financial Associate Advisor: Deborah Kress, 46 Lamb Avenue, Saugerties, NY 12477 (845) 246-1026 deb.kress@thrivent.com
| Care Abounds In Communities® (CAIC) |
Through the Care Abounds in Communities® chapter Care program, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans provides funding for members participating in community service teams. These teams are formed to conduct fund-raising activities and/or hands-on service activities. Activities can benefit individuals, families, local communities or organizations that are exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, excluding congregations. (This includes charitable, educational and religious organizations, excluding congregations.) Activity requests for funding are directed to the chapter leadership board. Applications are available at http://www.lutheransonline.com/hudsonvalleynychapter or contact a Board member listed above. Qualifying requests are awarded on the bases 1:3 (one dollar for each three raised), subject to approval by the Hudson Valley Chapter Board.
In 2007 the Hudson Chapter funded 22 CAIC projects. Three of the projects supported families with extraordinary needs. They included one family who lost everything in a flood, another family lost a father, and yet another family's mother was severely disabled in a car accident. Projects that supported children included an auction to support the Children's Annex, a special needs school; yard sale to benefit The Integrated Early Child Network through the Resource Center for Accessible Living to fund camp scholarships for special needs children; A Golf Tournament raised funds for scholarships to Koinonia Summer Camp; the March of Champions Drum Corp Show raised funds for the Kingston Children's Home; Mittens were knit and sent to the Navaho Indians in Arizona; Community Carnival was held to encourage family participation in church; Liberty Community Fair proceeds purchased school supplies for needy children; and Raising Hope Concert and a trunk sale supported an Aids Orphanage in Kenya. Other projects included a golf outing whose purpose was to strengthen partnership between pastors, teachers and administrators; support for the Faithful Folk ministry; Bake Sale to support victims of the tornados in Florida; Bread for the World fundraiser and letter campaign to fund World Hunger.
In 2007 we completed another successful project with Habitat for Humanity in Newburgh, providing a home for the Mejia family at 105 Washington Street. You can see a photo progress report of the build at http://thriventbuildsnewburgh.org/, click on the '2007 Build' tab.
Thank you to everyone who volunteered for the project or providing financial support, either individually or through congregation fund-raisers.
Our chapter was approved for a new Thrivent Builds project in 2008 and we are excited to get started on this shortly. The kick-off meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 16 at 1PM. More information can be found at the Habitat Newburgh web site at http://www.habitatnewburgh.org/events/upcoming.htm.
We look forward to your help either working on the project directly or through your financial support.
One of the criteria for the Thrivent Builds project is that 50 percent of the volunteer hours be provided by Lutherans and half of these hours be provided by Thrivent members. We can also get credit for your volunteer hours working on one of the many non-Thrivent Builds Habitat projects in Newburgh.
Contact David Adler, dadler@christwoodstock.org for more information.
| Congregational Coordinator News |
Get to know your congregation better and be a Blessing to them as well. Become a Congregational Coordinator for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans for your church. It is not a hard job. In this volunteer position, the Thrivent benefit member of associate member can help to plan events to obtain supplemental funds from Thrivent to benefit your congregation. Each congregation needs three coordinators. At least one should have e-mail access. Together, you can plan how to use $1,300 to $1,600 allocated to each Lutheran Church per year from Thrivent. If this money is not used, it is lost to that church. As a coordinator you can obtain a list of members in your church and seek volunteers from that list for the six Thrivent families needed for each project. This money can be used for many different purposes. Be one of the decision makers - volunteer now!
Congregational Coordinators are the only ones who can order Baptismal Medallions and Confirmation Crosses for their congregation.
In 2007 the Hudson Valley Chapter gave each congregation in the chapter $100 to spend at the Thrivent Store for paper supplies (plates, cups, napkins). GOOD NEWS - the Hudson Valley Chapter is giving the same offer for 2008. Congregational Coordinators will be receiving more information.
| Update Information On-Line |
At your fingertips: Update your church and e-mail information on thrivent.com.
Have you recently moved or changed your e-mail address or church membership? If yes, you now have an easy and quick way to not only ensure the information Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has on file for you is accurate, but to also update it – immediately!
The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Web site now has a secure page to review and update this information – with just a few clicks of the mouse.
Go to www.thrivent.com and click on Your Accounts. Enter your User ID and Password (first-time users will need to complete an easy one-time registration) to access the My Accounts page, which provides a comprehensive financial summary of your Thrivent Financial products.
Click “Edit My Page” and a screen will appear showing your name, address, phone number(s), e-mail, church membership information and more. Click on the “Update” link to change any wrong or outdated information, such as where you have church membership.
You also can review and update information on other Thrivent Financial members who reside in your household (e.g., spouse and children).
If you do not have Internet access but need to update information, please contact your Thrivent Financial representative or Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and they will be happy to help you.
| Upcoming - Join Hands Day |
Ninth Annual Join Hands Day, May 3, 2008. Join hands, improve the community while having fun.
We encourage you to participate in Join Hands Day. This national day of volunteering is sponsored by America's fraternal benefit societies, including Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, to generate awareness about the impact of grasssroots volunteerism. It encourages youth and adults to come together to identify, plan and conduct activities to improve their communities.
In 2007, the Hudson Valley Chapter supported two projects: Work Day at Camp Koinonia; Project at Hillcrest House in Poughkeepsie, meal prepared and served and gift bags distributed.
This year two projects are scheduled: Camp Koinonia Work Day on May 17th. Anyone interested in helping, contact Camp Koinonia; Redeemer Lutheran Church of Kingston will hold a Work Day at Ten Broeck Commons Nursing Home on May 3rd.
Defensive Driving Course (DDC) will be held on July 18th & 25th , 6:15 – 9:15 pm at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 22 Livingston, Kingston. Cost to Thrivent members - $27.50. The Hudson Valley Thrivent Chapter is providing DDC materials and refreshment. To sign up or for more information, contact Marie Steipp at Immanuel Lutheran Church at 331-3090. Space is limited.
| Volunteer Excellence Award |
Pastor Tobias Anderson of Pearl River, NY, has been awarded the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Northeast Region Volunteer Excellence Award in the families with children category.
Thrivent Financial selected Pastor Anderson for this honor because of his dedication to helping others through volunteerism and service using Thrivent Financial programs in 2007. During the year, he was instrumental in guiding the chapter to conduct training/appreciation events to help Thrivent branding and building relationships. He was the sole experienced chapter leader and agreed to shepherd the new board in spite of increased work and family responsibilities.
Thrivent Financial provided $250 in Pastor Anderson's name to Faithful Folk, a folk band, the charitable organization of his choice. As a regional winner, he will be automatically included as a nominee for Thrivent Financial's National Volunteer Excellence Award. National winners will be announced during National Volunteer Week in April.
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