The Lancaster County Chapter Board of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans met on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Office, 7431 ‘O’ Street, and Lincoln, NE. President Jeff Peterson called the regular monthly chapter meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. and opened with prayer. Board members in attendance included: Jeff Peterson, Shane Larsen, Jan Beck, Kristy Plander, Tyler Frost, Judy Janssen, Sally Mertens and Roger Simmons. Advisory Board members present included: Margaret Simmons, Patty Stradley, Linda Stubbendick and Phil Wittig. Guests present included: Lavern Thomas, Ray Bossing and Arnette Garris, Financial Representative.

Reports

Records Director: The minutes of the October 28, 2008 meeting were distributed to the Board members prior to the November 16th Chapter Retreat but no action was taken. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve the October 28th minutes as corrected. The motion passed. The correction was that Project #08-30242-64 was for Cedars Home and in Project #08-30242-72 when funding was amended the recipient was listed at Friendship Home. The October 28th minutes have been corrected.

The minutes of the November 16th meeting held during the Chapter Retreat were distributed to Board members prior to this meeting. The November minutes were presented by Jan Beck and approved as printed and distributed.

The minutes of the December 4th meeting held after the Financial Associates Reception were distributed to Board members prior to this meeting. The December minutes were presented by Jan Beck and approved as printed and distributed.

New Chapter Members: New Chapter members were last approved at the October 28, 2008 Chapter meeting. The motion was made by Jan Beck and seconded by Sally Mertens to admit into membership of the Lancaster County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans from October 27, 2008 through January 25, 2009 – 94 Benefit members, 9 Associate members and 19 Youth members for a total of 122 members. The motion passed.

Correspondence: Thank you notes from recent Care Abounds in Community (CAIC) projects were received from Tabitha Meals on Wheels, Mary (Knoche) Trautwein benefit, Matt Talbot Kitchen, Cards and Care Packages for Military and Camp Carol Joy Holling (Chapter Service Project) and passed around to Board members.

Financial Director: The Chapter financial report for December was distributed to Board members prior to end of December 2008. Financial Director, Kristy Plander, informed the Board that the financial records were being audited during this meeting. The Audit Committee appointed included: Jodi Groeteke (chairman), Gary Heinicke and Doug Weishahn. The Audit Committee will report their findings to the Board.

Kristy Planer presented a request to the Board to replace the clock given to Calvary Lutheran Church this past year as a gift for hosting a Chapter meeting. The Congregational Coordinator had informed her that the clock was not working. The motion was made by Kristy Plander and seconded by Roger Simmons to replace the clock. The motion passed.

Kristy Plander reported that the Chapter would receive $10,000 in Operating Funds for calendar year 2009 and $62,132 in Care Abounds in Communities (CAIC) funds for calendar year 2009. She stated that this amount was about 20 per cent less than received in 2008. At this meeting the amount of Care in Congregations funds per congregation was unknown. Tyler Frost was elected at the annual meeting last October and will be serving as Assistant Financial Director.

Kristy presented copies of the Operating Funds budget for 2009 and explained changes from the 2008 budget based on expenses incurred and planned activities. The motion was made by Kristy Plander and seconded by Roger Simmons to approve the budget as presented. The motion passed.

Vice President: Shane Larson did not have a report but commented on the Thrivent Celebration held at the Cornhusker Marriott hotel on January 24th and 25th. The event was a success and well attended by our Chapter Board members.

Events Director: Judy Janssen reported that the Volunteer Recognition Committee had met and was working on the Volunteer Recognition Breakfast to be held at Lincoln Lutheran on Saturday, April 25th. The invitation to nominate a volunteer from each of the congregations in our Lancaster County chapter has been sent to the congregational coordinator. The committee is also in the process in securing a speaker for the event.

Communications Director: President Jeff has appointed Harold Sutter to the 2009 Lancaster County Chapter Board as Communication Director. The motion was made and seconded to approve the Harold Sutter as Communications Director. The motion passed. Margaret Simmons, advisory member and past communication director, will be working with Harold during this calendar year.

Youth Director: Sally Mertens reported that she wanted to get more involvement in the Join Hands Day event from the Chapter congregations. Kristy reported that 2009 funding for Join Hands Day would be $500 rather than $1000 as it was in past years.

Congregational Service Team Director: Vicki Onken was not in attendance at the meeting. On behalf of Vicki, Kristy reported that the Congregation Coordinator Training would not be held in February as in past years. They have plans to change the congregational coordinators training this year and need more time to prepare. Details of the training will be presented at the February Chapter meeting.

President: Jeff thanked Board members for their attendance at the recent Thrivent Celebration. He announced that he is seeking an Internet Director and is open to suggestions from the Board for individuals to contact for that position.

On December 31, 2008 Jeff emailed Board members with a request from Dennis Engelbart concerning an opportunity to help fund a member awareness event taking place on Monday, January 19, 2009. The motion was made and seconded to contribute $1,000 from our remaining 2008 Operating Funds to help fund ‘Prep Classic Basketball Event’ hosted by the Nebraska Region of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The event was held at the Quest Center in Omaha with the students (one boys game; one girls game) from Lincoln Lutheran and Omaha Concordia Lutheran participating in the competition. The motion was passed in an email vote. The motion was made by Kristy Plander and seconded by Sally Mertens to ratify the email that occurred prior to this meeting. The motion to ratify the vote passed.

Thrivent Builds Specialist: Linda Stubbendick reported the Brent Stehlik had resigned his position as Thrivent Builds treasurer due to commitments in his congregation. Ray Bossung (sp) has been appointed to that position as Brent’s replacement. Linda announced that two Habitat for Humanity homes will be built in Lancaster County (Lincoln) during 2009. The funding expected from Lancaster County churches is $24,475.

Community Service Team Director: Roger Simmons has received 23 Care Abounds in Community (CAIC) project requests prior to this meeting. Prior to Roger presenting the project requests due to the reduced amount of funding for CAIC projects the Board reviewed and discussed the guidelines for 2009, including the amount of funding per project and the number of projects that an organization can present during calendar year 2009. The motion was made by Kristy Plander and seconded by Sally Mertens to leave the number of project requests from an organization the same but to amend the guidelines to approve up to $600 per request from organizations and up to $2000 per request for individuals. The motion passed. The guideline for the number of project requests for an organization was left at six per calendar year. The ratio of funding projects will remain at 1:1 as in past years.

Project #09-30242-001: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Orphan Grain Train-Lincoln Division. The event will be held on March 22, 2009 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Beatrice and is titled ‘St. Paul’s-Beatrice Wisconsin Style Fish Feed (WSFF), The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-002: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Orphan Grain Train-Division. The event will be held on March 27, 2009 at Grace Lutheran Church in Franklin and is titled ‘Grace-Franklin Wisconsin Style Fish Feed (WSFF), The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-003: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Orphan Grain Train-Lincoln Division. The event will be held on July 11, 2009 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Hampton and is titled ‘St. Peter’s - Hampton Wisconsin Style Fish Feed (WSFF), The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-004: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Orphan Grain Train-Lincoln Division. The event will be held on August 9, 2009 and is the annual fundraiser for the Orphan Grain Train-Lincoln Satellite Division and is titled Wisconsin Style Fish Feed (WSFF), The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-005: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Heartland Lutheran High School-Grand Island. The event will be held on August 16, 2009 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Chester and is titled Wisconsin Style Fish Feed (WSFF). The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-006: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Orphan Grain Train-Lincoln Division. The event will be held on October 18, 2009 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Utica and is titled ‘St. Paul-Utica Wisconsin Style Fish Feed (WSFF). The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-007: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Orphan Grain Train-Lincoln Division. The event will be held on March 22, 2009 at Grace Lutheran Church in Fairbury and is titled ‘Grace-Fairbury Wisconsin Style Fish Feed (WSFF), The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-008: This project request for $2000 is from a group of individuals doing a benefit for Jill Connor. The event will be held on February 17, 2009 and is titled ‘Waffleman-silent auction and entertainment’. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $2000. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-009: This project request for $2000 is from a group of individuals doing a benefit for Liz & Ron Schultz family. The event will be held on January 30, 2009 and is titled ‘Secret Angel Project’. Discussion followed concerning the disclosure to the family. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $2000 pending permission to disclose. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-010: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Camp Luther at Schuyler. The event will be held on June 7, 2009 at Camp Luther-Schuyler and is titled ‘Quilt Auction’. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-011: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Good Shepherd Lutheran School. The event will be held on March 6, 2009 and is titled ‘Building Dreams Auction’. The funds raised will be used to provide classroom and office supplies. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-012: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Good Shepherd Lutheran School. The event will be held from May 28-30, 2009 and is titled ‘Rummage Sale. The funds raised will be used for elementary scholarships and general budget support. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-013: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Good Shepherd Lutheran School. The event will be held from October 5-9, 2009 and is titled ‘Eileen’s Cookie Sale’. The funds raised will be used to provide classroom and office supplies. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-014: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Good Shepherd Lutheran School. The event will be held on September 5, 2009 and is titled ‘Waffleman’. The funds raised will be used to supplement the school budget for curriculum for students. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-015: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Prison Ministries. The event will be held from July 10-12, 2009 and is titled ‘Saved to Serve Project’. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-016: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Lincoln Lutheran Middle & High School. The event will be held on April 25, 2009 and is titled ‘Lincoln Lutheran Gala & Live Auction’. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-017: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Lincoln Lutheran Middle & High School. The event will be held on October 3, 2009 and is titled ‘Memories, Ministry, Mission – Coming Home to Lincoln Lutheran’. The funds raised from this event will be used for student tuition. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-018: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Lincoln Lutheran Middle & High School. The event will be held on June 29, 2009 and is titled ‘14th Annual “Fore for Youth” Golf Tournament’. The funds raised from this event will be used for student tuition and other expenses. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-019: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Lincoln Lutheran Middle & High School. The event will be held on February 13, 2009 and is titled ‘Lincoln Lutheran Chorale Singing Valentines’. The funds raised from this event will be used to partially fund the Lincoln Lutheran Chorale Spring Tour. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-020: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Lincoln Lutheran Middle & High School. The event will be held on March 21, 2009 and is titled ‘Women’s Luncheon and Retreat’. The funds raised from this event will be used by the Family Consumer Science Department. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-021: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Lincoln Lutheran Middle & High School. The event will be held on March 1, 2009 and is titled ‘National Lutheran Schools Week Kick-off Meal’. The funds raised from this event will be used for student outreach including recruitment. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-022: This project request for $600 is from a group of individuals for Messiah Lutheran School. The event will be held on January 30, 2009 and is titled ‘Messiah Winter Carnival’. The funds raised will be used to support family ministry at Messiah school. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $600. The motion passed.

Project #09-30242-023: This project request for $1000 is from a group of individuals doing a benefit for Peter and Megan Eckhardt. The event will be held on March 11, 2009 and is titled ‘Lenten Meal benefit’. The funds raised will be used for medical expenses. The motion was made by Roger Simmons and seconded by Kristy Plander to approve funding this project request up to $1000. The motion passed.

Audit Committee Report: Kristy Plander, Financial Director, presented the report of the Audit Committee prior to the close of the meeting. The books were found to be in order and correct. The Audit Committee commented on the clarity of the minutes from each meeting in that each project request is recorded separately. The Audit Committee did point out one discrepancy in the April 22nd minutes for project request #08-30242-33 for St. Mark’s Lutheran School. The minutes state that the project request was for $2500 and the motion that passed to approve the project request was for up to $800. The Financial Director paid $800 in CAIC funds for this project. The request from the organization should have read $800 rather than $2500. The motion was made by Kristy Plander and seconded by Sally Mertens to show the minutes of the April 22nd meeting on May 27, 2009 be approved as corrected rather than approved as printed and distributed. The motion passed.

Member Engagement Support Specialist: Patty Stradley was present for part of the meeting. She informed the Board that she would be attending our meetings this year as an advisor and Dennis Engelbart would be working only with the Omaha chapters. She brought information about some of the changes that were discussed in the afternoon session for chapters at the Thrivent Celebration. She clarified that chapters would not be sending the names of event attendees to the Home Office only the number of individuals that attended. This has been the procedure followed in past years.

Financial Associate/Representative: Arnette Garris attended the meeting and shared a video of a recent Habitat for Humanity trip. Arnette was part of a worldwide team that went to El Salvador last November for a week to help build houses for Habitat. Her presentation was very informative and interesting.

Announcements: The next Chapter Board event will be held on Tuesday, February 24th beginning at 6:30 p.m. Youth Director, Sally Mertens, offered to host the meeting at United Lutheran Church, 5945 Fremont Street, Lincoln. Records Director, Jan Beck, invited the Board to meet at Messiah Lutheran Church, 1800 S. 84th Street, Lincoln on Tuesday, March 24th at 6:30 p.m.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

Jan Beck
Chapter Records Director