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| | | Greater Iowa Region (RFO 365) |
| Ken Setzkorn 2007 |
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West Des Moines, Iowa
Southwest Polk Chapter
Chapter President
Volunteer of the Year Category:
Adult (Singles, couples without children, empty nesters)
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This photo depicts the joyful energy Ken Setzkorn radiates as he balances the demands of a full-time career as a senior energy consultant; his roles as a devoted husband, father and grandfather; and a staggering amount of volunteer service. Ken serves as president of the Southwest Polk Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. He rode a unicycle at the chapter picnic at the Saylorville Recreation Area this summer to entertain attendees. Naturally gifted with children, Ken spent much of the picnic either on his unicycle or organizing lawn games to keep young and old alike active and entertained. The chapter picnic was one of many team building activities Ken promoted and helped plan during his first term as chapter president in 2006. Ken is currently serving his third consecutive term as a chapter leader.
| | Ken also serves on the Board of Elders at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in West Des Moines. To add excitement to his congregation’s float at a 4th of July parade, Ken hopped on his unicycle and led the way, much to the delight of onlookers, especially children. To say that Ken is an active volunteer is to understate his commitment to serving his Lord through service to others. In 2006 he devoted 284 hours (more than 7 weeks of full-time / 40-hour weeks of service!) as a volunteer with his local Thrivent Financial chapter. Amazingly, this is in addition to the more than 200-hours a year he gives to his congregation. More than 12 weeks of service per year is impressive on its face, but when you consider that Ken has an active full-time career and family, one wonders if he ever sleeps Ken fully embraces the concept of servant leader. Whether praying, playing, leading or following, he does so with humility and dedication. His process for discerning whether or not to say “yes” to a volunteer opportunity or request for chapter support of a fundraiser is simple. He asks himself “What would Jesus do?” and moves ahead accordingly. He sees his energy and ability to serve as gifts from God and is generous in praising fellow leaders and service team members for their efforts while modeling service as a way of life—not something that is done once a month or every now and then. Ken was an early and enthusiastic supporter of the Thrivent Builds Homes program. Along with the Thrivent Builds Specialist, no other volunteer devoted more time and energy to the 2006 Thrivent Builds projects than Ken. More than half of his 284 “Thrivent volunteer hours” were a result of his efforts to assure that the three Thrivent Builds Homes projects in Des Moines were a success. Ken helped plan, and then participated in, Thrivent Builds fundraisers and volunteer recruiting efforts at his church, Shepherd of the Valley, and in partnership with the larger Thrivent Builds team in Des Moines. His enthusiasm and support helped make the first “No More Shacks” fundraiser for Thrivent Builds highly successful.
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Through many work days on and visits to the Thrivent Build sites, Ken developed a unique relationship with each of the partner families. Ken and Jesus Prado especially enjoyed one another’s company. With his trademark chuckle, Ken often commented how nice it was to “work side-by-side with ‘Jesus’; of course, he pronounces it a little different, but it’s spelled the same.” Jesus Prado, his wife Blanca and their children were invited to attend the Southwest Polk Chapter’s annual meeting in November, about a month after moving into their new home. It is hard to say who was more emotional—Ken or the partner family—when they reconnected.
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Ken wears a variety of hats within his congregation. Rev. David Dahlke, senior pastor at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran, provided the following list of church ministries and activities in which Ken played a role in 2006: • congregational duty serving as an elder,
• evangelism,
• Bible study set up,
• discipleship class,
• children’s messages,
• scripture reader,
• youth ministry,
• video recorder,
• maintenance ministry,
• special church projects, and
• worship assistant. Before Thrivent Builds Ken had never been involved with Habitat for Humanity. Yet in 2006, in addition to helping with the three Thrivent-sponsored homes, Ken also helped with construction on two other Habitat homes in Des Moines. What’s more, Ken assisted the Greater Des Moines Habitat affiliate with working through a critical challenge in getting electrical service to a house. Ken is serious about constantly learning and serving. For 12 years he has attended weekly meetings of Cross Trainers Men Ministry, sponsored by America’s Family Coaches, and 4 or five times a year helps with meeting set-up. He especially embraces the Cross Trainers mission of championing marriage for the cause of Christ and the emphasis on creating true partnerships. To support the ministry, for the past 3 years Ken has assisted with the organization’s annual Golf Challenge fundraiser. | |
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Ken believes no one is too young or old to serve. Though the chapter had not identified the right candidate for the youth director position at the time of the annual election, Ken prompted other members of the leadership board to look for just the right person. When the Vice President identified a potential youth director, Ken and the Vice President did not just “recruit” her; they personally met with her over lunch and invited her to “sample” a board meeting. Ken models youth involvement within his own family. In September, Ken and his then 17-year-old daughter Kelsey spent all of a Saturday laying sod at the three Thrivent Builds homes in Des Moines. | |
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He is actively involved with youth programs at his church, and is a favorite to deliver “children’s messages” during worship, always using simple props or costumes to enhance the message. Ken helped his church’s youth group apply for Join Hands Day funds from the Thrivent Chapter and then coordinate a schedule of youth and adults to construct a large, built-in wooden toy box in the playground area of his church’s Early Learning Center. There were 14 volunteers on the project, including youth, retired people, and working people. Of course, Ken was part of the building crew. Ken gives credit to his father, Delbert Setzkorn for developing his serving spirit His dad always volunteered to maintain the church and cemetery grounds. While a small child ken was given a plaque with the words J-O-Y, which ha become his motto in life: J esus first
O thers next
Y ourself last
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