Lutheran Planned Giving Report to 2013 CSS Assembly
Summary Report of Planned Gifting
Lutheran Planned Giving (LPG) is a partnership ministry of two synods, eight serving-arm ministries and
the ELCA to provide stewardship services for congregations and individual members. LPG is available to
assist individuals in expressing their faith and Christian values through estate gifting plans as well as help
them plan for themselves, their loved ones and ministries, and it serves congregations in handling estate
gifts, establish and enhance congregation mission endowment funds, and provide education resources on
the importance of personal estate planning and ways to remember ministries and charities from estate
assets.
There are eleven sponsoring ministries that finance LPG’s work so there are no costs or obligations for
individuals or congregations seeking estate stewardship services. The sponsoring ministry partners are:
Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod, Oaks Indian Mission, Bethany College, Lutheran School of Theology at
Chicago, Hollis Renewal Center, Lutheran Family & Children’s Services of Missouri, Lutheran Campus
Ministry, Bethany Home, Camp Tomah Shinga, Central States Synod, and ELCA Foundation.
Lutheran Planned Giving appreciates the opportunity to help individuals and congregations use the gifts
that God entrusts to them so God’s mission and ministry are supported and sustained now and into the
future.
Joyce C. Palmer
Director/ELCA Regional Gift Planner
9911 North Hawthorne Avenue
Kansas City MO 64157-9411
E-mail: [email protected]
Office/Cell Phone: 816-204-5181
Hollis Renewal Center Report to Synod Assembly, 2013
Hollis Renewal Center provides environment
and experience for individuals and groups
seek-ing spiritual growth and renewal.
Hollis Mission Statement Hollis Renewal Center is an ELCA affiliated outdoor ministry organization owned by partner churches, both ELCA and LC-MS. Its beautifully wooded 153-acre site and comfortable meeting facilities are within the Kansas City metro area. Hollis is a place where the purpose of our synod can be engaged, to be in service for the next twenty-five years.
Igniting spiritual renewal
Hollis continues its vision to provide a place to be surprised by God. It is a place for renewal, a place to listen quietly to God’s direction and purpose for one’s life. The Hideaway is a quiet place offering individuals or small groups a comfortable overnight renewal. The Labyrinth at Hollis continues to be an interest to people within and apart from the Lutheran community. Our culture provides many op-portunities to relax and tune out. Hollis invites its guests to relax and tune in; tune in to the mission and ministry that God has called them to in this place and time. Providing the place and the hospitality is at the core of Hollis’ ministry.
Raising up leaders of all ages for the church
Hollis hosts many youth retreats, church council retreats and growing number of scout
troops each year. Youth and adults on retreat begin to see the issues and concerns of their
organization in new ways. Retreats give you a chance to reflect and then renew your passion
for the ministry you have been given. Since 2005, Hollis has seen about a 15% increase in use
per year. Starting with just over 250 contact days per year, we now average over 550.
Completed in 2011, the Meadow Cottage and Campus Restrooms have significantly increased
our family retreats and camping experiences.
Building up bridges across the differences that divide our society
The Hollis Day Camp, Hollis Crossings, continues to offer churched and un-churched kids a chance to explore God’s word in a natural setting. Last year, 40 children from suburbia and the inner city were given that opportunity. The camp meets head on the issues of race, economic and cultural diversity finding common ground in the love of God and the mutual respect it nurtures. This year, there will be one week of camp, June 10-14. Hollis is literally building bridges this year by re-paving its road and ad-dressing water erosion issues thanks to a matching grant from the Mission Investment Fund.
Inspiring and equipping people to be part of what God is up to in their everyday lives
Every year Hollis sees about 600 volunteers logging in over 6000 hours of work for the center. Many of those hours are donated by a group of 8-12 persons working every Thursday from 9 AM to 3 PM. In addition to building and maintaining Hollis, they share their lives and faith during our meal and reflec-tion time. The Thursday Volunteer Team is open to anyone seeking a job with some “real” benefits. Several Eagle Scouts this year have spent their projects within the last year on re-shaping and re-building the Hollis hiking trails. The new trails are easier to walk and well marked.
Please check out the Hollis display for more information or contact us: 913-441-0451, PO Box 402 Bonner Springs, KS 66012, [email protected] or visit our renewed web site:
www.holliscenter.org.
Dear Friends,
We give thanks for the many gifts that you, the people of the Central States Synod, send to Wartburg Theological Seminary (WTS) and the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago (LSTC). We couldn’t carry out our mission with-out
the financial support you offer as individuals, congregations, and synods. Your support is the foundation for the economy of leadership formation in our ELCA.
the people you send who may become seminary students. By saying to someone, “Have you considered being a pastor or another church leader? I think you have the gifts,” you plant the seed of discernment. Seminaries rely on you to identify those gifts of leadership among people in your congregations and in your families and friendship circles.
your prayers and care for your seminaries and their students. You encourage and inspire us in the work of forming leaders who are well-prepared to inspire others in living out their faith.
During 2012-2013 Wartburg Theological Seminary continued to live out its mission of forming valued leaders for the church by:
Sending out 46 graduates of degree and certificate programs as valued leaders to serve in congregations and ministries throughout the country and world. Graduates were placed in 5 of the 9 regions of the ELCA and are now serving in 21 synods and the Global Mission Unit.
Offering a Distributed Learning program, now in its 2nd year with 19 students. The Distributed Learning pro-gram is available for the Master of Divinity and Master of Arts degrees. This propro-gram combines online course-work and required on-campus intensive courses.
Meeting the needs of diverse ministry contexts by providing the TEEM program (Theological Education for Emerging Ministries) on the Wartburg campus and at LSPS (Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest) in Austin, TX. Candidates for the TEEM program are nominated by their synods and prepared for leadership in specific emerging ministries identified by the synod. Wartburg Seminary’s TEEM program is the largest of all the ELCA seminaries.
Providing 100% of eligible students with seminary financial support for their education as a result of generous gifts from congregations, individuals, and other organizations that provide financial support for theological edu-cation at Wartburg Seminary.
Renewing the mission statement and adopting a five-year strategic plan for fulfilling the Wartburg Theological Seminary mission and commitment to the church.
Mission: Wartburg Theological Seminary serves Christ's church through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America by being a worship-centered community of critical theological reflection where learning leads to mission and mission informs learning.
LSTC & Wartburg Seminary 2013 Reports
to the Central States Synod Assembly
The community embodies God's mission by stewarding resources for engaging, equipping, and sending collaborative leaders who interpret, proclaim and live the gospel of Jesus Christ for a world created for communion with God and in need of personal and social healing.
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago continued to fulfill its mission of forming visionary leaders to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ by:
Sending out 73 students from six degree programs at the May 2012 Commencement – 39 of these were in the master of divinity (M.Div.) program alone, and most of those graduates are now ordained and serving in congregations across the U.S.
Giving thanks for LSTC’s 50 years of ministry as we celebrated the election and installation of Rev. Dr. James Nieman as the seventh president of LSTC. The inauguration weekend included a conference on ministerial wisdom. Anniversary events are being held all year with the theme, “Many Voices, One Story.”
Awarding merit- and need-based Visionary Leaders Scholarships to 22 master of divinity students whose gifts and goals make them a particularly good match for the type of formation LSTC provides. The scholarships, which cover three years of coursework, range from partial to full tuition awards.
Receiving a grant of almost $200,000 from the John Templeton Foundation to teach science and religion across the curriculum. This will be part of broader revisions to master’s level curricula to better prepare leaders for the changing needs of our church.
Welcoming Vance Blackfox as director of LSTC’s Youth in Mission program, which marks its 10th year guiding high school students to a deeper connection with their life in Christ.
Deepening relationships with Valparaiso University and other educational partners to create innovative programs that benefit both schools.
We invite you and members of your congregation to the seminaries to attend daily worship, to participate in a continuing education event, to discern a call to ministry, or to visit with some of the future leaders that you and your synod support through your gifts to the Lutheran School of Theology and Wartburg Theological Seminary. To learn more about the seminaries, their faculty, programs and upcoming events, visit www.wartburgseminary.edu and www.lstc.edu.
Your partnership is essential for Wartburg and LSTC to continue their shared mission of providing dynamic theological education for present and future leaders of your congregations and ministries in your synod, for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and to the glory of God.
Yours in Christ,
President Stanley N. Olson President James Nieman
Wartburg Theological Seminary Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
About the Mission Investment Fund
The Mission Investment Fund (MIF) is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Through MIF, congregations, their members, synods and ELCA-related ministries may purchase a variety of investments that offer adjustable- or fixed-rate terms and earn interest at competitive rates.
MIF uses these investments to make low-interest loans to established ELCA congregations, new-start congregations and ELCA-related ministries. Established congregations use MIF loans to renovate, expand or relocate. New-start congregations rely on MIF loans to buy land and construct their first church buildings. ELCA-related ministries use MIF loans for a variety of capital projects.
The Mission Investment Fund is financially strong and stable, with a record of steady, controlled growth:
With total assets of $663 million and net assets of $184 million at year-end 2012, MIF maintained a capital ratio of 27.9 percent—a ratio significantly greater than the capital required by regulators and the level maintained by most financial institutions.
At year-end 2012, investments by congregations, their members, and ELCA-related ministries totaled $473 million, and loans for capital projects to more than 760 ELCA ministries totaled $452 million.
Throughout its nearly 100-year history, MIF and its predecessors have always returned full principal and interest to investors.
Investments and Loans in the Central States Synod
As of December 31, 2012: Investments in the Mission Investment Fund by 232 individuals and 103 congregations and ministries, including the Central States Synod, totaled $8,684,499.
Twenty-one congregations and ministries were supported by $10,033,803 in Mission Investment Fund loans.
MIF representative for the Central States Synod:
Paula Kitt, Regional Manager: Tel. (773) 682-2738; e-mail: [email protected]
Mission Investment Fund | 8765 West Higgins Road | Chicago, Illinois 60631
Mission Investment Fund 2013 Report
to the Central States Synod Assembly
2013 MOSAIC Report
Dear Partners in Ministry,
This is a milestone year for Mosaic as we celebrate 100 years of serving people and 10 years as Mosaic. I like to think of us as 10 years young and 100 years strong.
Some of you will remember us as Bethphage or Martin Luther Homes. Bethphage was founded on Feb. 19, 1913, so we have 100 years of service and experience. The consolidation with Martin Luther Homes was July 1, 2003. In the 10 years as Mosaic, the combined ministry has accomplished things neither organization would have achieved alone.
Here are some of the highlights of 2012:
On April 1, we grew in Iowa by bringing a freestanding agency into Mosaic. With similar values and ethics, the former Krysilis fit well with Mosaic and we were pleased to welcome the named Mosaic in North Central Iowa.
Mosaic’s employee campaign reached a record amount of $316,795 in gifts and pledges made by employees to support the people served by Mosaic.
Mosaic was awarded the Better Business Bureau’s Integrity Award for a second time.
Building a Caring Community, our partner program with the Northern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania now has more than 200 children participating.
We began an ambitious friend and fundraising program across Mosaic known as “Partners In Possibilities” and have already seen great success.
That’s just a high-level overview. On a daily basis, great things are happening every day in every location where we serve. I invite you to learn more about Mosaic by attending a free, one-hour event offered in each of our locations called “Discover the Possibilities.” You will hear about Mosaic’s work from the people who know it well – the people we serve, their families and Mosaic employees. I guarantee that, if you attend, you’ll learn new things about this great ministry of the Church.
Thank you for your support of Mosaic. Sincerely,
Linda Timmons, President and CEO
To attend a Discover the Possibilities, please contact one of these Mosaic locations in the Central States Synod:
Mosaic in Ellsworth | 785.472.4081 Mosaic in Garden City | 620.275.9180
Mosaic in Liberal | 620.624.3817
Mosaic in Northeast Kansas (Kansas City) | 913.788.8400
Mosaic in Southeast Kansas (Coffeyville/Pittsburg) | 620.231.5590 | Mosaic in Winfield | 620.229.8702
Bethany College 2013 Annual Report
to the
Assembly of the Central States Synod
Bold. Innovative. Disruptive. These three words best characterize Bethany College as we
begin 2013.
As many of you will recall, one year ago Bethany accepted a $500,000 challenge grant from the J. E. and L. E. Mabee Foundation. The challenge was for us to reach $3 million in fundraising for the Bud Pearson Swedish Chapel and Welcome Center and by doing so, the Mabee Foundation would contribute the last $500,000 toward the project’s goal of $3.5 million. In early January, I shared that we had met and exceeded the Mabee challenge. We secured in gifts and pledges in excess of $3.5 million.
The addition of the Bud Pearson Swedish Chapel and Mabee Welcome Center at the heart
of our campus represents a bold move for us as this will be the first fully fund-raised building
at Bethany in over 30 years—and we raised the money in the worst of economic climates. This March during our annual Messiah Festival of the Arts, in addition to the Bethany Oratorio
Society’s traditional performances of Handel’s Messiah on Palm Sunday and Bach’s
St. Matthew Passion on Good Friday, soloists from the American Spiritual Ensemble took the
stage on Easter to perform A Spiritual Messiah. They brought culture, diversity, and the art
form of the African-American spiritual to Presser Hall in a musically reflective and uplifting performance that brought down the house.
A Spiritual Messiah represents an innovative move for us as we experiment with reinvigorating
a 132-year-old tradition But we are hopeful this venture will be successful because we are
reaching new audiences.
In late January, we launched Bethany College @ MindFire Academy with our first
17 students. This initiative is significant because this represents Bethany College in Wichita, Kansas. It is also significant because this introduces a new offering of multimedia programs. We are initially offering certificates in 3D computer animation, digital filmmaking, web design, and recording arts.
Bethany College @ MindFire Academy represents a disruptive move for us as we enter a new
market with new programs, but we are confident this venture will be successful because we are competing with no one in this space—we are first!
I thank the Central States Synod for its strength and support and greatly appreciate your gifts, your students, and your prayers as Bethany College continues developing bold, innovative, and disruptive opportunities for our students as they lead lives of faith, learning, and service.
In deep gratitude,
Edward F. Leonard III President
