WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF FINANCIAL HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA WISDOM … · WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF FINANCIAL...
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THRIVENT.COM | 9 CHURCH COOKS UP WAYS TO FEED NEIGHBORS HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA All Saints Lutheran Church has 75 active members, yet its kitchen ministry provides hundreds of meals each month to local residents. How do they do it? Lots of volunteers and a commercially equipped kitchen. Tim and Paige Vaughn, co-chairs of All Saints’ outreach committee, started the program. It’s managed by Dave Knowles, a former food service administrator, and Jeff Anderson, a chef. With a core of about 35 volunteers, they make 300 meals each month using fresh ingredients. The meals go to seniors who attend a fitness class at the church, another local church that serves people who are homeless, a county program that feeds seniors and people who are homebound, and All Saints members or others who may need a meal. Anderson teaches the volunteers food preparation and safety skills. To support the ministry, many church members have led Thrivent Action Teams. But All Saints wants to do more. “We’d like to work with other churches to prepare meals that they could keep in their freezers and use as needed,” Knowles says. “And we’re also interested in serving veterans and other community groups.” GENEROSITY IN ACTION Good question: WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF FINANCIAL WISDOM YOU’D GIVE? ¡The old joke is, “Do you know how to eat a whale?” The answer: “One bite at a time.” You build savings one “bite” at a time. Depending on so many circumstances, your bites (contributions to your savings) may be larger or smaller, but “one bite at a time” is the tried-and-true way to get it done! Matt Mattingly, Rochester, Minnesota ¡Put God first in your life, and not material possessions. Live below your means! Invest your money with people you know and trust. Give of your financial resources generously and watch how God will bless your life! Tom Mueller, Bay City, Michigan ¡Each time I got a raise in pay, I would either increase my donation to church or increase my savings or retirement savings via direct deposit. If you don’t get it in your hand, you don’t miss it. Patricia Siemek, Pasadena, Maryland ¡Upon paying off a vehicle, my father always advised: Continue saving the monthly amount as if still paying it off. David Kuech, Homewood, Illinois What’s one financial goal you have for 2020? Tell us in 50 words or less at Thrivent.com/share or email [email protected] What's your best piece of financial wisdom? Reflecting Question for next issue:
Transcript of WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF FINANCIAL HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA WISDOM … · WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF FINANCIAL...
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CHURCH COOKS UP WAYS TO FEED NEIGHBORSHUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA
All Saints Lutheran Church has 75 active members, yet its kitchen ministry provides hundreds of meals each month to local residents. How do they do it? Lots of volunteers and a commercially equipped kitchen. Tim and Paige Vaughn, co-chairs of All Saints’ outreach committee, started the program. It’s managed by Dave Knowles, a former food service administrator, and Jeff Anderson, a chef. With a core of about 35 volunteers, they make 300 meals each month using fresh ingredients. The meals go to seniors who attend a fitness class at the church, another local church that serves people who are homeless, a county program that feeds seniors and people who are homebound, and All Saints members or others who may need a meal. Anderson teaches the volunteers food preparation and safety skills. To support the ministry, many church members have led Thrivent Action Teams. But All Saints wants to do more. “We’d like to work with other churches to prepare meals that they could keep in their freezers and use as needed,” Knowles says. “And we’re also interested in serving veterans and other community groups.”
GENEROSITY IN ACTION
Good question: WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF FINANCIAL
WISDOM YOU’D GIVE?
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¡The old joke is, “Do you know how to eat a whale?” The answer: “One bite at a time.” You build savings one “bite” at a time. Depending on so many circumstances, your bites (contributions to your savings) may be larger or smaller, but “one bite at a time” is the tried-and-true way to get it done!Matt Mattingly, Rochester, Minnesota
¡Put God first in your life, and not material possessions. Live below your means! Invest your money with people you know and trust. Give of your financial resources generously and watch how God will bless your life! Tom Mueller, Bay City, Michigan
¡Each time I got a raise in pay, I would either increase my donation to church or increase my savings or retirement savings via direct deposit. If you don’t get it in your hand, you don’t miss it.Patricia Siemek, Pasadena, Maryland
¡Upon paying off a vehicle, my father always advised: Continue saving the monthly amount as if still paying it off.David Kuech, Homewood, Illinois
What’s one financial goal you have for 2020?Tell us in 50 words or less at Thrivent.com/share or email [email protected]
What's your best piece of financial wisdom?
Reflecting
Question for next issue:
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“OUR MAIN PRIORITY IS GOD, AND SECOND IS EACH OTHER
AND OUR FAMILY.”—FLORENCE AHRENS
Mexico, or there were a number of caves in Texas we’d visit. We’d pack some sandwiches and get in the car, sometimes with friends. We’d stop at a roadside park and sometimes a hotel at night.
When it comes to letting your values and priorities guide your finances, did the two of you have disagreements?Don: We’ve been married for almost 60 years; we’ve had lots of disagreements. We always tried to sit down and talk about them and come to an agreement. Oftentimes, one gave in one time and the other gave in the next. We still disagree. But they all get solved.
Was it hard to go from a mindset of saving to spending when you retired? Don: It probably was, but we also had planned for it. We recently took a trip with friends from church to the Grand Canyon. This was our 40th trip together. We’ve traveled to Italy, Germany and all but one state in the United States. We’re actually doing today what we saved for.
What advice would you give to someone facing tough money decisions?Florence: You have to set your priorities. Don: It’s easy for us to say, but don’t spend beyond your means. Even though you may love to have a high-valued auto, you may have to drive a cheaper vehicle because payments are going to be less. There will come a time, if you save and save correctly, you’ll be able to enjoy those things.
How have health issues over the years affected your money decisions?Florence: Our wants have changed. Cancer makes you realize and appreciate what you do have. Things that were important are just not as important when facing a life and death situation.
How have you given back to your community?Don: For more than 50 years, I auctioneered for different organiza-tions, hospitals, galas, fire depart-ments, heritage societies and school art shows. This past March was my last one. I always wanted to raise as much money as I could for organi-zations. I also was involved with the Washington County Fair, the local hospital foundation board, the Texas Association of Fairs and Events, Goodfellows, the Jaycees and the Washington County Chamber. Florence: I’m a member of the Fortnightly Club. We collect books for an annual used book sale of 75,000 books. I’ve served as host for Helping One Child to Succeed. And we’ve both served in many roles at our church, St. Paul’s Lutheran.
What fuels your passion to give back?Florence: When you have wonderful things happening to you, you want to give back.
GROUP HELPS TOWN STAY VIBRANTTRIPP, SOUTH DAKOTAFrom hosting Christmas celebrations and kickball tournaments to making snack packs for kids, members of the Tripp Action Group work hard to make their beloved town a good place to live. That includes tackling home improvements. Last summer, 30 volunteers painted the exterior of a home. Samantha Ziegler led a Thrivent Action Team that provided food and supplies.
COUPLE COMBINES EFFORTS FOR BIGGER IMPACTCLEVELAND, OHIOHearing a plea on the news to help homeless veterans, Erica Fleischer and her fiancé, Mike Ivancic, felt called to action: They each would lead a Thrivent Action Team. Fleischer collected socks and Ivancic rounded up underwear, both greatly needed. Fleischer’s and Ivancic’s teams then packed blessing bags to be donated. The items were distributed at the Homeless Stand Down event held last January.
GENEROSITY IN ACTION
The members’ experiences may not be the sameas other members and does not indicate futureperformance or success.
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NEW THRIVENT T-SHIRTS
T hrivent’s popular Live Generously T-shirts have a new sunny color
for 2020: Sunkissed Scarlet. You can get one of the shirts by leading or participating on a Thrivent Action Team. Starting January 1, any Thrivent Action Team that’s applied for and approved will receive the new shirts in Thrivent Action Kits. Members voted for the new color last summer. Out of three options, Sunkissed Scarlet won by a landslide! Total votes: 15,722 1. Sunkissed Scarlet: 52%2. Saltwater Blue: 30%3. Clear Sky Cobalt: 18%
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FAMILY’S CHRISTMAS FOCUSES ON SERVICEMINNEAPOLISThe Kiewel family does service projects during the year instead of exchanging Christmas gifts. This summer, they met at a park to fill backpacks with supplies for students in need and create care bags for teens in foster care. A list of needed items was shared beforehand so they could track what people were bringing. Brenda Dittrich led a Thrivent Action Team to help.
VOLUNTEERS BUILD TABLES BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOISWhen Larry Turilli learned that Marcfirst needed some accessible picnic tables at its residences for people with developmental disabilities, he organized a Thrivent Action Team. He and his coworkers at AMBUCS (a nonprofit that builds wheelchair ramps and provides other mobility services) built two tables for the homes. Then the group led two more Thrivent Action Teams, building accessible tables for a park and raised garden beds for Marcfirst.
GENEROSITY IN ACTION
Visit Thrivent.com/actionteam to learn more about leading a Thrivent Action Team and ordering a kit.!
InFaith Community Foundation is a public charity that serves individuals, organizations and the community through charitable planning, donor advised funds and endowments. InFaith works collaboratively with Thrivent and its financial professionals.
INFAITH DONORS GIVE RECORD GRANTS
Churches34%
HumanServices
19%
Faith-BasedNonprofits
15%
Education14%Disaster Relief
EnvironmentArts & Culture
Other12%
Health Services
6%
GRANTS BY TYPE OF
CHARITYin 2018
InFaith Community Foundation, a national, faith-based charity with a mission to serve donors, spread joy and change lives, helped facilitate a record num-ber of grants—8,625—through its donors’ charitable funds in 2018. Churches and faith-based non-profits represented nearly half of these grant recipients. Grants to charities through InFaith totaled $28.2 million in 2018, and $211.8 million since its inception in 1995.
