INVESTMENTS

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We are excited to announce that gifts to LCEF now are eligible for supplemental grants through the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans GivingPlus^® Program. As a Thrivent benefit member, every time you send LCEF a gift, you increase the impact those dollars will have providing LCMS congregations, schools, child-care centers, and other ministry programs low-cost loans and services. Simply fill out the GivingPlus form and send it and your check made out to LCEF to the address on the Contact Us page. For every $2 you donate, Thrivent will add $1, up to $300 per organization per calendar year.

To find out more, contact Becca Jones at LCEF by calling 1-800-854-4004, ext. 6339, or e-mailing becca.jones@lcef.org.

Just as Cindy Hilger continues on the legacy of her family’s business, Volm Companies Inc., of Wisconsin, she also continues on a tradition started by her late father, Gerald Volm: he was an LCEF investor. “A big reason he invested was because it helps congregations, schools, pastors, etc.,” Cindy said.

Cindy and her husband Robert, of Indio, Calif., work in sales for the company. They are investors too, and like her father, appreciate the safety along with the ministry. “We can trust LCEF with our money. As my father always said, the rates are competitive but the big factor is it helps congregations, which in turn furthers the Lord's work,” she said.

The congregation at Good Shepherd Lutheran of South Hills, Pa., put funds from an LCEF loan to work in a variety of ways: an elevator and restrooms for the less mobile, remodeled offices, higher efficiency heating, new flooring, and paint.

But something the congregation is excited about for this summer is the addition of a patio. Pastor Dan Strussenberg said that since the church does not have air conditioning, Sunday 11 a.m. worship services will be conducted outdoors beginning May 31. This should bring more people to Sunday services, along with the other improvements made to make the church more accessible.

The congregation of Holy Cross, Clayton, N.C., is growing into its new church and outreach is impacting lives, said Rev. Bill Beyer, pastor of Holy Cross. “Our worship attendance has more than doubled since we built our facility a little over two years ago. Thanks to the support of LCEF, having a facility has enabled our ministry to grow in several ways,” he said. “In particular, our Open Arms Child-Care Center now accounts for about 25% of our new members. Our center has been a wonderful outreach to our community.”

Participation in ministries that are impacting the community is high. As examples, children and their families made food baskets for local firefighters and police officers who had to work on Thanksgiving and donated generously to two Salvation Army “angel trees” for Christmas. “Neither one of these ministries or outreach opportunities would have happened without our multipurpose worship and child development facility.”