Ministry Spotlight – The Intercom, September 2022

There’s always a lot of excitement surrounding Kick-Off Weekend at OSL, not the least because it marks the return of the ever-popular Sunday breakfast! This year’s breakfast was sponsored by the Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Foundation (OSLCF), to thank generous members of the congregation for their continued support of the foundation’s work to serve OSL’s ministry and mission, and to let people know more about the foundation and its function. About 230 people enjoyed the foundation-served breakfast—and why not? There was bacon!

Begun in 1978, the foundation has three distinct functions: gathering assets, managing assets, and making distributions to serve OSL. The foundation board works diligently to establish policies and procedures about investment management and then monitors the progress and adherence to established guidelines.

The value of the OSLCF has grown to $3.2 million due to generous contributions by many people. Contributions in 2022 alone total over $110,000. While the value of the foundation has decreased in 2022 due to market fluctuations, it’s understood that investments experience decreases in value from time to time. The overall trend of the investment portfolio has been positive since its beginning.

Over the past five years, the foundation has provided $575,000 to support OSL’s ministry needs, such as facility repairs and support for the congregation’s mission plan (budget). See the list on the next page for some details. The gift for this year is expected to be approximately $130,000.

Although the foundation gathers and grows assets in numerous ways, in the end the key to long-term success is the generosity of members and friends of OSL—that is, you. Some gifts to the foundation come in the form of memorials and some in the form of donations, but most of the growth of the foundation’s assets has come through legacy gifts. Legacy gifts involve a process in which members consider a series of questions to determine the ultimate purpose of their financial plan.

To learn more about the foundation and how you may make a lasting impact on the mission of your church home, contact any foundation board member:

♦ Dennis Hanneman, 605-838-6597
♦ Joan Fink, 605-351-7139
♦ Jerry Franken, 605-366-8472
♦ Susan Hauff, 605-376-2451
♦ Curt Olson, 605-271-5359
♦ Betsy Sittig, 605-351-0676
♦ Dean Mertz, 605-321-6704
♦ Conley Ruud, 605-359-6335
♦ Jaysen Stevenson, 605-695-9108
♦ Pr. Randy Gehring, 605-336-2942

Thank you for your generosity! ♦