GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH
FOUNDATION NEWS
Caring for the Ministry of Grace: "Ecclesia Perpetua"
March 2011

Board of Directors
Carolyn Warloe
President
Tom Kiersky
Treasurer
Hal Dick
Secretary
Shelly Lundahl
Director
Kris Saathoff
Director
Anne Orwick
Director
Neil Christensen
Director
vacant
Ex-Officio
Pastor Wendell
Hendershott
Ex-Officio
Joy Linn
Administrative Asst.

The Grace Lutheran
Church Foundation is
a professionally
managed corporate
nonprofit foundation
established by Grace
Lutheran Church,
Corvallis, Oregon.

Humble Heroes of Grace:
Carl & Alice Ronnenkamp

by Shelly Lundahl

    What kind of people give more than a quarter-million dollars to their church because they love it and regard it as their family? You might expect wealthy, well-known leaders in the community as major philanthropists, but the Ronnenkamps didn't fit that image.
    Carl and Alice were not well known and did not appear to be wealthy. They lived simply, worked hard farming near Tangent, and believed money should be saved and invested. They led quietly, by example, giving their time and energies to Grace wherever needs arose from quilting and church dinners to building projects. When Alice passed away in 1992, their final gift of $264,571 surprised everyone. It was the largest single monetary donation ever to Grace Lutheran Church and became the basis for the Grace Foundation.
    Born in Arkansas in 1901, Carl, age 7, moved with his family to the Willamette Valley, settling on a farm near Halsey. Alice was born in 1905 on a farm near Lyons, Nebraska. She attended school in Lyons and Lincoln, hoping to become a nurse. Instead, she worked as a maid for several years before moving at the urging of friends to find work in Seattle. It was these friends who introduced Carl and Alice, knowing of their shared rural backgrounds. They courted by mail before marrying in 1940. They moved to Carl's family farm into a house near his parents.
    This was a happy time for them. They worked hard on the farm and developed friendships through the Masonic Lodge and the Eastern Star chapter. But Alice also wanted to be part of a church. They had been driving to Salem for worship,
but saw an announcement of a new church forming in Corvallis and determined to be part of it.
    They found Grace Church worshiping in a small house near campus (Luther House) and were welcomed enthusiastically by the small group. They became charter members of the new church and were determined that it succeed. They were both committed, hard working and shared all their talents. They spent the rest of their lives working to build up Grace in their enthusiastic, unselfish way.
    Carl brought carpentry and masonry skills to the hands-on projects. When the small congregation arranged to buy an old chapel from Adair Village, Carl was heavily involved in the preparations and renovations, including selling his crops to buy cement for the foundation. Alice was famous for her hospitality, bringing home-made noodles and chicken to feed workers, and entertaining in their home. At Thanksgiving they brought a cornucopia display of fruits and vegetables from their farm for all to share.
    When Carl's health declined, they sold the property and moved into a small apartment near Grace. They used their new-found free time for friends at Grace, Masonic Lodge, the Senior Center, and occasional carpentry work for farm neighbors. After Carl's death in 1980, Alice continued giving time at the Elderly Nutrition Site, sewing projects at church, and as secretary of Naomi Circle of Grace for 28 years.                                                 Continued below

In Service to the Ministry of Christ's Church


Grace Lutheran Church Foundation
Financial Report
January 1 - December 31, 2010
Contributions

Foundation Total Assets *

Expenses

$2,149.75

$541,926.40

$7,117.09

Projects Approved
Baptism 'donations' for children under
    age 16, $50 each
Haiti (matching gift, Brian Smith Fund)
Grand piano repair (Music Fund)
Youth and Adult Safety Policy
House of Zion
$450.00

$1,000.00
$800.00
$500.00
$500.00

Memorial Funds
Bookkeeper Computer (Skwark)
QLC Quilting Fund (Bob Corl)
Greeting table
Kitchen Upgrade (Dolly Brye)
$650.46
$265.00
$79.97
$100.00
      Total Projects $4,345.43

* The Foundation's total assets on January 1, 2010 were $487,390.18.


Carl & Alice Ronnenkamp
Continued from
above
    Grace honors these humble heroes of our past by giving their name to the large fellowship hall, and to an endowed fund of the Foundation which has grown overall. While their names are recognized now, probably they would be most pleased hearing how their gift has multiplied and has been put to work. It is an example that encourages other bequests and memorial gifts. Fund growth provides nourishment for a multitude of projects that start or support new ministries.
    Some of the projects at Grace their funds have assisted with include a parish nurse position, the Director of Discipling Ministries position, new carpeting for the sanctuary, remodeling the basement for children's ministries, upgrading sound systems in the sanctuary, support for mission trips, new tables for meeting areas, and savings bonds for newly baptized children.
    When the story is known, the Ronnenkamps still continue to inspire us to give our time, talents, and treasure to God's work here.

The Board of Directors acknowledges the generosity of
the following people for donations:
July 2010
In Memory of Trudy Jacob
Herb and Donna Hansen, Corvallis, OR
Millie Babb, Corvallis, OR
Phyllis Mesecar, Corvallis, OR

August 2010
In Memory of Dolly Brye
for the Organ Fund
Ted and Swannie Carlson, Corvallis, OR

September 2010
Phyllis Mesecar, Corvallis, OR

In Memory of Dolly Brye
for the Kitchen Upgrade
Theresa Labhart, Corvallis, OR

In Memory of Peggy Worl
Kathleen Vohland, Corvallis, OR

October 2010
Phyllis Mesecar, Corvallis, OR
Norval Thomas, Albany, OR

In Memory of Harold "Rudy" Rudolph
Hilman and Delores Ratsch, Corvallis, OR
Velna Werth, Corvallis, OR
Marie and Richard Rodier, Minneapolis, MN
George Curlanis, Kirkland, WA
Larry and Donna Blus, Portland, OR
John and Marion Swanson, Corvallis, OR
Billie and Milt Larson, Corvallis, OR
Donna and Herb Hansen, Corvallis, OR
Donald and Nancy Sanderson, Corvallis, OR
William and Judith Winkler, Corvallis, OR
Joyce Signer, Corvallis, OR
Betty McCauley, Corvallis, OR
Harold and Gloria Werth, Corvallis, OR
Millie Babb, Corvallis, OR
Virginia Curlanis, Akron, OH
Arlene Volbes, Minneapolis, MN

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