A printable PDF version of the newsletter is available here.

Return to Newsletter Home

GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH
FOUNDATION NEWS
Caring for the Ministry of Grace: "Ecclesia Perpetua"
June 2023

Board of Directors

Carolyn Warloe

President

Shelly Lundahl

Treasurer

Hal Dick

Secretary

Michael Beachley

Director

Mary Ann Brenan

Director

Kris Saathoff

Director

Patrick Schroeder

Director

Jeff Beck

Ex officio

Pastor Dorthy Nielsen

Ex officio

Joy Linn

Administrative Asst.

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

Why Does Grace Lutheran Church Have a Foundation?
And why should we want one?

by Carolyn Warloe

 

In 1995, Alice and Carl Ronnenkamp left a large gift, over $250,000, to Grace Lutheran Church with the desire that it be endowed. Alice and Carl wanted their gift to continue to benefit Grace and help to expand the mission of the church far into the future. The Council chose to honor this wish by creating the Grace Lutheran Church Foundation. A Foundation provides a vehicle to maintain a gift and use the earnings for funding projects. Some of the funds added to the Foundation since then are not endowed, but most of the funds, including the Ronnenkamp funds, are endowed. Endowed funds provide a stable source of funding. In the years since its conception, many other members of Grace have donated to the Foundation now valued at almost $700,000, with an estimated $24,000 available annually from the earnings on the Foundation investments to fund projects.

The Foundation provides a source of funds to expand the mission of Grace. Opportunities that come up after the budget has been adopted and require money may be funded by the Foundation. This gives Grace a way to pivot during the year and try new things. The Foundation also assists the church by providing startup money for projects and new positions. The Foundation is currently helping to fund the Sound and Visual Technicians assisting with our online services. The Foundation is funding the positions on a three-year decreasing model that allows each position to begin and the congregation to work the cost into the annual budget over three years. The Foundation also provides matching funds for groups in the congregation to support their fundraisers for special projects. Many times, this has been matching funds for the youth. The Foundation also funds unexpected or non-reoccurring expenses. The Foundation is funding the landscape renovations adjacent to the 21st Street entrance.

We have a Foundation because of the generous gift from Alice and Carl Ronnenkamp. It was a wonderful gift that has provided Grace with additional funding for almost 30 years. It also provides a way for other members of the congregation to leave a legacy to the church, which can be directed to an area in which they have a special interest. The Foundation has been a blessing to the ministry of the congregation and allowed many new projects and positions to take place.

 
In Service to the Ministry of Christ's Church


Grace Lutheran Church Foundation
Financial Report

January 1 - March 31, 2023

Contributions

Foundation Total Assets *

Expenses

$1,599.37

$711,556.08

$2,715.21

Projects Approved and Paid in 2023
Hope and Healing Campaign,
    RIP medical debt
    (Brian Smith Medical Fund)
Audio Tech and Visual Production
    position, 3 year support.
    $13,000, $8,710, $4,290.
    (Approved in 2021)
Camera for Nave
    (Technology Fund)
Luther House celebration and support
$1,500
 

$790.00

 

$1,800.00

$1,200.00

Memorial Funds
Handrail to altar
$2,500
Total Projects
$7,790.00
 

* The Foundation's total assets on January 1, 2023, were $697,745.08.


The Board of Directors acknowledges the generosity of the following donors:
December 2022
Tom and Becky Kiersky, Corvallis, OR

January 2023

In Memory of Paul and Dorothy Weswig

Chuck and Lynetta Weswig, Portland, OR

In Memory of Betty McCauley

Sharon and Lawrence Rosenkoetter, Corvallis, OR

In Memory of Milt Larson

Millie Babb, Corvallis, OR

February 2023
Betty McCauley estate, Corvallis, OR

March 2023

In Memory of Wayne Wahrmund

Ron and Kay Larson, Corvallis, OR

In honor of Joy Martin's 100th birthday

Ron and Kay Larson, Corvallis, OR
Why Does the Board Only Respond to Requests for Funds?
Or why the Board has never had a Board Meeting in Hawai'i

By Carolyn Warloe

Shortly after the Foundation was established, the Board developed a policy that funds could only be distributed when a member of the congregation requested funds for a project. There was a feeling that the Board of nine members had a lot of power to determine where money went and should be responsive to the needs of the Church, not proactive. While the Board members joked about holding a Board meeting in Hawai'i, they designed the Foundation to be responsive to requests from the congregation. The Board prefers proposals with wide support among the congregation, especially requests for matching funds.

Money just sitting in the Foundation doesn't support God's mission. Last year, only about $12,000 was distributed of the approximately $24,000 that could have been granted. That means that money that could actively be supporting Grace and its mission was not. The Board encourages members of the congregation to look for ways to support and expand Grace's mission. Then contact a member of the Board for help making a request.


Return to Newsletter Home