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ELCA saves $295,000 on health contributions in 2009
Nov 05, 2009  

by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service*

Across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), 15 synods, seminaries and churchwide ministries saved collectively more than $295,000 this year on ELCA health benefit contribution payments, according to a news release from the ELCA Board of Pensions. The savings came from a 2 percent discount on health contributions the Board awarded to employer groups after 75 percent of their eligible employees and spouses completed the online Mayo Clinic Health Assessment. Nearly two-thirds of all ELCA-primary plan members completed the 2009 assessment, which closed Sept. 30. In the last month of the program, the ELCA Northern Great Lakes Synod qualified to save $3,750; the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia saved $3,000; and the ELCA Lutheran Center in Chicago saved $32,000 on health contributions from October through the end of 2009. Twelve other synods, seminaries and churchwide ministries received the discount earlier in the year.

The ELCA Board of Pensions will make a few changes to this program in 2010. The online assessment will be open for nine months again, but ELCA-primary health plan members and eligible spouses must take it in the first four months -- by April 30, 2010 -- for their respective employers to get the 2 percent discount. Employer groups will receive the 2 percent discount after 65 percent -- instead of 75 percent -- of their eligible employees and spouses complete the assessment. The discount will be applied to all 2010 health contributions, retroactive to Jan. 1, and not just those months remaining in the year. Since contribution rates increase 2 percent in 2010, the discount would offset that increase for the year. If all churchwide ministries, the eight seminaries and employers within all 65 synods earned a full-year discount on their 2010 health plan contributions, the ELCA would save collectively approximately $2.5 million.

*Information provided by Kami Lund, marketing and communications, ELCA Board of Pensions

 

ELCA Board of Pensions annuity, bridge fund benefits reduced for 3 years
Oct 09, 2009  

by John R. Brooks, ELCA News Service

The Board of Pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sent letters to 12,500 plan members in its Participating Annuity and Bridge Fund, notifying them of reductions in their monthly annuity payments and the interest-crediting rate for non-annuitized funds.  The actions were taken Sept. 21 by trustees of the Board, which manages health and pension plans for ELCA professional leaders, other staff and their eligible spouses.

The downturn in investment markets in late 2008 and early 2009 resulted in a gap between the net assets in the Fund and projected lifetime obligations to members, John G. Kapanke, Board president, said in a report to the ELCA Conference of Bishops, which met Oct. 1-6 in Chicago. Effective Jan. 1, 2010, monthly annuity payments will be decreased by 9 percent, he said.  Kapanke said the Board anticipates monthly annuity payments will be decreased "by an additional 9 percent in 2011 and 2012."  The interest-crediting rate for the non-annuitized portion in the "bridge component" of the Fund will be cut 3.5 percent for each of three years beginning in 2010, Kapanke said.

"The annuity and bridge fund did suffer very significant losses, like many similar plans suffered, especially in the 4th quarter of 2008 and the first two months of 2009," Kapanke said. The result was a funding deficit of 26 percent as of Aug. 31, he said.  To ease the effect on plan members, the Board decided to implement the reductions over a three-year period instead of all at once, Kapanke said.  To answer questions about the reductions, Kapanke told the bishops, he hosted a series of conference calls for plan members.
 

 

LWR awarded $1.49 million from USAID for malaria work in Mali
Oct 08, 2009    

by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service

Lutheran World Relief (LWR), a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), received a $1.49 million grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to extend the reach of malaria control in Mali, according to an Oct. 7 LWR news release.  "Lutheran World Relief is pleased to partner with USAID in the fight against malaria in Mali, the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the country.  With this grant, we can broaden our malaria control efforts in Mali, reaching even more people at risk," said Alissa Karg, LWR's deputy regional director for Africa.

With the grant, LWR will work to build awareness about malaria and improve agricultural incomes in Mali.  "Integrating malaria and agricultural work will help address the economic and information barriers that prevent rural communities from seeking timely malaria care," according to the release.  LWR aspires to reach 480,000 people in more than 400 communities in Mali, including more than 70,000 pregnant women and 90,000 children under the age of 5.  These are two groups of people vulnerable to malaria infection.

At the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly this past summer, the ELCA agreed to partner with the LCMS, LWR and the United Nations Foundation to raise awareness about malaria and funds through the Lutheran Malaria Initiative.  The initiative is designed to mobilize nearly 8 million Lutherans in the United States to join the battle against malaria, a preventable and treatable disease that kills more than one million people a year.
 

It's the final stretch for the ELCA's 2009 health assessment
Sep 25, 2009  

by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service

People in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) primary health plan are approaching a Sept. 30 deadline. ELCA pastors, associates in ministry, deaconesses, diaconal ministers, employees and their eligible spouses have been able to take the online 2009 Mayo Clinic Health Assessment since Jan. 1. Those completing the assessment by Sept. 30 earn $100 to offset out-of-pocket medical expenses, and they have until Nov. 30 to earn an additional $300 by completing various health improvement activities. The financial incentive was developed by the ELCA Board of Pensions to encourage the health plan's members to tend to their well-being by taking at least one small step each year to consider the state of their health.

ELCA synods, seminaries and churchwide ministries earn a 2 percent discount on health contributions for the rest of 2009, once 75 percent of their respective eligible ELCA-primary plan members and spouses complete the assessment. Six seminaries, five synods and the ELCA Board of Pensions have already earned the discount this year, collectively saving nearly $253,000.

The ELCA Board of Pensions is collecting opinions on why only six in 10 health plan members have taken the assessment, despite the $100 and 2 percent discount incentives.
 

Lutherans join others around the world to pray for peace Sept. 21
Sep 15, 2009  

by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will pray for peace Sept. 21, 2009, as part of the "International Day of Prayer for Peace." The day is an opportunity for the 4.6-million-member denomination "to pray and act together to nurture lasting peace in the hearts of people, their families, communities and societies," according to the World Council of Churches (WCC), based in Geneva. The ELCA is a member of the WCC. The 2009 theme for the day is "One Love: Building a Peaceful Caribbean."

"The International Day of Prayer for Peace is a global call for cease-fire and nonviolence. The Caribbean is a place of extreme beauty, and it is a place of extreme poverty, HIV and AIDS, poor housing and environmental degradation. We join hands with our sisters and brothers in the Caribbean region and around the world as we pray for peace and justice for all," said Loretta E. Horton, co-chair, ELCA Task Force for a Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence. The task force offers worship resources in addition to liturgical resources of the WCC, and a series of videos introducing the International Day of Prayer for Peace.

The idea for the International Day of Prayer for Peace was proposed in a 2004 meeting between the Rev. Samuel Kobia, WCC general secretary, and Kofi A. Annan, former general-secretary of the United Nations. The day is an initiative of the WCC's Decade to Overcome Violence and coincides with the U.N.'s International Day of Peace.

 

Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society tops '2009 AAHSA Ziegler' list
Sep 15, 2009  

by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service

The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society ranks first as the largest not-for-profit senior living organization in the United States, according to the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) and Ziegler Senior Living Finance. Based in Sioux Falls, S.D., the society tops the "2009 AAHSA Ziegler 100" report in three categories as the largest not-for-profit multi-site senior living organization in "senior living units," "assisted living units" and "nursing care beds."

"It was never the intent of our founder or our current organization to be the largest of what we do in the country, but we are blessed and privileged to be able to serve a large number of people.  And for us, that's a wonderful thing," said Mark Dickerson, director of communication, Good Samaritan Society. "Our organization strives to provide quality care" and "services to seniors and others in need. That is the mission of our organization." The society operates more than 230 sites in 24 states, Dickerson said. "We care daily for about 27,000 people with 22,000 national staff."

Good Samaritan is one of about 300 members of Lutheran Services in America (LSA), an alliance of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and their 300 social ministry organizations. LSA serves more than 6 million people annually in the United States and Caribbean. More than 10 other Lutheran social ministry organizations made the 2009 AAHSA Ziegler report.

 

Lutheran College Fairs set for August, September
Aug 28, 2009  

by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service

The Lutheran Educational Conference of North America (LECNA) has scheduled several College Fairs for Fall 2009 with the promise of more locations coming soon.

August
30 -- St. Luke Lutheran Church, Middleton (Madison), Wis.
30 -- Lake Country Lutheran High School, Hartland, Wis.
31 -- St. Paul Lutheran Church, Grafton, Wis.

September
 1 -- Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, Wis.
 2 -- Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Weston (Wausau), Wis.
 3 -- English Lutheran Church, La Crosse, Wis.
13 -- Luther Memorial Church, Seattle
14 -- St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Beaverton (Portland), Ore.
20 -- King of Kings Lutheran Church, Omaha, Neb.
21 -- Bethany Lutheran Church, Overland Park, Kan.
22 -- St. Pauls Lutheran Church, Des Peres (St. Louis), Mo.
28 -- Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Cloud, Minn.
29 -- St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Eden Prairie, Minn.

Formed in 1910, LECNA represents 41 Lutheran colleges across Canada and the United States, including the 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Admissions representatives from various Lutheran colleges conduct the fairs in the fall and spring to interact with college-bound youth and their families. College fairs are sponsored in part by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans -- a Minneapolis-based, not-for-profit financial services organization serving members of the ELCA and other Lutheran church bodies. Each 90-minute fair is preceded by on-site registration and a 30-minute financial aid seminar.

 

Lutheran youth raise $154,488 at ELCA Youth Gathering to help end hunger
Aug 14, 2009  

by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service

Youth across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are saying "no" to hunger and poverty through "Change the World: 2009 Lutheran Youth Challenge" to raise $1 million for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.  In an effort to support the challenge, high-school-age Lutherans contributed $154,488 at the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering.  About 37,000 Lutheran teenagers, adult leaders and volunteers attended the gathering held in New Orleans, July 22-26.

Teenage members of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Stafford, Va., who attended the gathering, contributed more than $1,800 to support the challenge.  As part of their fundraising efforts to pay for gathering expenses, the teenagers decided to tithe 10 percent of their earnings to support ELCA World Hunger, said John Irby, youth director at St. Peter.  Sixteen members of the church attended the gathering.

"When added to an additional $33,000 in gifts that have been mailed and $68,000 raised as part of the 2009 Souper Bowl of Caring effort earlier this year, our total for the challenge stands at $255,489 as of Aug. 7," said Laury Rinker, associate director for marketing communication, ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal.  "At a time when one out of every seven people face hunger, these gifts are especially important.  We are so grateful for the generosity shown by gathering participants."  Gifts to the challenge are accepted through the end of the year.

 

Lutheran Services in America's Jill Schumann named in The NonProfit Times
Aug 13, 2009  

by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service

Jill A. Schumann, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America (LSA), Baltimore, has been named in The NonProfit Times' 2009 "Power and Influence Top 50."  Schumann is one of few leaders included in the list for seven consecutive years, according to a LSA news release.

"Lutheran health and human service organizations in the United States have been compelled and sustained by their call to love and serve our neighbors," said Schumann.  "In preparation for LSA's 10th anniversary, we asked our members how LSA should live that out in the next decade.  It is our members who inspire me and the whole system to shape the future with enthusiasm, savvy and resolve to create communities that are generous, inclusive and just," she said.

There are 300 Lutheran health and human service organizations that participate in LSA, serving more than 6 million people annually in the United States and Caribbean.  The aggregated budgets of these organizations total over $10 billion.  LSA is an alliance of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and their 300 social ministry organizations.

 

 

Lutherans commend, remain hopeful on recent immigration detention reform
Aug 13, 2009  

by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) commended the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for taking steps to improve the immigration detention system and remains "hopeful" that such comprehensive reform continues.  LIRS is one of the nation's leading agencies in welcoming and advocating for refugees and immigrants.  Based in Baltimore, LIRS works on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement -- the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security -- announced Aug. 6 it will provide more oversight and direct management of immigrant families and individuals held in federal custody, move away from utilizing a penal detention system and develop alternatives to prison and jail detention for immigrants who pose no threat to the community or flight risk.  It also plans to ensure timely provision of health care for immigrants held in federal custody and discontinue the use of the T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility in Taylor, Texas, for family detention.

"Our nation must commit to a major shift in its view of immigrants who seek freedom, protection and opportunity on America's shores," said Anne P. Wilson, LIRS executive vice president.  "It is time to recognize that indefinitely imprisoning families and those fleeing prosecution -- who have committed no crime in seeking this protection -- is fundamentally anti-American and goes against our core values of 'liberty and justice for all,'" she said.