Lutheran Men in Mission Raises $1.5 Million for Endowment Fund

OMAHA, Neb. (ELCA) -- Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), the
men's ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA), announced it had exceeded a financial goal to raise
$500,000 in cash and $500,000 in deferred gifts for the LMM
Endowment Fund. The announcement was made at an Aug. 1 "Building
for the Future" dinner here, which preceded the Lutheran Men's
Gathering of LMM.
More than $1.5 million has been raised, said Doug Haugen,
LMM director, Chicago. The endowment fund was created to help
LMM become a financially self-supporting ministry.
LMM's assembly brought 101 delegates here from across the
ELCA to conduct the organization's business July 31-Aug. 1.
About 600 men were here Aug. 1-3 for the 2008 Lutheran Men's
Gathering at the Hilton Hotel and Qwest Center. The event theme,
"Coming of Age," focused on LMM's 20th anniversary, its new
relationship with the ELCA and its emphasis on the spirituality
of men ages 18-34.
Douglas and Ann Larson, Menomonie, Wis., gave a grant of
$500,000 in 2004 to meet the endowment goal. A campaign to raise
an additional $1 million followed the 2005 LMM Assembly in
Charleston, S.C.
The Larsons were honored with a plaque from the
organization, presented by former LMM President Heber Rast,
Cameron, S.C. "It's not a matter of what I have done but what
God has done," Douglas Larson said. "I'm very positive about
LMM. These are my brothers here. I just want us to go on from
here."
Haugen said that the Larsons were instrumental in exceeding
the goal and that board members in the group had been uncertain
it was possible. "You call in the leaders to say we have a task
ahead of us," he said. "(Larson) was one of those leaders. He
has challenged us in the most positive of ways."
Richard White, LMM vice president, South Riding, Va., was
co-chair of the development council, which oversaw the fund-
raising efforts. "We pulled it off," he said.
"There were a lot of people who really helped. We always
knew in the end that we'd achieve it, and it's so nice to see
the real number."
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Information about LMM is at http://www.ELCA.org/lmm on the
Web.

*Luke Tatge is a senior journalism major at Augustana College,
Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer he is an intern with the ELCA News
Service.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
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