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Dear Pastors and Church Friends,
Over the past couple years, you have heard much about Lutheran Social Services Housing and the tremendous progress that has been made in this new initiative of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota. We have been blessed with wonderful leadership from Jessica Thomasson, director , in this effort.
 Recently we had a one-day retreat with members of the Lutheran Social Services of ND Board of Directors, the Lutheran Social Services Housing Board, federal and state housing partners and the agency's executive leadership to talk about past accomplishments and make decisions that will help guide the future. It was a very positive and productive meeting, and both boards gave their support to continue to maintain and develop new housing projects.
During the summer months, Hope Deutscher, our church relations coordinator, will be contacting churches in the areas where we have housing projects either under consideration or in progress to share information, answer questions and talk about how each church may want to be involved with housing in their community. Part of the reason that we were invited to consider housing as a line of service was because we are a part of the Lutheran churches in North Dakota. The churches have been an asset to the housing program and we hope that will continue to grow in the years to come.
Housing has become an integral part of our Christian mission in our communities by helping people find an affordable place to live, which in turn helps them maintain their relationship with their church. At the same time, this strengthens the community. As always, we are proud to partner with you in these goals.
Take care and God bless,
Bob
Robert L. Sanderson, CEO
Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota
Bob always appreciates feedback. Contact him at:
701-271-3271 or [email protected]
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American Lutheran Church of Stanley:
Stepping Out in Faith
Church helps open doors to new homes for families in North Dakota's oil country | |
Anyone familiar with the current economic boom in western North Dakota knows that there is one thing at a premium in Oil Patch towns like Stanley, ND: affordable homes for growing young families and older adults. These two groups are at particular risk of being displaced by the region's soaring rents.
When the people of American Lutheran Church of Stanley heard that Lutheran Social Services Housing was exploring whether the former Stanley Community Hospital might be converted into spacious and affordable apartment homes, church members made a spiritual decision to help their neighbors in need. With the leadership of Pastor Renita Eidenschink and Pastor Ray Anderson, the church awarded Lutheran Social Services Housing, a program of Lutheran Social Services of ND, a $50,000 leadership grant to assist with the hospital's redevelopment costs.
 Now the dream of creating new apartment homes in the heart of town, at the same time saving a building that has long been a community anchor, is being realized. In late May 2011, rental applications were sent to more than 70 individuals and families who had contacted Lutheran Social Services Housing over the past year, all looking for a rental home in Stanley, population 1,300 and located west of Minot on Hwy 2.
The dream will be fully attained in August when the former hospital will be opened as the new Linden Corners Apartments, offering 17 rental units ranging from studio-size to spacious three-bedroom apartments.
Best of all, due to the large mix of funding help from American Lutheran Church and the project's additional partners, nine of the units will be available at a very moderate rent that will be affordable to those with limited incomes. The balance of the units will be available at a market-rate rent, but even these rents will be reasonable. Lutheran Social Services Housing aims to keep its market rate affordable for families whose wage earners make an average of $10 per hour.
 A wealth of partners joined with American Lutheran Church and Lutheran Social Services Housing to make the new apartments available for the Stanley community, including The city of Stanley, Scandia Bank, North Dakota Housing Finance Agency, North Dakota Department of Commerce, Affordable Housing Developers, Inc., Otto Bremer Foundation, the Mountrail County Housing Authority and the Mountrail County Job Development Agency. The collaborative spirit of this project is one that Lutheran Social Services will look to as a model for years to come - demonstrating what people can achieve for their neighbors and communities when they decide to put faith in action.
Other North Dakota churches have also offered wonderful support to Lutheran Social Services Housing projects. Last summer Pastor Allen Campbell of North Viking and Viking Lutheran Church, along with congregants, helped host a Construction Kick-Off picnic for more than 100 townspeople to celebrate the beginning of renovation on Summer Square Apartments in Maddock. Pastor Chris Montgomery of First Lutheran Church in Watford City helped organize church volunteers to work on a Planting Day for Creekside Cottages last fall, enabling residents at the new apartments to enjoy trees, shrubs and lawns this spring.
Pastor Renita Eidenschink (center) and church members pot annuals that volunteers brought for Linden Corners Apartments in Stanley. The flowers were featured on the church altar at the Pentecost Sunday celebration on June 12 before being delivered to Linden Corners.
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 How does Lutheran Social Services' Restorative Justice program help when an 11-year-old girl is arrested for theft in rural North Dakota? Click here to learn more |
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Lutheran Social Services
Core Values
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� A Trust in God who forgives, heals and calls us to serve others.
� Responsiveness to the needs of all people, especially the marginalized and disadvantaged.
� Excellence and integrity in Christian service.
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Our Vision
Leading through innovation and partnership,
Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota will
strengthen lives and communities by putting faith into action.
Visit us online at www.lssnd.org . |
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Church and community volunteers joined with Lutheran Social Services' New American Services program to provide 120 refurbished bicycles to an appreciative group of refugees in Fargo.
Click here to learn more
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Stable, affordable housing helps workers, retirees and their communities
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When you think about housing, do you think about walls, roofs and siding? Doors? Maybe flooring? Lutheran Social Services Housing thinks about people...and the positive impact that stable, affordable places to live has on communities and families of all types. Click here to learn how Lutheran Social Services Housing develops housing solutions for North Dakota.
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| Meet the residents! | 
Meet Brett and Kayle, new residents of Lutheran Social Services Housing's Summer Square Apartments in Maddock, along with residents of developments in other North Dakota towns. Click here
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The following item is available for you to copy and paste into your church bulletin:
Lutheran Disaster Response, a program of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota, will conduct training for anyone who would like to work on flood clean-up in North Dakota this summer and fall. Congregations are encouraged to organize several clean-up teams with each team consisting of 2-10 volunteers and at least one designated leader per team. These teams will be trained to assist flood families with tasks such as hauling away debris, removing mud from lower levels, and disinfecting homes. The flood clean-up workshops will be held on Tuesday, June 28 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 1143 N 26th St., Bismarck. Team leaders will be trained from 4-6 p.m.; all other team volunteers will be trained from 7-9 p.m. the same evening. A light dinner will be served. To sign up, call Lord of Life Lutheran Church at 701- 223-2986.
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Help spread
the word...
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Feel free to forward this email to your congregation members and friends who may be interested in news from Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota!
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For information on the Lutheran Social Services $6.5 million Abound in Hope capital campaign currently underway to raise funds to build a Center for Healing, Help and Hope in Fargo and renovations and an addition to Luther Hall in Fargo, please contact:
Dennis Aune 701-730-2524 or [email protected].
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