"I always thank God for you because of His grace given to you in Christ Jesus."
 1 Corinthians 1:4
 
As we reflect on the gifts God has provided us this year, please know that you are a blessing to Lutheran Church Extension Fund!  

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this month's eNewsletter. I always welcome your calls and emails. Note: The South Wisconsin District has a new phone system. If you would like to contact me feel free to call 414-464-8100, ext. 228. Email remains the same,diana.raasch@lcef.org.

I pray you and your family have a most blessed Advent and Christmas worship and celebrations.

Yours in Christ,
Diana

 

 

Diana S. Raasch, M.B.A., CGP 

Vice President
South Wisconsin
414-931-1254 414-464-8100, ext. 228
fax: 414-464-0602
diana.raasch@lcef.org
swd.lcms.org     lcef.org












ENDS December 15, 2015! Fixed-rate term note from LCEF

3.5% FOR 35 MONTHS

New money only. $500 minimum deposit.

 

3.5% for 35 Months Term Note ENDS DECEMBER 15, 2015!

 

We are grateful for the overwhelming response to the 3.5% term note to support Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) ministry. Thanks to all who participated in this special offer.

 

LCEF will honor 3.5% for 35 months term note applications received at their national office in St. Louis office  through Dec. 15, 2015 only. See application links below.

 

Special thanks to all of you who answered the need for more LCEF invested funds to support increased loan demand during the month of November. LCEF is indeed blessed by the faithful partnership of our investors.

 

> Individual Application          > Organization Application

Please note: if you have any LCEF 3.5% term note fliers on hand, please recycle or destroy them. Remove any bulletin/newsletter announcement mentions of this special term note. The 3.5% for 35 months should not be promoted in our churches or schools any longer. Thank you!

 

There are many other LCEF investments still available to help support ongoing LCMS ministry loan needs now and into the future. For example, remember the Young Investors (Y.I.) Club this Christmas.





 
In This Issue
LCEF Visa Cards
Passionate Believers Conference
Ask the Experts!
Christmas Appeal
Lutheran Financial Credit Union
2016 LCEF Scholarship






Upcoming Events
2016
 
January 30
Passionate Believers Conf.
Divine Redeemer, Hartland
 
April 11-13
Spring Pastors' Conference
Best Western, Oshkosh
 
July 9-14
LCMS Synod Convention
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 
Volunteers are needed
 for Synod Convention! 

To learn more, contact Karen

at rayner@swd.lcms.org







Donate To:

SWD Mission and Ministry Outreach Efforts  







News for You
Maybe you have not thought about the way a gift can meet the person in the pew or a person that has not been to a worship service for many years. Gifts help perpetuate Lutheran Church Extension Fund's mission of empowering ministries in Kingdom work by offering custom loans and support resources.
  
"Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back." - Luke 6:30

Blessings,
Pamela Moksnes, CFP ™

Click here to receive LCEF's
weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly Financial Newsletter written by Pam Moksnes, Vice President-Gift Planning Services. Pam is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). 

Feel free to share this 
eNewsletter with a friend and contact Diana at 414-464-8100, ext. 25 if we can be of further assistance to you. 












Reach Your Financial Goals While Helping Build the Church 
 







Leader to Leader 
Check it OUT
LCEF's "Leader to Leader" blog at












SWD
"Passionate Believers"
Click on the icon to download the SWD
"Passionate Believers" Quarterly Publication.






Upper 
Midwest Districts Quarterly Publication
Click on photo to read our magazine.

right-arrow-icon4.gif















 






LCEF Gift Cards
Shopping during the Christmas holidays can be a difficult task. LCEF is here to help. An LCEF Visa gift card makes a thoughtful gift for friends and family, affording them the flexibility to use it however they wish.
 
Gift cards are available in $25, $50 and $100 values. An additional $1.99 fee per gift card will be added to the order.













SWD Passionate Believers Conference
 January 30, 2016
"Caring for the Church, Caring for the Church Worker"

Saturday, January 30, 2016
8:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Divine Redeemer Lutheran Church & School
N48 W31385 Hill St., Hartland
Keynote Presenter: Dr. Beverly Yahnke, clinical psychologist and Executive Co-Director for DOXOLOGY, will present
"Serving the Church by Serving Her Servants: What's Your Action Plan?"
 
Healthy congregations and healthy church workers are complimentary to each other. The church caring for its workers who are pressed hard by the demands of their office is as vital today as it has ever been. Church workers suffer from the same frailties and the same temptations as every sinner. The purpose of this conference is to assist church members in understanding how the church might better care for her workers; and how the church worker might be better equipped to care for the church.

Click here for detailed description of all the Breakout Session options.
 

We look forward to seeing you at the conference. For questions or additional information, contact Barb Slak at 414-464-8100, ext. 745 or slak@swd.lcms.org












Estate Planning Panel
"Ask the Experts"
Diana Raasch, will be facilitating an Estate Planning discussion at the Passionate Believers Conference on January 30, 2016 at Divine Redeemer, Hartland. Visit swd.lcms.org for conference details.
Providing for your family and other heirs, as well as protecting the estate for which you have saved your entire career, is essential. A panel of experts, which includes an estate attorney, a financial planner, and a CPA/tax expert, will provide information and will answer your questions during a breakout session at the SWD Passionate Believers Conference. This information will prove to be very relevant to your planning. Bring your questions!

Click on the links below for a complete description of all breakout sessions offered, brochure and to register.

If you need further assistance or additional information, contact Barb Slak at 414-464-8100, ext. 745 or slak@swd.lcms.org.













Christmas Appeal
Our Savior Came for ALL Nations!
The nations. He came for the nations; for all of them. The baby born in Bethlehem is not a regional God. He's not a parochial divinity. He's for all. The Son of God took on human flesh and blood to redeem all mankind by His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, and He did it for all nations!

Like many communities in Wisconsin, Sheboygan has seen a rise its Hispanic population. They comprise at least 10% of the total population in this region. More than 5,000 souls. And that's likely to continue growing. By God's grace, the congregations and pastors of this community feel compelled to reach this population with the Good News of the Gospel. Through the ministry of an Hispanic vicar, they will explore ways to plant the seed of God's Word, confident that it will grow and bear fruit.

This year the South Wisconsin District is lifting up our Hispanic ministry. What an incredible opportunity to reach the hundreds of thousands of Spanish-speaking friends in our District. The Sheboygan area pastors and congregations in partnership with the South Wisconsin District office have researched the need of missional work for the many Hispanic communities in the Sheboygan area. Under the leadership of several local pastors the partnership has decided to move forward to plant an Hispanic congregation in Sheboygan. A vicar has been selected, and the work is slated to begin sometime in early 2016!! It is amazing! Wonderful! And if it can happen in Sheboygan (where there are so many Lutherans), it can happen anywhere!

Please prayerfully consider a gift to support God's mission work to these Hispanic families in South Wisconsin. You can mail a check, made out to the South Wisconsin District with a notation that it is for our Hispanic Ministry, to 8100 W. Capitol Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53222. If you would like to make a gift using a credit card, click here or contact Barb Slak. Her telephone number is 414-464-8100, extension 745.

May you and your family always bask in the warmth of our God's presence. God's blessings on your Advent and Christmas worship.














National Youth Gathering 2016

New Orleans, LA

July 16-20, 2016 

 

If you have a youth group that is planning on going to the NYG, please have the group leader contact Robin -
mueller@swd.lcms.org - at the District office. We want to make sure that they are receiving all the information from the District office regarding the District event, t-shirts, etc. 

LCEF has been an important partner to those attending LCMS National Youth Gatherings. We will once again provide financial services for youth groups, workers and, volunteers.

 

 > > Click here to learn more about LCEF's partnership with the NYG 2016! 






Lutheran Financial Credit Union (LCFU)

LCEF has partnered with the LCMS to assist in establishing Lutheran Federal Credit Union (LFCU). LFCU will give LCMS members a sense of mutual participation to share the Gospel message, while linking them with lower cost banking options that may replace secular services.

          
LFCU will be able to provide checking, savings, and loan products to Rostered Church Workers nationwide as well as serve all of the members of our congregations. This reflects the emphasis on banking support to individuals rather than to the congregations themselves. Services provided by LFCU are projected to include checking and savings accounts, CDs, home mortgages, auto loans, unsecured loans, and credit cards and will also operate in all 50 states!
 
Recent milestones as preparations continue toward the opening of the credit union include regulatory approval that was received in December 2014 and the beginning of the "silent phase" of operations in May 2015. In August, LFCU moved to a Phase 2 expansion of its silent phase with additional Synod entities being provided an opportunity to become involved with the credit union.
 
The operations of LCEF and LFCU are, and will continue to remain, totally separate entities with the common objective of ministry support. We all look forward to the projected public opening of LFCU during the first quarter of 2016 and the sponsorship source for ministry that it will provide.           
 












Apply Now!
LCEF is a nonprofit religious organization; therefore, LCEF investments are not FDIC-insured bank deposit accounts. This is not an offer to sell investments, nor a solicitation to buy. LCEF will offer and sell its securities only in states where authorized. The offer is made solely by LCEF's Offering Circular. Investors should carefully read the Offering Circular, which more fully describes associated risks. LCEF StewardAccount access features provided through UMB Bank n.a. The StewardAccount is not available to investors living in South Carolina.