JANUARY 2015 When you invest in Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), you become part of something bigger. As an LCEF investor, you are empowering the ministries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. • StewardAccount • Family Emergency StewardAccount® • Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) • Young Investors (Y.I.) StewardAccount • Term Notes • Dedicated Certificate • Coverdell Education Savings Account • ConnectPLUS Term Note LCEF investors help make funds available for loans and support services that help ministries share the Gospel. Learn more at lcef.org or call 800-843-5233. New LCEF Board Member from PSD We are excited to announce that David Worthington was elected at the Fall Leadership Conference to the Board of Directors as the Layperson from the West Region. The West Region consists of the following Districts: California, Nevada, Hawaii; Rocky Mountain; Montana; Northwest; Pacific Southwest; and Wyoming. David has dealt with church and school finances for over 15 years. He has a unique perspective on balancing finances while doing God’s work. He has helped prepare several congregational strategic plans to help prepare for future growth and has worked extensively with LCEF on church loans and promoting LCEF to congregations. David works for Vulcan Materials Company in Phoenix, AZ and is a member of Christ Church Lutheran, Phoenix. Approval Received for LCMS-Focused Credit Union After almost three years of work and collaboration with partnering agencies and individuals, Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) is pleased to announce that the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) has granted a charter for the launch of a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod-focused credit union, effective December 23, 2014. The approved name of the new entity is Lutheran Federal Credit Union, with offices at 10733 Sunset Office Drive, Suite 460, St. Louis, MO 63127. Along with the granting of a charter, the NCUA has approved the field of membership for the credit union to include The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS); associated districts; congregations and schools, and their members; LCMS agencies, employees and their families. The Lutheran Federal Credit Union is a totally separate entity from the LCMS and LCEF, with its own governing Board of Directors. LCEF’s role has been to provide organizational assistance and start-up capital to bring this new entity to fruition. The LCEF board and staff are pleased to have been part of the process that has led to the granting of a charter to operate. The Lutheran Federal Credit Union will serve the transactional banking needs of the nearly three million prospective members through a broad array of deposit and lending products with state-of-the-art technology, providing responsive and exceptional customer service. The Lutheran Federal Credit Union could become operational as early as spring 2015. Details surrounding the offerings, scheduled launch and timeline for full roll-out will be announced by the credit union board and those selected to lead this new enterprise in the coming months. Should you have any questions, you are welcome to send them by email to [email protected]. Happy Birthday to: Special Prayers for: Gene Grefe January 7 Larry Sanders Promotion Coordinator, Region 4 Marilyn Gourley January 18 Our Savior Lutheran Church, Henderson Larry Sanders January 23 Larry as he continues to battle cancer. We are thankful that his chemo treatments are complete. Family of John Bentz John went to his heavenly home on December 24, 2014. John was the CR at Christ the Cornerstone, San Diego. Promotion Coordinator, Regions 1 & 2 From Larry Dunkirk Region 3 [email protected] 1-877-777-8032 Happy New Year all! Once again we closed out an exciting and eventful LCEF year! The wonder of God continues to amaze as we surpass goal after goal. And you, our cherished Church Representatives, are always the key to this continued growth. This year I want to try to impress upon all of you just how important it is to keep your display boards up-to-date. Especially the current interest rate page as that always generates so much interest. (Pun intended!) Occasionally I visit a church where the display board does not have the current rate sheet. If for any reason your church display board does not offer this information nor has no place for the monthly update sheet, please contact me immediately and I will bring an updated board to you as soon as I can. All you have to do is print out the rate page in the Newsletter each month, and slip it into the plastic page holder. If you do not have a printer, just email me or Gail Kanneg at the Pacific Southwest District office and we will mail one to you immediately. Recently I designed a new Display Board with some updated graphics and have received a very positive response where they have been delivered. Eventually, as the older boards wear out, the new boards will be the replacement. You certainly do not have to wait however as I will bring a new one to you at your request any time. I can not stress enough just how important the display boards can be. Usually the board will be the first place many people in your church will even become aware of the LCEF. That is one reason the display should be in a prominent place such as in the Narthex or near a church bulletin board for upcoming events. Then, as they learn that you are the representative for your congregation, they will in turn contact you regarding obtaining more information. Your job then is to just point them towards the LCEF website where all questions can be answered in a timely fashion. Also our staff here at the Pacific Southwest District office will assist you in any way we can. In many instances the growth of the LCEF can be accented through the use of these displays. Always try to keep the board neat and in good repair as the blessings from your display will continue to multiply for you each month. From Gene Grefe Region 4 [email protected] 1-800-279-8930 code 1142 Happy New Year! We’re probably all anxious to see what the year 2015 will bring to each of us. We do know that there will be changes in each of our lives but we do not know what God has planned for us. Whatever it is, we must be ready, in our personal lives as well as what will be ahead in our work for the ministry of LCEF. Looking back on the last year, I think we can all probably realize that we could have done more, I know I could have! Do we all make a New Year’s resolution to attempt to do that in the New Year? Let’s each try. OK? Whatever you set as your goal, even if everyone does not reach it, it should make a difference. I’m not exactly sure if I have current information on each of you, due to a glitch mainly on my part. I need to get my directory up-to-date so would each of you do me a favor by e-mailing me with your current info, i.e. name, address, phone #, e-mail address, Pastor info, etc. If you have told me that you want to step aside from current responsibilities please give me the information on your replacement, if one is in place. Otherwise help me by discussing this with your Pastor & keep me informed. When I do get a name, or names, of a potential representative I will be happy to talk/meet with them. It is not ‘lifetime’ commitment but hopefully would be for a few years at least. I would love nothing more than to reach maybe mid-year and be able to have a full slate of LCEF reps in each congregation. With the help of each of you it is possible to do it ! Do any of you have success stories that you wish to report with regards to how things have been going at your church over the last few months? Y.I. Club growth? ‘ConnectPlus’ investments? Drawing & Essay contests? Take Heart Scholarships, etc….. You can stay up-to-date by going to the website to see what is happening. Each of these opportunities will help promote stewardship within our youth, and adults as well. Remember, encourage the adults in particular, that earnings of 3% are available with the ConnectPlus program. How is your planning for your LCEF Sunday going? Need help? Get in touch! Blessings to each of you and your families as we look forward to what God has in store for us in 2015. $ Bills have been discontinued. LCEF Ads How to use an Ad Position mouse over the ad. Left click to highlight the ad. Right click Choose Copy Image Go to your bulletin document. Right click Choose Paste Resize as needed. LCEF Call Center 1-800-843-5233 7:00 am to 6:00 pm PSD Office toll-free number 855-856-5350 LCEF Videos If you would like to use a video in your congregation, share these links with your worship technician, or visit www.vimeo.com/lcef. All videos run approximately 30 seconds. http://vimeo.com/112086972 for “Building the Kingdom” January Bulletin Bits http://vimeo.com/102950400 for “ConnectPLUS” http://vimeo.com/95874973 for “LCEF By the Numbers” http://vimeo.com/91958029 for “Special Interest” http://vimeo.com/85470283 for “Spring into Savings” http://vimeo.com/70554230 for “Young Investors” http://vimeo.com/65252366 for “Future Friends” http://vimeo.com/64386473 for “Kingdom Work” http://vimeo.com/59604057 for “Young Investor” http://vimeo.com/46291866 for “Now It’s Your Turn” http://vimeo.com/48909134 for “Experience LCEF ” http://vimeo.com/57069732 for “A Place to Grow” Be Part of Something Bigger When you invest in Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), you become part of something bigger. As an LCEF investor, you are empowering the ministries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. LCEF investors help make funds available for loans and support services that help ministries share the Gospel. Learn more at lcef.org or call 800-843-5233. CONTACT US Gary Spencer Gail Kanneg District Vice President 949-854-3232 Ext. 217 Toll-free 855-856-5350 [email protected] Administrative Assistant 949-854-3232 Ext. 205 Toll-free 855-856-5350 [email protected] LCEF Mission Statement: To support the Church in fulfilling its mission of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ by being a Christ-centered servant partner of the LCMS, ensuring that funds and services are available now and in the future.. News Where saving money is fun… and helps others learn about Jesus. DRAWING & ESSAY CONTEST: “Responding to His Love” Y.I. Club members in the Pacific Southwest District have the opportunity to participate in our first-ever Drawing & Essay Contest. Prizes will range from $25—$100 and will be given in five different age categories. Category #1: Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Grade: $25 Prize Draw a picture of what your do because God loves you. Category #2: 3rd, 4th & 5th Grade: $50 Prize Draw a picture and write 5 sentences about what you do because God loves you. Category #3: 6th, 7th & 8th Grade: $75 Prize Write a 250 word essay about what you do because God loves you. Category #4: 9th & 10th Grade: $100 Prize Write a 500 word essay about what you do because God loves you. Category #5: 11th & 12th Grade: $100 Prize Write a 500 word essay about what you do because God loves you. Contest Launch: January 5, 2015. Submission Deadline: January 31, 2015. Open to Y.I. Club members who reside in the Pacific Southwest District . Full contest rules can be found on our Pacific Southwest District website at psd-lcms.org on the LCEF page. Y.I. CLUB MEMBERS EARN EXTRA CREDIT Young Investors can earn "extra credit" for good grades and participating in community service projects (up to $25 per year). Use the forms provided on the Y.I. Club page at lcef.org to submit the information to LCEF. The funds will be credited to the designated Y.I. Club investment. TAKE HEART SCHOLARSHIP: For Y.I. Club World Changers The Take Heart Scholarship was developed for you, our Y.I. Club World Changers, who are high school seniors and will soon be advancing to your next level of higher education. During these times of excitement, anxiousness, and uncertainty, "take heart!" As you begin your new journey, the Young Investors Club wants to assist your transition by offering financial support through the Take Heart Scholarship with up to three awards of $3,000, $1,000 and $500. To Enter 1. You must be an LCEF investor. 2. You must be a high school graduating senior. 3. Download and submit a completed application. Application, terms, and conditions can be found at lcef.org/scholarship 4. Submit an essay (up to 1,000 word) on a predetermined topic. All submissions must be fully completed and electronically submitted to LCEF by March 2, 2015. Questions: If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Investment Interest Rates—January 2015 StewardAccount ® —Individuals Fixed -Term Notes Minimum Investment Rate APY Term Min. Investment Rate APY Less than $1,000 $100 0.250% 0.250% 6-month $500 0.125% 0.125% $1,000 and less than $5,000 $1,000 0.375% 0.376% 9-month $500 0.250% 0.250% $5,000 and less than $10,000 $5,000 0.500% 0.501% 1-year $500 0.375% 0.376% $10,000 and more $10,000 0.750% 0.753% 18-month $500 0.500% 0.501% 2-year $500 0.625% 0.626% 3-year $500 0.875% 0.878% 4-year $500 1.000% 1.004% 5-year $500 1.250% 1.256% Family Emergency St ewardAccount Minimum Investment Rate APY $25 1.000% 1.005% Required minimum monthly investment of $25 until the balance reaches $10,000. Young Investors StewardAccount Floating-Term Notes Min. Investment Rate APY Term Minimum Investment Rate APY $25 to $1,000 $25 3.500% 3.557% 2½-year (30 month) $100 0.310% 0.310% $1,000 and more $1,000 1.000% 1.005% 5-year (60 month) $100 0.740% 0.742% Portion of balance > $1,000 earns second tier rate. ConnectPLUS Two -Year Term Note (for new investors, 18 and older) Term Investment Rate APY Investment Rate APY 2-year $500 to $5,000 3.000% 3.034% Over $5,000 1.000% 1.004% PartnerPLUS Term Note (for new money) Term Investment Rate APY Investment Rate APY 2-year $500 to $25,000 2.000% 2.015% Over $25,000 1.000% 1.005% 4-year $500 to $25,000 2.500% 2.524% Over $25,000 1.000% 1.005% LCEF is a nonprofit religious organization; therefore, LCEF investments are not FDIC-insured bank deposit accounts. This is not an offer to sell LCEF 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 Dedicated/Demand Certificates and StewardAccount are not available to investors in South Carolina. The Family Emergency StewardAccount is known as the Family StewardAccount in the State of Ohio. ConnectPLUS is not available to investors in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Neither LCEF nor its representatives give legal, accounting or tax advice. Consult your tax advisor as to the applicability of this information to your own situation. UMB Bank serves as a custodian of the LCEF IRA/HSA Programs. Learn more about LCEF products and services at lcef.org
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