Thrivent Financial News — A roundup of news and features

Board Elections | Organ Donation | Bank President | Church Loans | The Way We Give | Thrivent Funds | Share Your Service Story

LEADERSHIP
Three Elected to Board

Members of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans elected two incumbents and one new director to four-year terms on the organization’s 16-member board of directors. F. Mark Kuhlmann, Timothy J. Lehman and Richard C. Lundell received the highest number of votes after benefit members voted by mail during the period of Oct. 15–Nov. 30, 2005. A record 306,203 Thrivent Financial benefit members cast votes for the open positions. The independent accounting firm of Schenck Business Solutions tabulated the results.

“We are very pleased with this increased level of voter turnout, as membership participation is the foundation of our fraternal benefit society,” says Richard Beumer, vice chairman and lead independent director of the Thrivent Financial Board of Directors.

Kuhlmann, of Kirkwood, Missouri, begins his initial term on the board with the 2006 term. Kuhlmann was nominated for election in 2004 by his Thrivent chapter, and nominated again in 2005 by his chapter and the board of directors. He serves as co-chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Systems Service Enterprises, Inc.

Lehman, of Neenah, Wisconsin, was initially appointed to the board in February 2005. He was nominated for election in 2005 by two Thrivent chapters and the board of directors. He serves as president of the Adult/Feminine Care Sector of Kimberly-Clark Corp. in Neenah, Wisconsin.

Lundell, of Excelsior, Minnesota, has been a member of the board since 1999. He was nominated for election in 2005 by two Thrivent chapters and the board of directors. He serves as president of R.C. Lundell, Inc.

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GIVING
Wayne Holle Chosen as ‘Baltimorean of the Year’

It was an unselfish act by someone who simply says: “God put me in the right place at the right time.”

Wayne Holle, a Thrivent Financial for Lutherans financial associate who lives in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, and works in the Baltimore area, was featured in the Fall 2005 issue of Thrivent magazine after he donated a kidney to 14-year-old Asa Keimig, a fellow member at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Parkton, Maryland, in March 2005.

Now he’s been honored as a “Baltimorean of the Year” by Baltimore magazine in its January 2006 issue. His was one of 10 remarkable stories of accomplishment in 2005.

“Everyone is doing great,” says Holle about Asa and himself. “I have had no long-term effects. And Asa is doing very well; he’s had really no problems at all. It’s nothing short of a miracle.”

Holle’s only regret? That he can’t donate another kidney to someone else in need.

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BANKING
Sipe Named President, CEO of Thrivent Financial Bank

Thrivent Financial Bank recently hired Todd Sipe, an industry veteran with 22 years of banking experience, as its new president and CEO. Thrivent Financial Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Previously, Sipe served as vice president of member services for the U.S. Federal Credit Union of Burnsville, Minnesota. Prior to that, he worked for 20 years at Bremer Bank, where he last held the position of executive vice president, regional retail sales manager for greater Minnesota. His role at Bremer Bank also included serving as executive leader of mortgage, indirect lending and Bremer’s service center.

“Todd has deep experience on the retail side of banking. His real passion is better serving the customer and continuously looking for new and better ways to meet their needs,” says Pam Moret, Thrivent Financial executive vice president of Marketing and Products. “Todd has high expectations around quality and compliance. We are very excited to have someone with his extensive banking background join Thrivent Financial.”

Sipe is active in the community and he and his family are members of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

You can visit Thrivent Financial Bank online at www.thrivent.com/bank.

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GIVING
Church Loan Program Growing

For more than 100 years, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has worked with thousands of Lutheran congregations across the United States to provide loans for new buildings, renovations and remodeling projects.

But it’s only the beginning of the work that can be done, says Fred Johnson, Thrivent Financial church loan portfolio manager and director. Johnson anticipates the relationship between congregations and Thrivent Financial will continue to grow as congregations learn about the full realm of services available to them through Thrivent Financial. Congregations can now benefit from construction lending options through the Thrivent Financial Bank partnership, as well as other Thrivent Financial programs focused on helping congregations with their finances, such as Simply Giving® and Giving Plus®.

In 2005, through its church loan program, Thrivent Financial saw a 26 percent increase in annual new loan production, with loans ranging from $25,000 to $11 million. The entire church loan portfolio now stands at $865 million.

“Our goal is to help congregations meet their needs through financial expertise and hands-on service,” says Johnson. “With our long history, we have become more knowledgeable and responsive to the specific needs of churches, whether it be a new project or refinancing an existing loan that has a higher rate of interest or variable interest rate that keeps moving up.”

About 1,800 congregations currently have a loan with Thrivent Financial. “There are thousands more that could benefit from our competitive rates with the potential to funnel more of their money into their ministries,” Johnson says.

For information on the church loan program, loan specifics, as well as loan process and guidelines, visit www.thrivent.com and click on Church Loan Program, or call 800-984-9425.

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VOLUNTEERING
The Way We Give

Want to find where volunteers hang out? Go to church! Thirty percent of Americans said they volunteered last year through their place of worship, according to a national survey of American adults by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Neither schools (24 percent) nor employers (16 percent) matched the ability of faith-based organizations to recruit individuals to roll up their sleeves in service to others.

In all, the survey found that 57 percent of American adults had done volunteer work in the past 12 months while 43 percent indicated they had not performed volunteer work organized by a third party.

The survey also found that Americans are more inclined to reach for their wallets than to give of their time. This represents a reversal from a year earlier when more Americans said they found it easier to give their time than their money.

Half of all American adults said they found it easier to give their money than their time to a charitable cause, a jump of 13 percentage points from a year earlier. Conversely, 32 percent reported they believed it easier to volunteer their time, a decrease of 10 percentage points from the year before. Fourteen percent of respondents said they thought both forms of giving were equally easy.

Despite this attitude reversal, the percentage of Americans who reported volunteering for nonprofits held steady from a year earlier at 57 percent.

Telephone interviews were conducted for Thrivent Financial by Synovate TeleNation Research, Chicago, Illinois, between Dec. 2-4, 2005, among a nationwide sample of 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. The margin of error for questions posed to all 1,000 respondents is plus/minus 3 percent.

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INVESTING
Thrivent Asset Allocation Funds Surpass $1.8 Billion

Just months after their launch in summer 2005, Thrivent Investment Management’s four asset allocation funds and portfolios have surpassed $1.8 billion in assets. The asset allocation funds and portfolios invest in underlying Thrivent mutual funds and portfolios to provide investors with a ready-made asset allocation based on their risk temperament.

Thrivent Investment Management’s asset allocation funds feature active management by the Thrivent Investment Strategy Committee, led by Chief Investment Officer Russell Swansen, which reviews the funds’ and portfolios’ allocations quarterly and may revise them based on changing market and economic conditions. The four funds are: Thrivent Aggressive Allocation Fund, Thrivent Moderately Aggressive Allocation Fund, Thrivent Moderate Allocation Fund and Thrivent Moderately Conservative Allocation Fund.

The four asset allocation mutual funds are offered through the Thrivent Financial network of 2,500 registered representatives. These representatives also offer a broad range of other financial products and services, including life insurance, annuities, disability income insurance and more.

Investing in a mutual fund involves risks, including the possible loss of principal. The prospectus contains more complete information on the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the investment company, which investors should read and consider carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus, contact a registered representative or visit www.thrivent.com.

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GIVING
Share Your Service Story

Thrivent Financial members have a tremendous impact on communities and congregations nationwide through their volunteer activities with Thrivent chapters. Every day, groups of members come together and make a difference through fund-raising and service activities.

We want to tell others about the great things Thrivent chapters and volunteers are doing. If you have been part of an activity that made a difference in your community or congregation, please let us know using the Fraternal Communications Volunteers in Action Information Release form. We might share the story in a Thrivent Financial publication or other news channel.

You can access the form at www.thrivent.com/members/volunteer/forms.html or by contacting your chapter leaders. To find out how you can volunteer through your chapter or how to contact your chapter leaders, visit www.thrivent.com/members/chapters/index.html. If this is your first visit to the Members/Chapters area, you will need to complete a simple, one-time registration.

As you’re completing the form, also consider ways to tell your story locally, by contacting a local media outlet or writing an article for church newsletters.