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For Starters — A mix of faith, finances and volunteerism
LABORS OF LOVE
The Hills Are Alive With Giving
 If you listen closely, you can still hear the sound of music echoing through the hills--the hills of New England, that is.
Elisabeth von Trapp, granddaughter of Maria von Trapp, has been putting on Christmas concerts to benefit
affiliates of Lutheran Social Services (LSS) of New England since 2002.
"My grandfather [the Baron von Trapp] was a Lutheran ... this is just one of those connections that makes me feel very fulfilled," says von Trapp. "I believe that in my own faith walk,
it is important to give back in full measure."
Von Trapp began fund-raising for LSS after meeting the Rev. Robert Schipul at the 1993 New England
District Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Pastors spring conference, held at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. Schipul heard von Trapp singing and invited her to perform for the conference that year.
In October 2002, Schipul approached von Trapp to do a fund-raising event for LSS in Southbury, Connecticut. With six weeks to plan, Schipul asked the local chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
to help. "Elisabeth was unbelievable," Schipul recalls. "More than 450 people came to hear her."
Many Thrivent Financial members volunteered their time, from publicity to singing in the choir to helping to clean up the venue after the event.
Now, as many as 15 Thrivent chapters from the New England area are involved with donations and volunteer hours. According to Tom Langdon, director of development for LSS of New England and vice president of the Thrivent Northeast Massachusetts Chapter, the concert raised about $35,000 last year alone.
Approximately $15,200 of that came from supplements offered by the New England chapters of Thrivent Financial. "The different chapters have recognized the work that LSS does in their area and have been very generous," says Langdon.
--Sarah Asp
Elisabeth Von Trapp in Concert
Dec. 5 First Lutheran Church, Boston, MA
Dec. 13 Christ Chapel, Centerville, MA
Dec. 15 Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Hartford, CT
FOUNDATIONS
A Fresh Take on Tradition
 It is not the ornate decorations or the massive pipe organ that first strike you as you walk into Our Savior Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas. It's the intimacy. From the octagonal shaped sanctuary to the multi-level pews-in-the-round surrounding the altar, every architectural aspect works to bring congregants a sense of unity with God and each other. Our Savior's sanctuary is modeled after the very earliest Lutheran churches.
"The building itself, the design of the structure, tells us why we're here and what we're doing, and that's constantly reinforced by the way everything is arranged," says the Rev. Laurence White.
In 1999, the year before the sanctuary was dedicated, White took a four-week trip to Germany. He found that traditionally, Lutheran churches were designed to draw the congregation into worship and community. He used his findings, along with Lutheran doctrinal teachings on worship, as a model for Our Savior's. "In traditional Lutheran theology, God comes to us in Word and sacrament and we respond to Him with our prayers
and praise. It is a conversation, an interaction initiated and inspired by God," White explains.
Our Savior's dedication to worship is evident in the layout of the sanctuary. When parishioners enter, they are first greeted with the baptismal font, to symbolize the importance of the Word of God and the sacrament. The prominent placement of the altar and pulpit remind worshipers of the importance of the Word, and when seated, worshipers face the altar and one another to direct focus and build community without the use of microphones and sound systems--just like Lutherans from centuries past.
"In Lutheran theology ... the members of the congregation are not spectators, but participants," says White. "The congregation has a sense of being together as we are gathered around the architectural representation of the means of grace. At the same time, there is that wonderful sense of continuity that we are deliberately doing what our fathers did before us."
--Sarah Asp
FUND FACTS
Keep Your Eyes on the Pie
Studies often say asset allocation--the weightings of stocks, bonds and other
investments within your portfolio--has greater impact on overall returns than any
other factor, including market timing. So how should you allocate your assets? It depends on your age, goals and tolerance for risk. Visit www.thrivent.com/investments/education to learn more.
Source: Ibbotson Associates
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