Imagine Holy Trinity had a beautiful rose bush that produced the most luscious roses ever seen. And no matter how many roses are pruned to make bouquets, the bush always grows more roses. As elementary as it sounds, Holy Trinity does have a beautiful rose bush in the form of the Endowment Fund. The Endowment Fund (rose bush) is a perpetual gift that only gives out the annual distribution (bouquets) each year. $9865 was given to various ministry partners that support the mission of the Endowment Team in 2021. This month, between February 4 – 14, you’re invited to Share the Love. For the cost of a dozen roses or a fancy box of chocolates, the Endowment Team invites you to donate $25 to the Endowment Fund in honor of a friend or loved one.
Years of Giving
For the past 24 years, the Endowment Committee has met quarterly to review grant applications and discern which organizations receive a bouquet of roses (funds from the Endowment). According to the Mission Statement of the Endowment Committee, “distributions benefit the areas of evangelism, missions, youth ministry, local benevolence, and special needs of the church.” Committee Member, Joanna Hansen, was looking for ways to volunteer and discovered the Endowment Team was the perfect fit. “I struggled with how to [volunteer at HTLC] while balancing a full time career where I do a fair amount of travelling along with being a busy hockey mom. While I knew nothing about Endowment initially, I quickly learned this was something I simply wanted to be a part of,” Hansen recalls.
Newly-elected Endowment Team member, Gary Eagen, is no stranger to Holy Trinity or the Endowment Committee. Gary and his wife, Mary, have been members since 1970 and he served on the Endowment Committee 10 years ago. “It’s my way of giving to an institution that has given me guidance in my journey of life,” states Eagen.
Another rookie on the Endowment Team, Adam Cornell has a sweet history with Holy Trinity as he married his wife, Lindsey, in the sanctuary 15 years ago. “We came back to Holy Trinity [three years ago] for a place where we could grow in faith, with people that have shared values and be part of the local community. I volunteered for the Endowment Committee to connect with other Holy Trinity members and learn about the local/greater community needs. I wanted to know more about the Endowment, how it’s funded, how funds are distributed, who’s requesting funding and who/how funding is approved.”
The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Endowment Fund donations do not go into HTLC’s operating accounts. Instead, they are invested with the St. Paul Foundation. The Endowment Fund’s “rose bush” grows in three ways. Organic Growth – the fund is conservatively invested in the financial markets and experiences growth with the markets. Contributions from an Estate Plan – donors designate money directly to the Endowment Fund or through the church’s gift policy. Contributions from Active Donors – contributions are accepted from church and community members who are looking to donate funds beyond the church and its traditional operating budget. Since the Endowment Committee only gives away the annual distribution from the fund, the larger the rose bush, the more bouquets it can give away.
Share the Love
The uniqueness of the Endowment Fund makes gift giving reach beyond the walls of Holy Trinity, whether is local or nationally. In the past year, Endowment gifts supported HTLC’s Thanksgiving Meal-in-a-bag Giveaway and purchased hymnals and binders for Mala Strana worship services. Gifts even made it all the way to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in New Orleans to support their Community Table program. New Committee Member, Dean Podratz states that the Endowment fund “might be more personal to some” with the ability to designate fund appropriation.
Why should you donate $25 to the Share the Love Campaign? Hansen sums it up, “As a Committee, we find ourselves having to be conservative when approving requests, especially in the beginning of the year (to make sure we have enough funds to last the duration of the year). We want to be sure we have enough funds to support Thanksgiving meals, in addition to any needs that may come in during the holidays. The Share the Love campaign gives everyone the opportunity to help grow the Endowment Fund, so we can continue to say ‘yes’ to every opportunity that comes in that fits the Endowment Fund mission.”
New Committee Team member, Dan Popple, likes the idea of contributing through the Share the Love Campaign as “it combines visibility to the Endowment while simultaneously providing a simple mechanism to grow the fund. As more people learn their contributions will continue providing valuable support for worthy causes for generations through the returns from the fund, it will create additional interest and excitement on what we can accomplish.”
Help us Share the Love! As you learn more about the Share the Love Campaign from Adam Cornell this week in worship, please consider donating to the Share the Love Campaign between now and February 14. For the cost of a dozen roses or a box of Valentine’s chocolates, you can make a positive impact for generations to come.
Written by Karen Taylor, Web Manager
February 2, 2022
