November 2000 Newsletter

On beginning a new ministry

Greetings to all who read this in the Arkansas-Oklahoma and Central States Synods! Many of you I know from ministry with the Central States Synod staff. Many others of you I have not yet met. Therefore I want to take just a bit of space (and your time) to introduce myself (see below) and the new ministry to which I have been called.

On September 18th, I began work as the Regional Gift Planner on behalf of the ELCA Foundation, the two synods, and twelve agency and institutional ministries who form a planned giving partnership for this area. The purpose of the partnership is to serve you and your congregations in financial planning for today and for the future. The goal is to share information and assist congregation members to express their faith and commitment to our Lord's mission by establishing planned gifts for ministry.

Every one of us owns things. Every one of us has an estate. It may be large or small, but each of us has one. The planned giving partnership has called me to help ELCA members consider ways to arrange their accumulated assets to make them more valuable to themselves and their estates and, at the same time, available for their charitable gifts to ministry.

Your personal desire to care for family and loved ones is the first priority. To provide for your loved ones is good stewardship. The partnership has called me to listen carefully and work with you to discover ways you can achieve your goals.

Another dimension of Christian stewardship is to advance our Lord's mission, insofar as each of us is able. The partnership has called me to assist you in planning gifts that express your values and your love for the Lord and which support important ministries of our church both here and abroad. Such legacy gifts provide lasting support to ministries of your choice.

So, what exactly am I available to do?

Educational presentations in congregations:

Wills, Estates and Gift Planning Seminars. Lasting about 90 minutes, this seminar addresses what happens if you die without a will, federal and state estate taxes, and some options in planning estates. Ample opportunity for questions is provided as well as opportunity to request private conversation about personal charitable interests. These seminars typically are on Sunday as part of a special emphasis for the day, during which I would preach as well as lead a Bible study during the adult education time.

Handling Congregational Bequests Seminars. Meeting with congregational foundation/endowment committees, stewardship committees or other appropriate groups, we consider the purposes of endowment funds, common pitfalls associated with them, guidelines for their operation, bylaws, financial management, and communication with the congregation about the funds.

Consultation with individuals and congregations:

	Individuals. At their request, I will work privately with individuals and couples on their own estate planning to discover what options are available to them in their particular situation and to accomplish the charitable intents they have to support the Lord's mission.
	Congregations. I am available to work with congregations which are about to receive larger gifts. Experience has shown that it is preferable to plan beforehand for receiving such gifts so that a congregation's regular financial stewardship remains strong and the congregation's mission purpose remains clear.

Your inquiries about these services are welcome! I look forward to the privilege and joy of working with you in this stewardship ministry: to manage the financial assets that God has entrusted to us and to provide legacy gifts for ministry.

Peace be with you, Pr. Denny Hallemeier

Why host a "Wills, Estates & Gift Planning Seminar"?

Of the ELCA members who die each year, only about 8% have included a bequest to their congregation. Wills education can change this. Wills education, with a primary emphasis on providing for the family, is a stewardship ministry of the congregation.

It has been said that in a majority of adult ELCA members do not have wills. Why don't people have wills? Several attitudes are at work:

	"I'm not dead yet!" (Procrastination)
	"I don't have much of an estate." (Underestimating their own financial net worth)
	"I can't understand that stuff" or "Oh, that stuff's so boring." (Feeling inadequate to the task)
	"I don't have the money for all those lawyers." (Overestimating the cost of legal counsel)

The good news is that these reasons do not have to be barriers to your congregation members. You can provide them with a seminar at no cost, where they can receive the information they need, ask questions, and have an opportunity to schedule a private meeting with an ELCA Gift Planner if they desire, also at no cost (and no obligation). Then they can go to their own attorney with confidence in having the proper documents drafted at considerable savings.

ELCA Foundation Gift Planners have given these seminars in large and small congregations, rural and urban, in all synods. A list of pastors who have hosted a seminar is available upon request-for you to contact.

Personal Data: Dennis R. Hallemeier

	Born and baptized in St. Charles, Missouri, 1947.
	Graduated in 1969, B.S. Math and English from Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana.
	Programmed computers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; earned an M.A. in English Literature, 1972, U. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
	Graduated in 1976 with a Master of Divinity from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
	Married to Christine in 1977.
	Ordained in 1977, served parishes in Mt. Prospect, Illinois (1977-79) and in Jonesboro, Illinois (1980-1988).
	Served as half time Assistant to the Bishop, Central States Synod (1988-2000) and half time shared stewardship staff (1996-2000).
	Chris and I have two children, Kate (first year college) and Jon (high school sophomore).
	Chris continues to serve ¾ time as Assistant to the Bishop in Central States Synod.
	Hobbies: fishing (and catching), gardening, family travel, & chopping wood.

Lutheran Planned Giving --a Partnership

The ELCA Foundation, together with the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod, the Central States Synod and twelve agency and institutional ministries have formed a partnership for planned giving.

The partnership is a service and stewardship ministry to and with ELCA congregations and individual ELCA members in the two synods:

	To help them plan for themselves and their loved ones;
	To help them plan for their special and legacy gifts to support our Lord's mission.

The partnership provides education and consultation in the area of stewardship of accumulated assets. All services are available without cost or obligation.

Who are the partnership members? In addition to the two synods and the ELCA Foundation, partners are: