wfn.org | Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod School Fund Exceeds Goal

[wfn@wfn.org]

LCMSNews -- No. 73
December 12, 2000

Campaign nears $54.28 million
to aid students at Synod schools

With a month to go in its second year of activity, The Lutheran Church-
Missouri Synod's "For the Sake of the Church" initiative has received almost
$54.28 million in gifts and pledges _ exceeding its year-end goal by more
than $22 million and surpassing the three-year goal of $51 million.

The 12-year campaign, to end in 2010, has the primary goal of doubling the
number of LCMS students at the 10 Synod colleges and universities, along
with gathering enough endowment funds ($400 million) to help reduce tuition
expenses that any academically qualified members of Synod congregations
would incur while studying at the schools. That figure is based on an
average of $3,000 in tuition debt per student, per year.

"This marvelous news about the outpouring of financial gifts comes on the
heels of last month's equally good news that the total number of LCMS
students on our campuses this fall increased by 7.5 percent, when compared
with last year," said Rev. Edward G. Bertram, national director for the
campaign.

In November, the Synod's Board for Higher Education reported an all-time
high figure of 4,673 Missouri Synod students at the 10 schools.

"We need to double the number of Christian leaders that graduate from our
LCMS schools," Bertram said, "so that we can increase the pool from which we
draw church workers."

Bertram said that of the more than $54.27 million reported, approximately 40
percent is cash in hand, 10 percent cash pledged, and 50 percent estate
gifts. He indicated that approximately $51 million of the total was reported
from the efforts of For the Sake of the Church teams at the 10 schools, with
the remainder reported by the national team. Each Concordia set its own
enrollment and financial goals for the campaign, he said.

Administrative costs for the campaign _ including staff, publicity and other
needs _ currently amount to about 2.5 percent of the funds committed,
compared with projected costs of 5 percent, according to Bertram.

He said that the $54,279,119 figure was recorded on Dec. 6, and projected
that financial figures for the end of 2000 would be available by mid winter.

He also said that he is aware of about 25 named endowments in the campaign's
St. Philip Trust, which recognizes individual donor gifts of $30,000 or
more.

"We're heartened by the fact that, while our colleges and universities have
been in healthy competition for students and finances over the years, they
are pulling together for this project," Bertram said.

"The school and national teams are doing an outstanding job, but the real
heroes are the many generous Lutherans who are committing their financial
resources, prayers and recruitment efforts to help assure future Christian
leaders for the Synod," said Bertram.

An "integral part" of the emphasis, according to Bertram, is the role of
prayer partners throughout the Synod.  He said that they are asked to pray
for the effort, are on a mailing list for the campaign's newsletter and
other information, and are encouraged to recruit potential students for the
Concordias.  There are currently 2,562 such prayer partners, Bertram said.

Beginning last spring, 3,400 of the Synod's 6,220 congregations requested
from the campaign offices 747,000 copies of bulletin inserts explaining For
the Sake of the Church and giving members a way to indicate their interest
in becoming prayer partners or in receiving information about the schools.

Also this year, all LCMS congregations received from the campaign office a
poster promoting the Synod colleges and universities, along with tear off,
postage-paid postcards for prospective students to indicate the year of
their high-school graduation and the schools from which they would like to
have more information.

Tammy Songer, For the Sake of the Church communications coordinator, said a
mailing is going out next month to women's organizations in the Synod.  It
will contain a letter and brochure explaining the campaign, asking women to
register interest in becoming prayer partners, and a form for them to
identify congregation members who might be prospective students for the
Concordias.

Bertram said that plans for next year's LCMS convention call for showing
brief videos about each of the 10 schools, and that representatives of the
campaign's national cabinet will present lists of prospective students
during the convention.

"It will be something like Hannah bringing Samuel to the temple," he said.

He indicated that a presentation on the schools is planned for next year's
LCMS National Youth Gathering in New Orleans.  In addition, its 30,000 plus
participants will receive computer-screen dusters advertising the campaign's
web site, which has links to all 10 campus web sites.

Bertram said that campaign task forces are exploring ways to reach more
elementary- and high-school students who are members of Synod congregations,
as well as teachers and administrators of Lutheran schools.

The For the Sake of the Church  21-member national cabinet is chaired by
retired General John W. Vessey of Garrison, Minn., former chairman of the
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Bertram said that cabinet members have been
making presentations about the emphasis throughout the Synod.

For more information about For the Sake of the Church, visit the web site
http://sake.lcms.org or e-mail Songer at tammy.songer@ lcms.org .

*************************************

LCMSNews is published by the News and Information Division, Board for
Communication Services, of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  Free
subscriptions to this service are available by sending an electronic mail
message to mailserv@crf.cuis.edu, containing only the words SUBSCRIBE
LCMSNEWS in the body of the message.  To unsubscribe, send only the message
UNSUBSCRIBE LCMSNEWS to the same mailserv address.  For more information,
contact Joe Isenhower Jr. via e-mail at joe.isenhower@lcms.org, or by phone
at (314) 996-1231.

*************************************