St. Luke's Foundation

I am a firm believer in the old adage “‘tis better to give than to receive”, so when I was asked to serve on the St. Luke’s Foundation—essentially being a part of the Board whose job it was to consider requests for funds of charitably gifted money to share with other causes that support St. Luke’s ministry—I was in! Now, like any good Lutheran volunteer, I didn’t EXACTLY know what I was getting into when I said yes. That was about two and a half years ago and I am now writing to you as the President of the Foundation. (I guess this is where I recall another poignant adage: time flies when you’re having fun!)

In the spirit of continuing to have fun and be a good Lutheran volunteer, I am still learning what I am doing and working hard toward filling my predecessor, Patrick Lair’s, proverbial big shoes as President of the Foundation. I have the honor to serve with a great group of St. Luke’s Lutherans. We meet via Zoom and I always leave our meetings with a smile on my face. Our Foundation Board members include:

Paul Kopnik, Vice President
Al Buss, Treasurer
Helen Schatzlein, Secretary
Jana Cinnamon, Member-at-Large

The St. Luke’s Foundation was originally set up to establish and administer an endowment fund for the benefit of St. Luke’s and its congregation. We have two separate funds from which we are able to pull, one of which is specifically designated for requests for youth in middle and high school-aged their related requests. This fund (known as the PHASE fund) was generously set up by a St. Luke’s family in honor of a loved one.

The Foundation operates on 4% of the total funds’ value at the end of each calendar year. Funds can and have been carried over for use in future years. More information about the funds can be found on the St. Luke’s website.

In my relatively short time serving on the Foundation, we have funded a variety of requests ranging from lighting and computer upgrades at the church to funding scholarships for trips to summer camp, and even a food truck feeding the families of those who attended Vacation Bible School! We have been able to support the choir, the quilters, the staff, the youth and the building itself.

At a recent meeting, the Foundation was joined by our Regional Gift Planner from the ELCA Foundation, Joe Sullivan. Our time with Mr. Sullivan gave the St. Luke’s Foundation some insight into some greater opportunities for us to share our charitable giving beyond the scope in which we are currently doing. We also learned that Mr. Sullivan can provide guidance for the congregation and partner with individual members in different aspects of gift planning services. Look for more information about that in the future.

For now, know that we are grateful to those of you who have donated to the Foundation in the past, and those who continue to do so. We appreciate your generosity! Gifts to the donation often come from memorials, but must be designated to go specifically to the Foundation. We are also grateful to those who have submitted requests for funds. The Foundation application can be found on the church website or in the office.

As I finish writing to you on the eve of my first-born’s tenth birthday, I’m thinking of a bright future ahead, and not only for him, but for St. Luke’s and its ministry. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the St. Luke’s congregation as the President of the Foundation. I look forward to continuing to serve and the opportunity to be a good steward of the funds gifted to the St. Luke’s Foundation to support St. Luke’s ministry.

Jodi Murphy
​St. Luke's Foundation President