Update from Our Campaign Chair

The Congregation of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu deserves an accounting of Phase I of the Capital Campaign, Gifting • Growing • Serving.

I thank Randy Christensen for preparing a summary of money received and spent and inviting my report at Part I of our Annual Meeting. Many of you recall that over three years ago we embarked on this campaign with a goal of $1.5 million. Our consultants, Enrichment Ministries, concluded that a congregation of the size and make up of ours could raise no more than $500,000 in a three year period.

This highly successful campaign would not have been possible without the commitment of a number of persons, and I would like to recognize those who served as team leaders:

• David Barber, Pastor
• Irmgard Hörmann, Honorary Chair
• Roy Helms, Advanced Gifts
• Fred Benco/Brenda Moore, Planned Giving
• Jimmy/Olivia Castro, Bible Study
• Jim Sullivan, Prayer Vigil
• Bill Potter/Kathy Crosier, Promotion
• Ken Von Deylen, Hospitality
• Jeanette Hanson, Banquet
• Biz Person, Resource
• Michael Burnett/Roy Helms, Enrichment Gatherings
• Doug Althauser, Children and Youth
• Josie Bidgood, Commitment Visits
• Paul Benco, Audiovisual
• Howell Foster/Eileen Tellefson, Consultants

Numerous activities, including: Bible study, 24-hour prayer vigil, enrichment gatherings, banquet, etc, culminated in Celebration Sunday (7 December 2003).

Few fund raisers have been as successful as ours. Total pledges amounted to $439,322.00, and $419,648.00 has been received (95.5%).

I would be remiss if I didn't mention all of the hours of uncompensated labor given so freely and by so many friends and members in support of the renovations of the bathrooms and kitchen!

Donald A. Person, Chairman
17 December 2006

Summary of Money Received and Spent as of 2/28/2007

Initial Letters from Our Leaders

From Our Pastor

Dear Members and Friends of LCH,

For the past 103 years, the Lutheran Church of Honolulu has played a prominent and vital role in the Honolulu community and Hawaii. This community has been enriched by our presence in many different ways.

Now we face a new and greater challenge so that we might continue to be faithful to the ministry God has entrusted to us in this time and place. Through our Gifting • Growing • Serving campaign we will meet this challenge as we renovate and expand our facilities, improve our parking lots, and work on debt reduction. Gifting • Growing • Serving will not only enable us to be healthy stewards in regard to our buildings and grounds, it will also allow us to extend and expand the arms of outreach and ministry to those around us.

When called upon this congregation has given abundantly of its financial resources, and I believe you will step forward once again to be genuine and generous in your giving. In this campaign we are asking for both your unselfish support of the on-going ministry at LCH and for sacrificial gifting “over and above” your regular offering for the next 156 weeks or three years. This will empower us to meet the goals of Gifting • Growing • Serving.

At the present time, we stand at a very important crossroads. This is a kairos moment. With God’s help, we are ready for this crucial moment in our history, and we will also meet the challenge that has been placed before us. May God bless our partnership as we venture forward into God's future.

In Faith and Friendship,
Pastor David

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From Our Campaign Chair

Dear Friends,

When I think about what a church is, I realize it is more than buildings—we are a people who have fellowship with each other and with God.

The theme of this program, Gifting • Growing • Serving, gives me the idea that together we are looking into the future, searching for ways to serve. When we seek God's guidance in this way, we will find it. Generous giving is the way we will meet our financial needs, but also our spiritual growth will be enhanced by seeking and doing God's will.

The future of our church will be tremendously blessed through our financial commitments. Together we can achieve an amazing victory for our Lord.

Sincerely,
Don Person

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Capital Campaign Projects

LCH will grow to improve ministry to our current members, to reach out to others, and to better serve our community.

Worship and Music Ministry

• Renovation of the nave to increase focus on the altar. The current configuration of the nave dates from renovations in the mid 1970s when the altar was relocated to the middle of the worship space to enhance the congregation’s participation in worship. Plans drawn by former LCH member and Seattle designer, Reese Fowler, call for a new altar and other worship furnishings and an enhanced focus on the altar.
   
  Reese Fowler’s design for the nave renews focus on the altar area, in addition to creating storage for paraments behind large wooden doors. The altar will be made from ‘ohi‘a, an indigenous Hawaiian wood, and is reminiscent of leaves growing. The new altar is being donated by the Larry Nitz family and is being fabricated by Masako Nitz.
   
• Installation of a computerized pre-set system to maintain and enhance the organ. The von Beckerath pipe organ is a mechanical action instrument that involves no electronics in the basic sounding mechanism. This mechanism is in excellent condition and has a life expectancy of 200 years. The stop action, however, is electronic and the components are now 35 years old and faltering. Before they fail we need to replace them with state-of-the-art components that will expand the musical capabilities of the instrument and make use of the computerized capture pre-set systems available. This will increase the number of settings from 6 to 1188.
  
• New Freon-free equipment for the air conditioning system to ensure reliability into the future. The nave was air conditioned in the 1960s, primarily to control the traffic noise from Punahou Street. The room is acoustically live and is the best setting in Honolulu for chamber music. Without the air conditioning, however, the room is virtually unusable. The original cooling system, still in use, is ailing and must be replaced with new, Freon-free equipment.
• Increased storage space for church records, vestments, choir robes, and music. Anyone who has looked inside the Board Room would probably describe it as a large walk in closet. Plans call for the creation of proper storage space for church records, choir robes, and music elsewhere on the LCH campus. This will allow us to provide a quality meeting space for the Church Council, Christian Education, and organizations from the community.

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LCH Preschool Ministry

• New office for the Preschool, more secure entrance for children and their parents, and new bathrooms. The present lanai will be enclosed to create a new office for the Preschool and a more secure entrance for parents as they log their children in and out each day. There will also be new bathrooms for the children and a new covered lanai and walkway. Security during school hours will be improved because children will not be sharing restroom space with other users of the facility. Once new bathrooms have been built in the Preschool area, we will be able to renovate the existing bathrooms.
• Renovations to bring the kitchen up to standards for preschool use. At present, our kitchen does not meet code and so it cannot be used to prepare or even warm up meals and snacks for the Preschool. Built in 1953, the kitchen and its equipment and facilities were designed for home rather than for institutional use. The second-hand refrigerators were donated to the school after many years of service, and the stove, which only has four burners, is rusted and woefully inadequate. In addition, dishes cannot be washed due to the lack of a proper, sanitizing dishwasher and grease trap.
  
  The kitchen will be brought up to code with grease traps, stove hoods, and new appliances, counters, and cupboards. As an approved kitchen, it will be possible to prepare some food for Preschool meals rather than having all food catered. It would also be possible to provide a cost-effective and nutritious take-a-way dinner service for working parents. Of course, a modern kitchen will also facilitate more and better fellowship activities for our congregation.
• New playground surface and equipment. A shock-absorbent surface material and new playground equipment will be installed. The playground will meet Americans with Disabilities guidelines and the equipment will be age appropriate.
• Renovation of the parking lot for a safe drop-off zone for preschool parents and off-street parking for preschool teachers. The parking lot behind the church buildings will be redesigned to meet current building code. This will provide a safe drop-off zone for preschool parents, more handicapped parking, and off-street parking for the preschool teachers. It will also improve parking at worship services.

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Fellowship Ministry

• Permanent roof with sky lights for courtyard to create an all-weather meeting area, The central courtyard serves as a gathering place each week at services, before concerts, for receptions, and a variety of community gatherings. Without a roof, events take their chances with the weather. The permanent roof with sky lights and decor upgrade planned for this space will transform the nondescript courtyard into an all-weather meeting area. It will also serve the Preschool as a play area on rainy days.
• New storage space and renovation of the board room to create a quality meeting space for the church meetings, Christian education, and organizations from the community. Anyone who has looked inside the Board Room would probably describe it as a large walk in closet. Plans call for the creation of proper storage space for church records, choir robes, and music elsewhere on the LCH campus. This will allow us to provide a quality meeting space for the Church Council, Christian Education, and organizations from the community.
  
• Restrooms upgraded and made handicapped accessible. The existing restrooms were installed in 1952. They need to be upgraded and be made handicapped accessible.

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The Site

• Landscaping and Irrigation System to create an oasis for the surrounding community. The neighborhood is now dominated by high-rise condos and apartment buildings with very little open space. The church grounds will be landscaped with attractive plantings and places for the public to relax and meditate. When completed, the LCH campus will be an oasis for the surrounding community.
• Improved signage to welcome newcomers. The current exterior signs for our church are difficult to see and do not provide all the information newcomers need. New exterior signage will make it easier for first time visitors to find our church and everyone to find their way around our campus more easily.
• Resurfacing of Poki Lot to provide adequate parking. The parking lot is currently a dirt double-residential lot that is utilized for a variety of public and church events. In order to meet city code it needs to be graded, surfaced, landscaped, and equipped with an irrigation system.
  
• Retiring the mortgage on Luther Place. The Luther Place property came on the market unexpectedly in 1999 and the church felt it was important to purchase the building in order to expand the services of the preschool. Preschool tuitions currently pay for one-half the monthly payments on the $370,000 mortgage. By retiring the mortgage, we can redirect this money to the needs of the preschool and future growth of the school buildings and services.

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Additional Information

Campaign Goals

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Questions and Answers about the Capital Campaign

Q:     What do we hope to accomplish through the Gifting • Growing • Serving Campaign?
A:     Our goals of $500,000, $625,000, and $750,000 represent the first step in financing our two-year construction and development plan to enable our church campus to meet the needs of our congregation, our preschool and our neighborhood.

Q:     What commitment do we need to make?
A:     We are asking for a 3-year pledge to the Gifting • Growing • Serving Campaign, over and above your weekly giving.

Q:     How much should I give?
A:     This is between you and God. God has blessed each of us differently. We ask for a commitment from each of you that reflects your means. More importantly, we ask that your pledge be sacrificial, one that is determined only after prayer and is based on faith that God will provide.

Q:     What is meant by “Sacrificial Giving”?
A:     Sacrificial giving is a gift that requires a change in lifestyle, a rearrangement of priorities, or giving up something in your life. Each household must determine what is a sacrifice because each one is blessed in unique ways.

Q:     What if “Faith Giving”?
A:     Faith giving is a gift that requires God’s help to complete. If I offer God something I already have, then I do not need to depend on God. If I offer God something I do not have, then I must trust God to provide it.

Q:     When and how can my pledge be made?
A:     We ask that you submit your prayerfully considered pledge on Commitment Sunday, November 23.

Q:     How are payments on my pledge to be made?
A:     The first payment can be made on Celebration Sunday, December 7. You may complete your three-year pledge weekly, monthly, yearly, or at other intervals, or you may compete your pledge as a lump sum at any time. You may pay your pledge along with your regular offerings using the same envelopes, by electronic transfer, or be regular credit-card payments.

Q:     Will gifts other than cash be acceptable?
A:     Yes. Any property, insurance policy, or asset that can be transferred to LCH for its use or disposal can be received. Deferred gifts (trusts or bequests) can also be made. Our Planned Giving Co-Directors, Fred Benco and Brenda Moore, will be happy to discuss these options with you.

Q:     Can I use some of my regular offering for my special giving?
A:     All of the ministries of LCH are important and need to be funded. We ask that you only pledge over and above your regular giving.

Q:     What if my circumstances change and I can’t do what I promised?
A:     Your commitment, made prayerfully, is between you and God. You may increase or decrease your pledge, as your circumstances dictate, by notifying Bill Potter, our Financial Secretary, who records contributions.

Q:     Will my pledge be made public?
A:     No, unless you choose to reveal it.

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Giving Worksheets

Weekly-Monthly-Quarterly Conversion Charts

Use this chart to calculate a gift by periodic giving over three years. If you wish to calculate by percentage, use the Commitment Worksheet below.

Commitment Worksheet

The gifts we bring to the Lord in the capital funds campaign are not “leftovers” of our lives; they are significant gifts. Therefore, it is helpful for us to do some calculating in order to find the ways and means of our gifts. We hope this worksheet will be helpful.

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