DEEPENING
CONNECTIONS

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

When we started planning this 2019 Annual Report late last year, we aspired to lift up the many connections we observe across the church—the connectedness ELCA congregations and other ministries have with God, among their members and within their communities. We could not have envisioned how appropriate …

YEAR IN REVIEW

2019 marked 150 years since the first Lutheran church body established a special fund to help build new churches. Throughout these 150 years, the Mission Investment Fund and its predecessor organizations have championed the potential of congregations, ministries and members across Evangelical Church in America and its predecessor bodies…

SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS, AUSTIN, TX

THE FOOTPRINT DIDN’T CHANGE, BUT THE IMPACT DID

Without extending the borders of its campus even an inch, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas, has grown closer to the surrounding community…

prince of peace, burnsville, mn

ONE VISION, ONE ROOF, ONE VERY CONNECTED CHURCH

The ongoing renovation of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, Minnesota, is increasing the flexibility of its facilities…

 FIVE-YEAR SUMMARY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MIF^

When we started planning this 2019 Annual Report late last year, we aspired to lift up the many connections we observe across the church—the connectedness ELCA congregations and other ministries have with God, among their members and within their communities. We could not have envisioned how appropriate this theme would become as we ushered in 2020.

Congregations and other ministries have taken courageous steps, reaching out in imaginative and much-needed ways to the people in their midst. The Mission Investment Fund, a lending ministry of the ELCA, supports and augments these efforts. MIF loans help build sacred spaces where relationships with God are strengthened. Our loans enable classrooms where ideas take root, kitchens where community meals are prepared and fellowship halls where community is built. In these places, connections are solidified, and congregational vitality grows.

Funding projects such as these, MIF’s loan portfolio grew to $575 million in 2019. The stories we highlight on the following pages illustrate some of the inspiring connections we have witnessed.

With an MIF loan, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas, “A Church Without Walls,” brightened its sanctuary and expanded its worship life into a newly designed outdoor, park-like space. The congregation’s outreach extends to a food pantry, early childhood center and missions in Guatemala and Haiti.

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, Minnesota, chose MIF for its multi-phase expansion, drawing in its many ministries—from preschool to food pantry to free dental clinic—under one roof. Clearly, this congregation is “Called to Connect.”

MIF itself has created and forged an important connection with our financial partner, the ELCA Federal Credit Union, to serve the ELCA with a full array of financial products and services for both individuals and ministries. And today, MIF and the Credit Union are partnering to extend financial assistance to ELCA congregations and individual members facing hardship during the coronavirus pandemic, deepening our connection.

MIF has a long history of providing service to the church. Today, we have greater offerings and capacity than ever before. We are honored to work with congregations and ministries to expand capacity for ministry, finance capital projects, provide investment opportunities and serve the needs of so many individuals, congregations and other ministries.

Thank you for choosing the Mission Investment Fund for your financial needs. Together, we as the church celebrate our connectedness to God, to one another and to our neighbors. In many ways, our connections run deeper than ever. God is with us. The church continues reaching out. And we remain connected.

Blessings,

Eva M. Roby
President and CEO
June 2020

Without extending the borders of its campus even an inch, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas, has grown closer to the surrounding community.

In 2018, Shepherd of the Hills completed an ambitious renovation. It included removing a wall and adding oversized windows to the sanctuary to make it brighter, more visible and more inviting. The AV system, lighting and flooring were updated, and what had been the church gym became a multipurpose activity center, beautifully suited for all sorts of events, including banquets—for the congregation and the residents of the community at large.

And in an area with a surprising shortage of parkland, Shepherd of the Hills invested in landscaping to carve out a park-like outdoor space right on the campus. The Rev. Tom Grevlos, the congregation’s pastor, says the space is ideal for worship services as well as family movie nights and even “good old Texas barbecues. You can do a lot of different things out there.”

He continues: “That was a big driving force for us, to really see ourselves as part of this community. Our mantra is ‘A Church Without Walls.’ We keep saying it and praying it, and it has really gotten into the mindset of the congregation that this is what we’re about.”

In fact, the pastor says, outreach and benevolence are “just part of the DNA of the church.” Shepherd of the Hills is involved in Austin City Lutherans, a collaboration of local Lutheran churches that operates the Bread for All food pantry, plus an early childhood learning center in one of Austin’s most underserved areas. The church also has long-running ministries in Guatemala and Haiti.

As for the campus redevelopment, once the congregation had a well-articulated plan and a capital campaign in place, it turned to a trusted partner for financing. “We’ve had a long-term relationship with the Mission Investment Fund, which was great,” Pastor Grevlos says. “MIF stepped right in and provided a great level of support and trust. And ease. I know the congregation is very appreciative of the ease with which this all happened.

“Certainly MIF’s interest rates are competitive. Even more important, when we work with MIF, we feel like we’re doing something for the greater church.”

During the pandemic, shifting to livestream worship services extended the “Church Without Walls” even further. “The result has been extraordinary viewership, more than quadrupling normal worship attendance,” Pastor Grevlos says. “This could never have happened without our campus renewal and funding from MIF.”

The congregation’s Bread for All food pantry was one of only eight food pantries in Austin that remained open throughout the pandemic, continuing to serve more than 800 families. And with in-person worship reopening in June, the congregation is moving to outdoor services in its new courtyard.

Entering into the redevelopment process had enormous benefits for the people of Shepherd of the Hills.

Says Pastor Grevlos: “It gave the congregation a strong sense of its future, to say ‘Okay, this is what’s possible and this is the potential that’s here. How do we best utilize this to grow ourselves, to grow our community of faith and to grow our impact in the community?’”

The ongoing renovation of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, Minnesota, is increasing the flexibility of its facilities. But flexibility of another sort has long been a hallmark of Prince of Peace. As the congregation’s pastor, the Rev. Jeff Marian, explains, the congregation has found many different ways to live out the church’s motto, “Called to Connect.”

“We aim to connect with God and one another in this Christian community, but also with the community beyond ourselves, particularly in collaborative partnerships with others doing similar work,” Pastor Marian says.

In 2012, on the heels of a visioning process, Prince of Peace identified significant maintenance needs in the church’s two buildings. “We decided that rather than putting money into aging infrastructure, we would accomplish more by doing some new things, including bringing everything together under one roof,” Pastor Marian says.

The first phase of the church’s three-phase renovation— and a loan from the Mission Investment Fund—got that started. A 26,000-square-foot addition to the main building created a community room, chapel and new space for Prince of Peace’s preschool.

The congregation is pleased with its choice of the Mission Investment Fund to finance its building project.

“MIF gave us flexibility, the ease of getting payments through to handle construction,” says Prince of Peace Finance Director Jane Victorey. “There was also the personal touch, MIF’s willingness to come out to look at the space, to visit. MIF’s responsiveness has been wonderful.”

The second phase will update and upgrade the other 40,000 square feet of the building and create a new home there for Mission Outpost. Called “a hub of hope and wholeness,” it consists of a food pantry distributing 15,000 pounds of food weekly, a clothing closet, a dental clinic operated in partnership with a neighboring hospital, local dentists and hygienists, and additional services offered by the Salvation Army.

Of course there has been change during the pandemic. “While we’re grieving the opportunity to gather with our faith community during this COVID-19 pandemic, we are also discovering opportunities for the Gospel. Our virtual worship attendance is over five times our regular worship attendance,” Pastor Marian says. “We look forward to the day when we can gather again on our campus, but we don’t want to miss the ways in which God is calling and guiding us in the wilderness.”

The congregation’s Mission Outpost has continued to distribute food, and plans are underway for reopening the dental clinic. Many support groups are meeting virtually, and the congregation has made care-calls to every member household.

Before the pandemic, Pastor Marian points out, the renovation of Prince of Peace increased fellowship within the congregation. And he has just the yardstick to prove it.

“We were making about three times as much coffee on the weekend because that many more people were staying to connect with one another. We’re far from certain about what the future looks like, but we trust God is present and at work in the present.”

As our long history has shown, the Mission Investment Fund knows church building. With the growth of the ELCA Federal Credit Union, MIF has also demonstrated the know-how to help build a financial cooperative bound by faith.

“In our work, we heard this church’s need for a greater range of financial services that deliver on our commitment to responsible stewardship,” MIF’s President and CEO Eva Roby points out. “The needs extended beyond what MIF could offer on its own. We envisioned a partner in ministry—a credit union—to provide additional products and services, particularly consumer-based lending, to complement and augment MIF’s offerings. Together, we could provide a full range of financial services to ELCA members, congregations and ministries.”

In 2012, MIF began sharing the concept of a credit union with ELCA leadership—and committing MIF to help build and nurture the new-start ministry. By 2016, the ELCA Federal Credit Union opened its doors. With the success and growth of the Credit Union in the ensuing years, connections between the two financial ministries have been cemented, and new connections with so many within the ELCA are being created. Membership in the Credit Union is open to every ELCA member, synod, congregation and ELCA- related ministry and their employees.

“The Credit Union was born to bring existing financial services within the ELCA to a full complement of services,” says Luis Reyes, the Credit Union’s president and CEO. “We have a rich variety of products and services for individuals and organizations. And because of our strong online presence, people can access their funds in ways they’ve come to expect in personal banking.”

The Credit Union’s portfolio includes savings and checking accounts, CDs, loans (auto and personal unsecured loans) and credit cards.

As a not-for-profit cooperative, the Credit Union lends money deposited by its members to fellow members. In fact, the Credit Union is the first of the ELCA’s financial ministries to offer loans to individuals. And because it exists solely to serve its members, the Credit Union can offer better rates and lower fees than many traditional banks.

According to Reyes, none of this would be possible without support from the Mission Investment Fund. “MIF has been instrumental in our development and growth,” he says. “MIF and the Credit Union share a common bond with each other as financial ministry partners, and as partners in the wide ecology of the church. As these connections deepen, so does our capacity to serve.”

The financial alliance between MIF and the ELCA Federal Credit Union is at work in Resourceful Servants, the ELCA churchwide organization’s effort to improve the financial literacy and financial wellness of rostered ministers and congregations. Funds contributed by MIF are used to match deposits made by program participants into their Credit Union emergency savings accounts. This initiative currently serves more than 400 rostered ministers who, collectively, have made emergency savings deposits of over $1 million.

“The strengthening financial alliance between MIF and the Credit Union is a decisive one for the ELCA,” says Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. “Their work together is ensuring greater value for the congregations, ministries and members of the ELCA. Their success demonstrates what we can achieve when we encourage innovation and teamwork.”