'Faith in the City' Coalition Announces Commitment to Phillips Neighborhood at Thrivent Financial Event.

Business Editors

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 4, 2003

Mayor R.T. Rybak helps unveil innovative Lutheran program to

assist urban residents with health care, social services,

educational support and financial literacy 

A partnership of seven major Minnesota Lutheran organizations today announced plans to work with residents of Minneapolis' Phillips neighborhood to contribute to community well-being. The partnership, called "Faith in the City," will leverage the unique strengths of the participating organizations and work with local residents and the City of Minneapolis to strengthen the community through health care, social services, educational support and financial literacy resources.

The announcement was made by Bruce Nicholson, president and chief executive officer of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and R.T. Rybak, mayor of Minneapolis, at Thrivent Financial's annual Report to the Community event, a gathering of Twin Cities' business and community leaders at Thrivent Financial's corporate center in downtown Minneapolis.

At the event, Nicholson also announced that Thrivent Financial is committing $300,000 in seed money to get the project underway. Faith in the City partners include Augsburg College, Augsburg Fortress Publishers, Central Lutheran Church, Fairview Health Services, Luther Seminary, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The chief executive officers of the partner organizations, along with the bishops of the Minneapolis and St. Paul Area Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, serve as members of the initiative's governance board.

"Members of the Lutheran community have long believed they are called to serve those in their midst," said Nicholson. "That is one reason the Lutherans who first came to Minnesota established churches, hospitals, colleges, social welfare organizations, financial organizations and seminaries. Today, the partners of Faith in the City are committing time, resources and energy to benefit those in our neighborhoods through tangible acts of service."

"Faith in the City will benefit residents of the Phillips neighborhood. It represents a model of collaboration for meeting the real and varied needs of low-income people," said Rybak. "This is a model for other faith groups, nonprofits, businesses and community organizations to join together in innovative efforts like this one to improve the quality of life for our citizens."

Each of the partners will engage members of the community in the neighborhood around Franklin Avenue, roughly from Cedar Riverside to Portland Avenue. The partner organizations will work collaboratively to support the neighborhood through the following resources:

-- Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will promote financial

self-sufficiency for residents of the Phillips neighborhood

through programs and resources that enhance financial

literacy. It is also working with Lutheran congregations to

connect volunteers to nonprofit organizations working in the

neighborhood.

-- Fairview Health Services plans to establish a wellness clinic

in partnership with Lutheran Social Service at 2414 Park

Avenue. It will focus on education, wellness, prevention and

primary care in the neighborhood. Augsburg College will

participate in the wellness clinic by pairing nursing students

with nurse practitioners at the neighborhood clinic. Fairview

is also developing a model of senior wellness that will engage

congregations and its partners in Faith in the City, a model

that stresses wellness and faith-based community supports.

-- Augsburg College will develop a "college house" in the

neighborhood in 2004. Here, college students from Augsburg as

well as Concordia College (Moorhead, Minn.), Gustavus Adolphus 

College (St. Peter, Minn.), Luther College (Decorah, Iowa) and

St. Olaf College (Northfield, Minn.) will spend a semester to

learn and serve in the inner city. For years, Augsburg College

students have served in a variety of ways in the Cedar

Riverside and Phillips neighborhoods as part of their

requirement in service and learning.

-- Central Lutheran Church will expand its community ministries

that currently include a daytime welcome center that offers

food, clothing and a nursing clinic for homeless people in the

fall. It will partner with Lutheran Social Service to

establish an innovative employment program for those who are

homeless. Central Lutheran also hopes to expand its "Arts in

the Hearts" cultural program for inner-city youth.

-- Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, with a history spanning

more than 50 years of service in the Phillips neighborhood,

recently broke ground for a new affordable housing

development, scheduled to be completed in late 2003. In

addition, LSS, in partnership with Messiah Lutheran Church, is

seeking the support of its partners and congregations in the

Twin Cities to build a new urban ministry center for enhanced

service and volunteerism. The center will help Phillips

neighborhood residents who are striving towards economic and

personal self-sufficiency.

-- Luther Seminary will work with congregations and their pastors

to equip and mobilize groups and individuals for their work

and daily life and to strengthen direct involvement with the

community. Seminarians will also contribute to the

neighborhood while gaining pastoral experience through field

education.

-- Augsburg Fortress Publishers will work with other Faith in the

City partners to create and distribute print and audiovisual

resources to assist congregations and individuals serving in

the Phillips neighborhood.

"As faith-based organizations, we are called to witness the love of God," said Jeri Nelsen, executive director of Faith in the City. "These Lutheran organizations are committed to a renewed public calling for the well-being of the city and its people. This is just the beginning of what we believe will be a long and successful partnership with residents in the Phillips neighborhood."

About Faith in the City: Faith in the City is a partnership of Lutheran-based organizations in the Twin Cities committed to working together and with others of goodwill to contribute to the well-being of the Twin Cities and its citizens. For more information, contact Jeri Nelsen, executive director, [phone].

About Thrivent Financial for Lutherans: Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a not-for-profit Fortune 500 financial services organization helping nearly 3 million members achieve their financial goals. Thrivent Financial offers a wide range of financial solutions and has $57 billion (March 31, 2003) in assets under management. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and its members provide approximately $200 million annually for outreach programs and activities that support congregations, schools, charitable organizations and needy individuals.