News : Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church starts new Endowment Fund

Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church has established a new fund with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. The Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church Endowment Fund will support the activities of the organization. Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church is a congregation in the Southeastern Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a church that proclaims Jesus Christ crucified and raised from the dead for the life of the world. Founded in 1913, the congregation is a worshiping and serving community of about 400 members. Well located in the county seat city of Vinton, Iowa, Bethlehem embraces the ELCA slogan “God’s work. Our Hands” and is poised to grow well into the future. “We are excited to take this step in planning and dreaming for the future of our church,” said Tom Hansen, Church Council Chair. As the Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church Endowment Fund is a permanent endowment fund with the Community Foundation, donors to the fund can take advantage of a 25% state tax credit made available through the Endow Iowa program, in addition to normal federal deductions for charitable gifts. Financial gifts to the funds of any size are welcome. Gifts can be mailed to the CFNEIA administrative office at 3117 Greenhill Circle, Cedar Falls, IA 50613. Checks should be made payable to the Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church Endowment Fund. Gifts can also be made on the Community Foundation’s secure website at fund.cfneia.org/bethlehemevangelical. For more information about the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, including how to donate, the various types of funds, and the Endow Iowa 25% state tax credit, please visit www.cfneia.org or contact Terry Gaumer, Affiliate Development Director with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, at 319-243-1354 or tgaumer@cfneia.org. --- The Benton County Community Foundation is a local organization making grants to organizations creating a stronger and more vibrant quality of life in Benton County and helps people establish permanent funds for the causes they care about in their community. The Benton County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, a nonprofit committed to creating long-term impact in 20 counties in Iowa. For more information, contact 319-287-9106 or visit www.cfneia.org. CFNEIA is confirmed in compliance with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations.