Meet a Bridge Builder: Sandra Edwardson
Sandra and Philip Edwardson have been faithful fixtures in the life of Bethlehem Lutheran Church since they returned from a stint living in New York in 1970. We sat down with Sandra to learn a little more about her active life in the church and long-standing relationship with the Bethlehem Foundation.
When did you get connected to the Bethlehem Foundation?
I guess I’ve always known about it, but I became most involved with it when I was chairing the Outreach Committee in the 70s or 80s. And then, of course, when I became president of the congregation, I automatically became a member of the foundation board. That was when I got to know it better.
Why is the Foundation so important to you?
Phil and I have had the foundation written into our will since we first put together a will.We’ve been successful in our careers and have accumulated more money than we ever thought we would. So it’s important that it goes to organizations that are important to us. Those include our alma maters, the foundation and several other organizations.
Does anything that the Foundation has supported stood out to you over the years?
The sponsor of seminarians has been important. Having been in higher education at St. Olaf and the University of Minnesota, I naturally support higher education, particularly now for members of Bethlehem.
Also, when I was the chair of the Outreach Committee, we looked to the Foundation for help with some of the projects we were supporting. I worked with (former Pastor) Chris Nelson about the fact that some of those donations were rather scatter-shot. I thought it would be better if we focused and did fewer but larger, more significant ones. I think the Foundation seems to be moving in that direction now.
Why should someone consider a legacy gift to the Foundation today?
Just look at all the kinds of activities that the foundation has supported in the past and the many links to this Congregation. Bethlehem has always had a commitment to reaching out beyond the congregation to share God’s love and support. If that goal continues, then it seems that the Foundation is a great vehicle for achieving it.