Legacy Partners

Allan and Sue Ost live in Havre, Montana, where they are members of First Lutheran Church.  They have three grown children and four grandchildren.  Both are graduates of Montana State University – Northern in Havre.

Both Allan and Sue are active ELCA Mission Builders, and longtime supporters of Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp.  Their first Mission Builders project was construction of the Gathering Pavillion at FLBC in 2013.

“The work of the wider church, and the ability of the church to sustain its work for the long term, are very important to us,” says Sue.  Working with Beth Adams, Region I Gift Planner, the Osts have created a Charitable Remainder Trust.  The charitable beneficiaries of the trust are four ELCA organizations:  Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp, First Lutheran Church – Havre, Montana Synod of the ELCA, and ELCA Mission Builders.

“The thing that’s important for people to know“, says Allan, “is that you don’t have to be wealthy to make a difference.  We’re just regular working people, and we were surprised when Beth showed us how much we could do by creating this Trust.”

Dick Irvin, a longtime friend of Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp, shares the story about how he started his business in 1951 in Shelby, Montana, where he was raised. His father, who worked for the Great Northern Railroad, loaned him $3,000 to buy his first truck. Dick quickly paid the loan back and grew the business into Dick Irvin Inc. – Transportation Service.

Dick joined St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Shelby after marrying Pat White there in 1950. Pastor Olaf Borge, who married them, was persuasive in church membership, Dick recalls. Since joining the Lutheran Church, Dick has been a strong churchman for 71 years. Through the years Dick’s grandchildren have been campers at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp.

In the early 1980s, through his Church in Shelby, Dick learned of the critical infrastructure needs at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp. So, he gave a gift to the Camp to help rebuild the aging water and sewer system. Later, Dick was on the original committee that started the Camp’s Endowment Fund. He has continued to grow the Endowment Fund each year by giving a “planned gift” to the Camp using the Montana Charitable Endowment Tax credit.

Looking back 70 years, Dick says that he “gives thanks to God for his guidance and gives thanks to his father for the loan to get him started in business.” Dick added, “Something else, my father told me early on ‘that it’s not the money you make, but the money you save that makes the difference.’”

We would also say with thankfulness to Dick, “it’s also the money you give to help people that makes a difference.”

Thank you, Dick. Through your generosity, you are making a difference in the lives of thousands of Montana children now and in the future.