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Portico is transitioning from Further to Health Equity for management of tax-advantaged accounts. There will be a blackout period beginning December 23 for members with HSA accounts, in order to get accounts moved over. Members will also see this messaging when they sign on to their Further account. Here are some high-level details about the transition:

• Health Equity debit cards will be received in the mail early to mid-December. Some of us received ours in the mail last Saturday.
• HSA account blackout period begins 12/23/2025, and the last day to use the Further debit card to access HSA dollars is 12/22/2025. Any claims incurred from 12/23/2025 – 12/31/2025 can be submitted to Health Equity, and reimbursement will be initiated once the account is fully transitioned on January 1, 2026. The Health Equity debit card will need to be used effectively on January 1, 2026, to access HSA dollars.
• There is no blackout period for FSA accounts, and the last day to use the Further debit card to access FSA dollars is 12/31/2025. The Health Equity debit card will need to be used effectively on January 1, 2026, to access FSA dollars in 2026. NOTE: For members with FSA accounts, all claims and/or expenses incurred in 2025 must be submitted for reimbursement to Further. If you choose to use your debit card to pay for claims and/or expenses from your FSA account, all claims and/or expenses incurred in 2025 must be paid with the Further debit card. Members with FSA accounts will not submit reimbursement requests to Health Equity or use their Health Equity debit cards until they are requesting reimbursement or submitting payment for expenses incurred in 2026.
• Direct deposit will need to be re-established. For security purposes, we can not transition bank account information from Further to Health Equity. Health Equity uses Plaid as the security authentication method when adding a bank account to the Health Equity portal. (This is a nice heads-up for some folks, so they don’t think they are getting scammed.)
• The other thing we can’t stress enough and strongly suggest to members: open and read all communications from Health Equity received in the mail. You don’t want to accidentally throw away your new debit card or miss out on some tips and tricks for navigating the transition.

In this devotion, Cody Sanders, associate professor of Congregational and Community Care Leadership, gives thanks for expectations turned upside down by the rule and reign of God’s grace.
Read today’s God Pause.

In this devotion, Cody Sanders, associate professor of Congregational and Community Care Leadership, asks what signs we see that the one who is to come has now come into our lives.
Read today’s God Pause.

The Admission’s Office is hosting our monthly campus visit day. Please feel free to say hello and introduce yourself to potential students you see on campus.

Two documents are now available to help with planning and preparation for our winter RFS sessions, taking place January 10–12 here on campus and January 14–16, at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in south Minneapolis. Contact academicdean@luthersem.edu with any questions.

• Winter 2026 RFS schedule
• Frequently asked questions about RFS at Mt. Olivet

We encourage faculty and staff to be part of Winter RFS 2 at Mt. Olivet (January 14–16, 2026), even if you are not teaching. There are multiple ways to participate:

• Join us any day for worship at 8:00 a.m. in Serley Chapel, to the right of the main sanctuary.
• Join us any day for lunch at 11:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. In particular, faculty are encouraged to attend on January 14 and staff are encouraged to attend on January 15.
• Sign up for a support shift to help make RFS a success. Check out available roles and sign up for a shift by adding your name to the support schedule.

Contact academicdean@luthersem.edu with any questions.