Mission Update
Mission Giving Touches Thousands of Lives Around the World
From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, from Alaska to West Virginia, United Methodist Women are in mission with women, children and youth. Your giving to United Methodist Women reaches 120 countries. Your giving means you are in mission with more than 2 million people in the United States each year.
Your giving makes a difference in a lot of lives!
When United Methodist Women members learn all the places and ways they are touching lives, they are amazed and inspired to continue and expand their generosity. Telling United Methodist Women’s story is a rewarding job. It can also be an overwhelming job.
When women in your church ask where their money goes, what do you say? The 30-second answer can be to tell them it goes to women, children and youth in 120 countries, including the United States where 2 million people are served. When that piques their interest, you’ll have an opening to say more. So where can you begin?
Telling stories of lives enriched by United Methodist Women’s generosity is the place to start. Sources for stories include:
Response, United Methodist Women’s magazine.
Every issue includes one or more articles ending in an undesignated-giving symbol. When you see two interlocking, striped circles in a rectangle, you’re reading about a project or mission worker supported by United Methodist Women’s undesignated giving.
Encourage your unit to provide subscriptions to its leaders. Make copies of articles to share with members, post them on church bulletin boards, circulate the magazine with Reading Program books making sure to mark articles with the undesignated-giving symbol, plan programs based on the articles. The ideas are endless.
The Women’s Division and General Board of Global Ministries websites -- http://gbgm-umc.org/womens-division and http://gbgm-umc.org, respectively.
Check out these sites that offer an ever-changing array of mission stories. On the division’s website, start by accessing the "Mission Maps." Check out all the places your money goes and learn about each site.
On the board’s website, find out about missionaries and other mission workers. Go to "Who We Are" then "Mission Personnel." You can learn about mission workers by name, by country or by continent.
Telling Our Stories, a resource available from the Service Center, 1-800-305-9857.
This booklet includes 100 stories about people whose lives are being changed at U.S. mission institutions supported by United Methodist Women’s undesignated giving. You can likely find one or more stories from institutions close to your community. Consider planning a trip to such an institution so members can see their money at work firsthand. Order #2842 for $5.
For more ideas on telling mission stories, order the "Where the Money Goes Packet," #1371/$3.85 from the Service Center. It’s a wealth of ideas and information.
Inspiring Giving
Women’s Division President Genie Bank urged division directors and all members of United Methodist Women to tell the mission story now.
"The uncertainty of the economy is impacting giving to the organization," Ms. Bank said. "This may be understandable, but I believe if we truly are effective interpreters of mission, giving will increase. We need to know where the money goes and tell others."
When women in your local unit know how important their money is, they will be eager to give. That’s a good time to share with them the five channels of undesignated giving:
Pledge to Mission,
World Thank Offering,
Gift to Mission,
Gift in Memory, and
Special Mission Recognition.
The "Where the Money Goes Packet" will explain each of these and offer you ideas for how to become a five-star unit -- a unit that contributes to all five channels each year. When women discover how easy it is to honor others through Gift to Mission and Gift in Memory cards and Special Mission Recognitions, they’ll be eager to expand their giving to include these channels.
The World Thank Offering provides a way for women to celebrate all the good God is doing in their lives. Plan to distribute World Thank Offering boxes or jars to members, and plan a World Thank Offering program in your unit.
In addition to undesignated giving, members may want to give to specific mission projects. This can be done through supplementary giving. Opportunities for such giving are explained in the "Where the Money Goes Packet."
Encourage women to keep their Pledge to Mission gifts current by thanking them for their gifts and reminding them when they fall behind. A steady flow of money into the Women’s Division allows consistent and timely support of mission projects to meet the ongoing needs of women, children and youth.
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