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Basic Information

Keeping the runway clear

     One of the stories from the 2004 Congo trip is about a village that kept their runway clear for years before it was used.   That runway allowed our missions team to be the first outsiders in seven years and the first missionaries in over forty years to visit this remote outpost.  Each made an impression on the other!  We never know how what we do might change another life.   Some of you might remember this short ditty from your childhood about the nail, horse and lost kingdom.   It has been reworded to reflect what happened in the Congo.

For want of an appeal the donation was lost.
For want of a donation the missionary was lost.
For want of a missionary the Word was lost.
For want of the Word the disciple was lost.
For want of a disciple the Kingdom was lost.
And all over the concern of a missions offering.

     Sometimes our biggest challenge to being in missions isn’t time, money, or a lack of other resources.  It is that we fail to ask our churches to give from what they have in abundance.  If we would only put our faith in God!   Like that village in the Congolese jungle, we need to step out in faith and believe God will provide for our needs when we share our faith by meeting the needs of others.

     This information is designed to help your church become missions minded.  You will see how to:

- Support a missionary
- Help your neighbors
- Join a Volunteers-in-Mission trip
- Provide scholarships 
- Learn about our Central Congo Partnership and Africa University

     Our goal is for every member of the Peninsula-Delaware Conference to donate $1.00 each month to missions.   Step one is learning how.  Step two is asking!

Without you, we can accomplish little.

     Our Conference continues to pay 100% of our World Service and Apportioned Askings, as we have every year since 1986 (longer than any other Conference, by the way).   But when it comes to going that 2nd Mile for missions, our Conference ranks in the bottom half of all U.S. Annual Conferences.   Our simple $1 per month per member goal can be reached – but only if your church is willing to trust God and let go.

Here are the goals for the churches of our Conference:

The Advance - $3 per member
The Advance has over 2000 projects to choose from covering every possible ministry and over 100 countries.    Every church should be able to find at least one that touches their heart.   Your task is to pick out one or more projects and raise just $3 per member.  Remember, 100% of all Advance gifts go to the project.   Support costs are covered by your apportionments.   This booklet makes three suggestions for Advance projects.





Covenant Relationships - $3 per member
Each church should be supporting a missionary.  For just $3 per member, you can be helping spread the word of Christ to the country of your choice.   For many of our smaller churches, one member might be willing to cover this – ask!   Your church will benefit from the letters and photos you received back several times a year from the missionary you support.   

Special Sundays - $1 per member
These Sundays raise funds to address special needs people in our country have.   They allow you to share with your church what the UMC is doing to combat some of the social problems facing our nation.   Each church is asked to raise at least $1 per member for the Special Sundays, less than the cost of a cup of coffee or a soda.   If your church wants to take one offering and divide it up to six ways, that is fine, too. 

Board of Ordained Ministry (BOOM) Scholarship Fund - $1 per member
With funds provided by your apportionment payments, our Conference can only cover about 16% of the cost of training our pastors in seminary and the Course of Study program.  We need to do better.  Donations to the BOOM Scholarship Fund help us cover more of this educational expense.   For churches who have a member studying to be a pastor, adopt them as a missionary and cover part or all of their training expenses.  This goal will allow our Conference to cover almost 50% of these costs!

Local Outreach and Conference Advance Specials - $4 per member
This might be listed last but missions outreach starts just outside the church door.   The Annual Conference has endorsed twelve Conference Advance Specials for support; ten of these provide support services to people within our towns and cities.  See the CAS page for information on these projects.

• Important:   All missions support (other than purely local projects) should be sent to the Conference Office in a timely manner using the official Conference Benevolence Transmittal Form.