what is a “sunday to save lives”? - inmohio.org filein almost every congregation there are...
TRANSCRIPT
What is a “Sunday to Save Lives”?
It’s a Sunday between Ash Wednesday and Pentecost that every church selects to focus on the life-saving mission of Imagine No Malaria (INM). Make it a day of events, worship, giving, learning, engaging to change the current reality of a child dying every 60 seconds from malaria. For example, one church is having a worship service followed by a chili cook-off that is open to the community. Another is having a weekend garage sale where the results are celebrated as a gift to Imagine No Malaria. There are also plant sales and 5k’s being held this spring in communities around West Ohio and more.
But, most of these events don’t sound like a Sunday morning offering.
They don’t do they. Sunday morning offerings are important, but we want to keep the door open for you to be creative and to simply save lives within your life together in ministry. The work of saving lives is not limited to one day of the week.
But, we want to have a Sunday morning offering!
Great, do so! Build up to it though by starting several weeks before your Sunday to Save Lives. Here’s one way to do it: Start with prayer, ask your prayer team to be intentional with prayers for the children of Africa and this essential question: “Lord, what would have us do to save lives?”
1. Form a small team who can help with planning and logistics and plan for the three weeks before your offering to place posters around the church and to set up an informational display.
2. Two weeks before introduce what’s coming to the congregation in worship, show Bishop Palmer’s invitation to participate video if possible. You may also want to include our trifold brochure (available from Dave Boling at the Conference Office) or one of our other bulletin inserts.
3. A week before have a speaker briefly tell why Imagine No Malaria is important and the difference it is making in sub-Saharan Africa. Share the story of Domingos, use our INM prayer cards and invite people to prayerfully consider how many lives you can save.
4. Finally, when your Sunday to Save Lives arrives, make it a celebration of life and the work of INM. Invite a guest speaker, share, and invite people in to the life-saving work of Imagine No Malaria.
Where do we get videos, posters, bulletin inserts, brochures and prayer postcards?
Go to www.inmohio.org for West Ohio branded materials including new Sunday to Save Lives 2015 graphics, posters and inserts. Check out www.imaginenomalaria.org for denominational resources, and contact Conference Coordinator, Dave Boling, [email protected] for trifold brochures, prayer postcards and support. Have questions, need to talk it over with someone, give Dave Boling a call at 800-437-0028, ext. 247.
How do we obtain an Imagine No Malaria speaker?
Contact Conference Coordinator, Dave Boling at [email protected] or look within your own congregation. In almost every congregation there are malaria survivors or families impacted by malaria and often the story will be related to a veteran. Their stories relating the severity and lifelong risk of reoccurrence can help your congregation grapple with their response to a disease that will kill more than 627,000 lives, mostly children under age 5, this year alone.
Can our church still make a giving commitment to Imagine No Malaria?
Absolutely! We welcome giving commitments to Imagine No Malaria. One easy way is to commit to raising $100 for every person in worship on an average Sunday over the next 3 years. That’s only $2.78 a month per attendee. Another way is to commit to raising $25,000 or more over the next 3 years. We call the first group, Barnabas churches, the second group Luke 9:6 churches. Regardless of the amount we welcome and encourage you to embrace Imagine No Malaria for a season and set a goal for your church. Every church can save a life!
What do we do with the money we’ve gathered? What if we don’t want to wait until Annual Conference to send in our contributions?
While we encourage you to bring your gifts and your new giving commitments to Annual Conference this June to be included in the Imagine No Malaria offering, you can do it now too.
Send your gifts in to Mr. Jack Frost, Treasurer’s Office, West Ohio Conference Center, 32 Wesley Blvd., Worthington, Ohio 43085. Identify your check as part of the WOC Annual Conference Offering – June 2015. You can also go to our online donation page and send your gift.
Giving commitments count too! Bring them to Annual Conference or send them to the attention of Dave Boling at the Conference Center office as well.
What if we’ve already given?
Please do so again. This extra action will help immensely. Please find a way to add to your already generous giving. Achievement of our goal is close, but it will take everyone’s extra effort to put West Ohio over the top.
What if we’ve chosen in the past not to participate?
Bishop Palmer asks that you prayerfully reconsider. Malaria does so much damage in poverty stricken sub-Saharan Africa and for the $10 cost of a bed net the church can do so much to help the children of God who call this region of the world their home.
Tell me why should our congregation take part?
It gets people involved. It inspires our children, who in turn inspire us. It helps answer God’s call to be in ministry with the sick and the poor. It connects us together in a common ministry, a common goal. It can open the door to community engagement and to new ministries in the local church. It can be a lot of fun. And most important, it saves lives.