UMVIM and The Advance Brochures

UMVIM Coordinators,

I hope all of you are doing well. I wanted to send an email pointing out just a few things:
1) If you have not received a shipment of the "UMVIM and The Advance" brochures, please let me know. I had at least 200 shipped to each of you for you to use in your UMVIM team-leader trainings. If you have any questions about this brochures or what to say about The Advance during team-leader trainings, please call me. 212-870-3717. Also, contact me if you need more brochures.

2) I have attached a pdf of the brochure so that you can see. Do not print out and use this brochure unless you are able to print it double sided, like the actual brochures. There will be a simpler 1 page 8.5x11 pdf version available shortly.

3) The International and Domestic project listings have been updated with links to the projects' Advance pages at www.umvim.info. Lorna Jost (NEJ) and the SEJ office helped me make it so volunteers can click on a project's Advance number to learn more about the project and donate online. Please peruse the lists and click on a few projects so that you are familiar with this feature. Then share it with persons at UMVIM trainings and events.

4) I am creating a new page for the UMVIM training manual about The Advance. If there are any common questions you get regarding The Advance which I could address, please let me know.

Also, please let me know if you have been able to use the brochures and if you think they are helpful. And please give feedback on the clickable project listings. I'm here to help you resource your volunteers and help our projects create long term partnerships with teams. Let me know if I can assist you better in any way. If your email has changed, please inform. Thank you.

Adam C. Neal
Mission Specialist
The Advance
General Board of Global Ministries
(212) 870-3717

Note from The Advance

Dear Conference Secretaries of Global Ministries,

Greetings from The Advance!

I am writing to inform you of the policy on how we will inform you of new Covenant Relationships within your conference. We will be sending quarterly reports to you through email informing you of Covenanting and Supporting churches. You may have recently noted on these reports that if a church establishes a Covenant during that reporting time, an asterisk (*) appears next to their Covenant Amount with a footnote informing you of the new Covenant.

In the past, you have been mailed a copy of the confirmation letter to churches on "golden rod" paper. The Advance will no longer send the golden rod copies. I realize that many of you appreciate that form of communication, but The Advance is continuing to examine ways to be more efficient and better stewards of our resources and time. Our attention needs to be focused on establishing and confirming the Covenant with the church on a timely basis.

Maddie and I will be sending the Missionary Support report to your email over the next couple of weeks for the entirety of 2008 as the financial books closed last week. Please look for it from mailer@ddi.org.

I appreciate your patience, and, as always, all that you do promote mission and missionaries within your conference. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.

Blessings,


Rachael Barnett
rbarnett@gbgm-umc.org
Mission Support Liaison, The Advance
www.advancinghope.org
General Board of Global Ministries
475 Riverside Dr, Room 350
New York City, NY 10115
212-870-3716

NEEDED: Ideas for the 2009 Mission Secretaries' Meeting

Please send to Mike Collins your suggestions for the October 2009 meeting in Florida. He hopes to have information to begin preparations by April. Contact Mike at mcollins@wnccumc.org.

Notes from the Quad (Racheal Barnett)

How can GBGM be helpful to the local conference in the promotion of missionaries?

• Information that goes to conference staff, CCMP, CSGM and Conference Chair of GM. We do our best to keep up with CSGM contact persons and the list changes on a weekly basis.
• It would helpful to us if the CSGM took our information/emails and dispersed that to interested persons and other AC advocates.
• Print resources for annual conferences.
• One sample package/kit of all the resources that are available from GBGM.
• A “cheat sheet” that lists where and how to order all the resources available from GBGM/WD.
• Increase promotion for The Missionary Voice.
• Promote myGBGM.
• Earlier notifications of missionary itineration. The current process sends notifications to CSGMs and supporting churches 6 months prior to a missionary’s itineration. Earlier notification would not be feasible or accurate as events and travel do change.
• Updates on Conference giving to missionary support. The Advance will keep CSGMs informed through quarterly reports of Covenanting and supporting churches throughout 2009. This information can always be requested from Rachael Barnett, rbarnett@gbgm-umc.org, but please know that we will do this on a quarterly basis.

How can the annual conference be helpful to GBGM in the promotion of missionaries?

• Meet the challenge of 10 new Covenant Relationships.
• Disseminate resources from GBGM – newsletter, websites, word of mouth, district trainings, personal testimonies, book missionaries so the local church can see a missionary.
• Use Mission Moments - Advance e-newsletter, Stories on web, Hallelujah Moments, prayer calendar.
• Separate the itineration job from other CSGM responsibilities so one person can focus on missionary support.
• Organize mission events at annual conferences, Global Ministries festival, etc
  Engage Board of Ordained Ministries
  Duplicate Dale Smith – Dale coordinates itineration and missionary support in Cal-Pac conference. Cal-Pac has the highest percentage of churches in a Covenant Relationship.
• Use the connection.
• Build a team – UMW, District Secretaries of GM, Retired Missionaries.
• CSGMs – Talk with Cabinet in your Annual Conference.
• Identify, Encourage, mentor possible young adult missionaries.
• GBOD – Utilize the Lay Speaking Mission Curriculum

What are some obstacles that hinder churches supporting a missionary?

• “Scarcity” theology instead of a theology of abundance.
• Fear overcomes faith. Refusing to do the paperwork.
• Ignorance – they don’t know about UMC in mission.
• Communication breakdowns – no one is telling the story.
• Conference restructuring and confusion.
• GBGM upheaval and past history.
• Lack of or limiting nature of Recognition.
• Drift away from theological foundation for mission.
• Outward vs. inward focus.
• Marketing – lack of.
  

What are some good tools/ideas to increase support for missionaries?

• Pictures of the supported missionaries on the conference website with a link to the missionary biography on GBGM website.
• Missionary Book for the conference put out annually. Many churches do not use the internet, but if put online it is cost –effective. Also, there are constant changes in missionary placements, personnel, etc. and keeping the info online instead of in print allows you to update the information in a timely fashion instead of having materials in print that are out of date.
• District Mission Secretaries – someone with a passion, preferably a lay person or a retried clergy available on Sunday.
• Secure time on the floor at annual conference; do something “weird” and creative; do something different each year – The Advance starts contacting ACs early (fall) and follows- up to keep our desire to be on the floor in front of the people making decisions.
• Send letters to someone in each church about itineration or other news.
• Lay CSGM make yourself available to preach or speak on Sundays in other churches.
• Give an annual award to one church and one individual for mission service at AC.
• Use the Sept/Oct 2008 issues of New World Outlook, “How To for Mission.”
• Get support from District Superintendent.
• When missionaries visit a church, the church should invite other churches to attend.
• When organizing itineration, call the churches with a specific date instead of waiting for church to respond.
• Use interation to garner support for missionaries that have few covenants, get them in front of churches to share their story ….no commitment necessary to hear them speak.
• Try to get churches to support missionaries that are already connected to the conference.
• Use video conferencing – telephone missionary during worship.
• Use missionary letters, emails, newsletters, websites.
• Central PA conference requires all new pastors in the conference to attend a seminar at GBGM.
• Get churches to cancel Sunday School classes so they can meet with the missionary.
• Small group contact with the missionary.
• Have a banquet with food from the missionary’s place of assignment.
• District mission saturation events increased Covenants from 6 to 10 and raised money for missionary support.
• Send a “how to do mission” form/letter to each church in conference.

Florida Conference: Salt and Light News letter

You are invited to read the "Salt & Light" e-newsletter from the Florida Annual Conference. Please go to: www.flumc.org/saltandlight.

Other conference mission secretaries are invited to submit their resources for sharing.

Mike

Paulette West to Head SEJ UMVIM

In May 2009 Paulette West, who currently serves as the North Alabama Conference Director of Mission and Advocacy and Connectional Ministries Consultant to the Cheaha and Southeast Districts, will become the Executive Director of Southeastern Jurisdiction United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM-SEJ).

In her new role as Executive Director of UMVIM-SEJ, West will work in close relationship with the all Annual Conferences of the Southeastern Jurisdiction. She will work with each Annual Conference’s UMVIM Coordinator, other jurisdictional directors, and the General Board of Global Ministries to assist in identifying, developing and supporting opportunities for mission volunteer service including disaster response volunteers.

Other duties of her new position will include to promote and interpret the work of United Methodist Volunteers in Mission; to train team leaders and equip volunteers to serve in a broad range of short-term assignments; and to maintain staff to assist volunteers with information on projects, project leaders, insurance, and training.