The Rev. John Brewer and Conference Lay Leader Joan Holms discuss fundraising efforts for Imagine No Malaria, a vital component the Ministry Fund Drive Campaign. Photo by Jesse Love.

The Ministry Fund Drive

The PNW Ministry Fund Drive is underway! Many churches and individuals have already made pledges and contributions in support of our goal to raise over $3 million!

Proceeds from the Ministry Fund Drive are dedicated as follows: 65% to the Tuell Center; 25% to New Faith Community Development and Redevelopment of Existing Faith Communities,  and 10% as a missional tithe in support of our denominational campaign, “Imagine No Malaria” and will help us reach our $500,000 conference goal to Imagine No Malaria!

To be clear, the Imagine No Malaria campaign, which has been underway for several years now, is distinctly separate from the Ministry Fund Campaign. The tithe to the Imagine No Malaria campaign from the Ministry Fund Campaign is another way we have decided to support what many consider to be one of the best missional efforts of The United Methodist Church in decades!

Rev. John Brewer
Rev. John Brewer

Rev. John Brewer is now leading the fund raising efforts and hopes to inspire all churches to participate in some way to this campaign. Some congregations have pledged as much as $50,000 over the next three years to the goal. Even small congregations are involved, like Green Bluff UMC in Colbert, WA where some fun and effective fundraisers have taken place.

Campaign goals are described as follows:

Leadership Goal – $1M
     Celebration Goal – $2M
          Challenge Goal – $3M
               Stretch Goal – $3.5M

We have surpassed our “Leadership Goal” and are on the way to our “Celebration Goal!”

As congregations make selections for their Christmas offerings this year, the Ministry Fund Drive and the Imagine No Malaria campaigns are certainly worthy of your consideration.  Every congregation needs to offer some response to these tremendous efforts.  What about your church?  What about you?

Go to our website and see what everyone is talking about:  http://www.pnwumc.org/mfd/

Imagine No Malaria

Malaria claims a life every 60 seconds. It’s a disease of poverty, which means that society’s most vulnerable members– such as mothers and small children– are affected most.  This tragic situation led the people of the United Methodist Church to the decision that we must end preventable deaths from malaria. Thus began the denomination’s program: Imagine No Malaria.

Imagine No Malaria is a holistic health program that combats malaria through prevention, treatment, infrastructure, communication, and education in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Our denomination set an unprecedented fundraising goal for this project– $75 million.  The Pacific Northwest Conference has pledged $500,000 to this worthy cause.  With partners like The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations we look forward to a day when no child lives in fear of a mosquito bite.

The Ministry Fund Drive of the Pacific Northwest Conference has pledged a 10% tithe of all monies it receives to help us reach our goal.  Thanks to the generous gifts received thus far we have significantly cut the number of deaths from malaria since this campaign began in 2010.   But we are not there yet.

Conference Lay Leader Joan Holms

As chair of the Pacific Northwest Imagine No Malaria Task Group, Joan Holms welcomes opportunities to share the message of hope that this campaign offers.

She is working with members of the Task Group and with INM Field Coordinator, Julia Frisbie to raise awareness of the needs of our sisters and brothers in sub-Saharan Africa.  Members of this conference have given generously once they recognize the great need and hear the stories of success.

We are looking forward to celebrating the day when our imagining becomes a reality and malaria is no more.

Find out how you can get involved at: inm.greaternw.org

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