July 2009
This Little Piggy Went To Church:
Alaska Church Uses Creative Fundraising for Mission
One little piggy bank came to church wearing the same necklace as her owner. Another was dressed as a preacher. Another was a motorcycle dude.
Last spring in Ketchikan, Alaska, 72 ceramic piggy banks were blessed and sent home with families and churchgoers to collect spare change. The banks came back to the Ketchikan United Methodist Church decorated, costumed, and full of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters totaling $676.76. The pigs were then commissioned and sent out again for another six weeks to collect more spare change. The piggies are returning mid-July, dressed for summer camp.
Global Ministries missionary the Rev. Ev Erbele calls this ministry, "Pigs on a Mission," because all of the funds from the piggy banks are going to support mission work around the world through The Advance. "It's a fun way to bring the community together," said Rev. Erbele, co-pastor with her husband, the Rev. Teri Erbele, another Global Ministries missionary, at Ketchikan UMC.
"Everyone who enters the church is invited to take a piggy bank home or to work and fill it up. Also, in the narthex stands an empty 10-gallon water jug dressed like a pig collecting passerby's change," said Rev. Ev Erbele. "As you can see by the picture, we had a bounteous response.… The idea is to continue collecting change for designated ministries outside of our local community."
Prior to their Alaska assignment, the Erbeles served as missionaries in Lithuania and Latvia helping to start The United Methodist Church there. Their missionary service began in Russia in 1996. The missionary couple also worked as interpreters of the mission agency, traveling to United Methodist churches in the northeastern United States to explain the work of the General Board of Global Ministries.
To support the missionary connection, make an online donation to:
Evelyn Erbele, Advance #10832Z.
Terence Erbele, Advance #10831Z.
Advocate of the Month
Every summer, the Louisiana Conference sends more than 40 United Methodist Volunteer in Mission (UMVIM) teams to Mexico, where they work on construction projects, handle border issues, teach Bible School classes, and work at the Methodist Medical clinic.
Through the Advance, one of the many Mexican ministries the UMVIM teams directly support is that of Global Ministries missionary Guillermo Berman, the Mexico UMVIM coordinator. Through Mr. Berman's leadership, the United Methodist connection is growing throughout the North American border.
To support the missionary connection, make an online donation to:
Guillermo Berman, Advance #3019612.
Photo credits: Courtesy of the Louisiana Annual Conference United Methodist Volunteers in Mission
Did You Know?
When you give through The Advance to a project visited on a UMVIM trip, you can track your gift down to the last penny and exact date. Giving through The Advance ensures that all funds are received, cared for, accountable, and swiftly sent to the designated fund.
The Advance "is the way we hold one another accountable for the resources we share. When we give money outside any accounting system, we put the recipients at risk of temptation. I do not believe anyone would knowingly want to cause someone to stumble…. None of us is self-sufficient. When we are in mission together, we may collaborate in creating sustainable means of serving God," wrote the Rev. Clint Rabb, Assistant General Secretary for Mission Volunteers in an article in New World Outlook (September/October 2006).
Featured Resource: UMVIM Flyer
A simple flyer helps you share news and needed information about United Methodist Mission Volunteer teams and individuals, supporting missionaries, and ways to stay connected with and support Advance projects. When you travel on a UMVIM trip, you need to pack lightly and take just the basics. This flyer gives you those basics--the who, what, where, and how Mission Volunteers can connect to The Advance.
When UMVIM teams return to share their work experiences, they can offer the project's Advance number as a way for others to be part of God's mission. Be sure to download these flyers, have them on hand before you and your team leave on your mission volunteer trip and when you return.
Download the PDF Flier Now (866K)
Thank you for giving generously through The Advance. Your gifts truly make a difference!
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