We're all a-buzz!

The 2013 session of the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference begins two weeks from today, which means that conference staff and volunteers are buzzing around energetically trying to get everything ready in time!

I had hoped to have another video interview edited in time to post today, but I've encountered some technical difficulties in that process, so instead, here's a sneak peek at one of the items we're preparing for the Annual Conference Mission Banquet on June 14:

We call them "prayer nets," with Imagine No Malaria bookmarks attached, and every single person who attends Annual Conference will receive one at the Friday night banquet.

While these 9" squares of tulle doesn't look like much, the Steering Committee hopes that they will serve as a reminder of the millions of people who sleep more safely and soundly because of an insecticide-treated mosquito net over their bed, and of the work still ahead of us to reduce suffering and death from malaria through Prevention, Treatment, Education, and Communication.

The bookmarks include a photo, a verse of Scripture, a brief overview of the work of Imagine No Malaria, and an invitation to prayer and involvement.

If you're attending Annual Conference, make sure not to skip the Mission Banquet on June 14, and bring home your very own prayer net and bookmark!

Affect the World Forever

Robin Ball is Co-Chair of the Steering Committee for Imagine No Malaria in the Rocky Mountain Conference, and also Chair of the Conference Board of Global Ministries. She recently shared some thoughts on her experience going to Angola in 2012 to distribute bed nets, and her enthusiasm for the opportunity that Imagine No Malaria represents:


She ends with:

"It's so exciting that we might actually be able to eliminate a killer, something that affects so many women and children in the world... and it keeps families in poverty. And we really have the opportunity now to eliminate that. So take this opportunity right now, where science is coming together with the political situation, and we have the awareness, and we can raise the money, and really affect the world forever."

It's true - the resources that are available currently make elimination of deaths from malaria possible in our lifetime, something that could quickly slip out of reach if we do not follow through on the massive and comprehensive efforts needed to win a sustainable victory over this disease of poverty. We'll have another video on why that's true from a scientific perspective next week!

If you want to be part of the movement to save lives and end preventable deaths from malaria, please consider making a donation through the Rocky Mountain Conference or at ImagineNoMalaria.org (make sure to check the box at the bottom for your United Methodist affiliation so your church/district/conference gets credit!), or contact Field Coordinator Rev. Kerry Greenhill, 303-733-3736 x152 or kerry (at) rmcumc.com to find out how you can get involved.

Volunteer Training in Denver

Rev. Mike Dent is Senior Pastor
at Trinity UMC, Denver, and Co-
Chair of the Imagine No Malaria
Steering Committee

As we gear up for Annual Conference, with a great Mission Banquet focused on Imagine No Malaria, and invitations to all churches to take this on as a missional focus in the coming year, we anticipate an increase in the need for presentations, resourcing support, and coordination. Because our Field Coordinator is only one person (and part-time at that!), we need to develop a NET-work of volunteers who can help lead campaigns in their churches, speak to other community groups or congregations, and do some behind-the-scenes work like making phone calls and help with reporting. Whatever your gifts, we can find a way for you to serve! And so...
 

All YOU are invited to our first Volunteer Training for Imagine No Malaria in the Rocky Mountain Conference:

Rev. Kerry Greenhill, Field Coordinator,
speaks to the Plains Sub-District at Limon
UMC in April. This could be you!

Who: YOU! And any friends, coworkers, neighbors, classmates who might be interested.

When: Tuesday, May 28, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Where: Trinity UMC, 1820 Broadway, Denver 
Cost: Free! And snacks will be provided!
RSVP: Rev. Kerry Greenhill, Field Coordinator, 303-733-3736 x152, or kerry @ rmcumc.com.

Learn more about how the people of The United Methodist Church are putting their faith into action to end preventable deaths from malaria in Africa. If you've heard a little about Imagine No Malaria but want to get more of the nitty-gritty details, or if you're passionate about the cause and want to volunteer - either in your local church or at the district or conference level - this is a great opportunity to get the information and resources you've been wanting!

Please let us know you're coming so we can prepare enough materials for everyone. Feel free to call or email with questions as well.

Would you walk 100 miles to save lives?

Rev. Will Morris, pastor at Burns Memorial UMC in Aurora, Colorado, has challenged his congregation to a unique undertaking: walk, run, bike, or swim 100 miles to raise money for Imagine No Malaria. He just completed his own challenge, by walking 100 miles in less than a week! Here's his story, in his own words:

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Several years ago, after a sermon and subsequent Bible Study discussion on caring for our physical bodies, I started the Kingdom Walkers. This is a small group of people who meet most Sundays after church (in good weather) to walk and share fellowship -- 30-90 minutes depending upon the interest and fitness of the walkers. We handed out pedometers and had various recognition pins for walking milestones. Recently interest has waned, so Imagine No Malaria seemed like an ideal reason to rejuvenate this group and take on an important ministry at the same time.

The 100 Miles Toward No Malaria Challenge was born. Here's how I presented it to our church:

"I challenge members of our congregation to walk, run, or bicycle 100 miles in support of our efforts to raise money for Imagine No Malaria. Alone or in pairs or in a group, take on the challenge of walking, running, or bicycling 100 miles (any combination of movement). Take the time you need to make this happen: one week, several weeks, one month – our goal is to celebrate your accomplishments and our donations on Mother’s Day, May 12, 2013. If you want to take longer to do the 100 Mile Challenge, that’s OK, too. Get a pedometer and challenge yourself. Record your mileage on paper and bring it to church. If you don’t want to walk, please consider sponsoring someone who can walk –  1¢ per mile, 10¢ per mile, $1 per mile, you name the amount. Here’s my goal: I plan to do 100 miles in one week. Jane (my wife) and I pledge $1 for each mile of that 100.  

– Pastor Will Morris"

So, after showing several short segments of the Imagine No Malaria DVD, we started off on the 100 Mile Challenge. Several people have accepted the challenge with walking; one older gentleman is using his regular swims as his approach. Two people sponsored my personal challenge.

I have always enjoyed walking and running as a time of prayer and thought, so this was a good opportunity for me. I have never done 100 miles in one week, so this was a stretch. As it turned out it took me 5 days to reach 100 miles. Lots of hours on the road, but it meant I could pray for those who have died from, and who live in the fear of malaria; and for those who are educating people and helping to prevent this disease. God has blessed me with a healthy body and I am grateful to be able to do something to help others.

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John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, believed that caring for people's bodies is as important as caring for their souls. What a wonderful way to demonstrate God's care for ALL bodies, by encouraging healthful behavior in our own community and giving of our resources for those who suffer from a preventable and treatable disease in other parts of the world! Blessings to all the Kingdom Walkers at Burns Memorial UMC!

Compassion AND justice

Back: Jennifer Long, Charissa Shawcross, Adlene Kufarimai,
Linda Caldwell, Bonnie Marden, Kerry Greenhill
Front: Jill Wondel, Tami Coleman, Kristen Cates

I recently spent a week in Nashville with a dozen passionate and thoughtful church leaders from across the U.S. to be trained in how to go about organizing our campaigns for Imagine No Malaria. There was a lot of joking that since I'd been on the job for three months already, I could lead the training rather than receive it, but I gained a great deal from the stories people shared, the best practices recommended by the more experienced Field Coordinators, and above all from the connections built among those of us setting out on this journey at about the same time in our respective annual (regional) conferences.

As we talked with some of the communications staff connected with Imagine No Malaria, we were asked why we are passionate about the cause. Staff writer/editor Barbara Dunlap-Berg quoted part of my response in an article posted today to the Imagine No Malaria website:

“What excites me about the campaign is that this is a ministry of health and healing that is about both compassion and justice. Not only are we relieving suffering for thousands of families across Africa; we are also empowering local leaders through training, support and accountability to develop the infrastructure that will support future public health efforts in a sustainable way.
“Children in the United States don’t have to worry that they might die from a mosquito bite, but children in Africa still do. I believe that just as Jesus made healing a central part of his ministry, we as the body of Christ today have a calling to offer healing, wholeness and abundant life in Jesus’ name.”

The difference, to me, between ministries of compassion and justice, is that compassion means we are responding to an immediate need to alleviate suffering, but justice requires working for a world where needless suffering doesn't happen in the first place. I believe that Jesus calls his followers to both justice and compassion, even when it is inconvenient or means we have to give up some privilege or comfort for the sake of others. 

Bishop Elaine and others are greeted by children in Angola

Through Imagine No Malaria, followers of Jesus in the United States (and plenty of non-Christians who are invited to take part in our work) have an opportunity to give of the resources God has entrusted to them (us) for the sake of the well-being of our sisters and brothers in Africa. And the way we are working together, donors and recipients, fundraisers and health care providers, advocates and administrators, provides a foundation of just and mutual relationships that could bring us a few steps closer to realizing the kin'dom of God here on earth.  

When we recognize our interconnectedness in these networks and communities built on mutual respect and love for neighbor, we are all beneficiaries of the act of sharing and giving, both "rich" and "poor" alike, wherever our home, however safe or vulnerable we currently feel. Living in a world of gross inequity impoverishes us all, though clearly some suffer greater physical consequences than others. 

This is at least part of the meaning of abundant life, that “The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little” (2 Cor 8:15). And this is why I agree with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who declared, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'”  

I hope you will consider joining us as we seek to offer healing, wholeness, and abundant life through Imagine No Malaria in the Rocky Mountain Conference and around the world.