INM Update and New Resource!

This article was originally posted on RMCUMC.org on October 30, 2015.

At the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference in 2014, we announced that gifts, pledges, and church goals to date had exceeded our conference goal of raising $1.2 million to end preventable deaths from malaria in Africa. I am delighted to share with you that our totals continue to rise.

We have now received commitments of more than $1.5 million from individuals and churches, and nearly 56 percent of that ($848,229, to be precise) was in-hand as of July 31, 2015. One way of understanding that number is that we have already saved more lives in Africa than there are United Methodists in the Rocky Mountain Conference!

We are part of a global coalition that is making a dramatic difference in communities across sub-Saharan Africa. But the need continues. If your church set a God-sized goal to raise funds that you have not yet met, please email Kristi Kinnison at the Rocky Mountain United Methodist Foundation to let her know how you are doing with that goal and whether your efforts are ongoing.

A new resource is available for churches seeking to engage young people in learning about and discussing the issues that Imagine No Malaria seeks to address. Local author (and youth director at Arvada UMC), Marcia Canter, has written and published a novel for older elementary and middle school-aged readers called Mosquito Madness, which tells the story of Becca Williams, a bored fifth-grader who receives a mysterious postcard from her aunt in Africa, requesting nets. Soon Becca learns about malaria’s deadly impact, and becomes determined to help her aunt fight it.

Mosquito Madness is the story of a community coming together to help their neighbors, at home and across the ocean. The lessons of The Good Samaritan and The Golden Rule come into fresh light as the Sunday school class examine the church’s role in their lives and the world. Readers young and old can learn about the Methodist denomination’s efforts to make the world a better place.

Ten percent of the book’s profits go to support Imagine No Malaria and other organizations dedicated to ending childhood diseases in Africa, and Canter is available to speak to youth groups about her book. The book is available at Tattered Cover and through Lulu Publishing. Learn more by going to this link: www.booklanthropy.com/mosquito-madness.html.

Thank you, and keep up the good work!

September 8, 2014

When you first heard we were trying to raise $1.2 million in the Rocky Mountain Conference to help end deaths from malaria in Africa, did you think we would make it?

At Annual Conference in June, the Steering Committee reported that not only did we achieve our goal, we surpassed it, with gifts and pledges totaling $1,414,000! And since then, we have received another $75,000 in goals and contributions, bringing our total commitments to $1.489 million as of July 31!

If that's not exciting enough, here are some more details on the work that has made this possible:

Members from 203 different churches made a contribution. Eight more have set goals, but haven't yet sent in their funds. That means 81% of Rocky Mountain Conference churches participated in this extraordinary effort!

Specifically:

• Wyoming churches collectively raised $26.30 raised per member
• Newcastle First (Wyoming)  raised $4,985 - that's $22 per member
• Grace (Cheyenne) raised $3,833 - that's $26 per member
• Yuma (CO) set a goal for $100 and raised $998
• Steamboat Springs exceeded their $8,000 goal and raised $13,967 - that's $34 per member!
• Ogden Community raised $5,724 - that's $24 per member!
• Montrose First (CO) is still working toward their $20,000 goal, but they have raised $31 per member - so far.
• Limon (CO) raised $78 per member by raising $20,046.
• Rush (CO)  did not set a goal, but raised $88 per member
• Last Chance (CO) raised $24 per member
• Hope (Greenwood Village) raised $15,375, or $23 per member
• Heritage (Littleton) raised $8,236, or $28 per member
• Colorado Springs First raised $50,700
• Trinity Denver has raised $110,330 - so far - they are still working toward their goal of $123 per member!
• St. Andrew's (Highlands Ranch) has raised $20,964 and are still working to achieve their $24 per member goal.
• St. Luke's (Highlands Ranch) raised $26,099!
• Arvada is 20% of the way to reaching their $33 per member goal
• Good Shepherd (Thornton) raised $25 per member
• Glenwood Springs raised $22 per member
• Mountain View and St. Paul's (both in Boulder) raised $8,615 and $3,618 respectively - even though they were dealing with flood waters and a community in crisis. Perhaps they know a thing or two about mosquitoes!

Communication Changes

In the interest of saving administrative expenses for the campaign, the Steering Committee has decided to discontinue our email newsletter account. Updates will still be sent out periodically through the Rocky Mountain Conference weekly e-newsletter; you can sign up for that list here. If you do nothing, you will not receive any further communications from us, except for updates on your individual giving from the Rocky Mountain United Methodist Foundation, which continues to manage the donation tracking.

A Few Reminders

If your church has collected funds that you haven't sent in yet, please send those in on a monthly basis - the easiest way is to include donations with your monthly remittances to the Conference office, designated for Imagine No Malaria.

If your church set a goal that you haven't achieved yet, please continue working towards your goal! If you need to adjust your goal, contact Kristi Kinnison, kristi@rmumf.org. 

If you have questions or updates, see whom to contact going forward.

Please continue to pray for Imagine No Malaria, for all who suffer and all who are helping to end unnecessary suffering.

Finally, thank you to all of you who have taken part in any role as part of the network of advocates, ambassadors, fundraisers, educators, donors, and healers in this extraordinary effort to end deaths from malaria in Africa. You may have seen this article from United Methodist Communications:

Efforts to fight Malaria are also good for the communications and medical infrastructure to fight Ebola. According to the article, "Your gifts to Imagine No Malaria are also helping in the fight against Ebola because together, we’ve improved access to health care. A strong health infrastructure, consisting of trained health care workers and well-equipped facilities, is better able to handle other health threats as well." We know that although the article didn't mention this, the publicity, education and communication networks that have been developed about Malaria are the same networks being used to educate people about Ebola.

Together, we are saving and transforming lives!

Rocky Mountain Conference Receives $500,000 Gift Toward Imagine No Malaria

On April 25, World Malaria Day - the date we set as our deadline to raise $1.2 million in commitments for Imagine No Malaria - we announced a very special gift from Jerre and Mary Joy Stead. Their tremendous generosity has allowed us to reach our goal (and then some!) of saving 120,000 lives from malaria through comprehensive prevention, education, treatment, and communication strategies.

Read the full press release here: http://rmcumc.org/new/component/content/article/436.html

We are thrilled to have reached our goal, but we know that the work is not finished yet - many churches are still raising funds toward the goals they set, individuals are still fulfilling their pledges, and many communities have not yet heard about the danger that malaria poses to billions of people around the world, or the opportunity we have to help end deaths from malaria in Africa in our lifetime. Please help us continue raising awareness, inviting generosity, and advocating for a healthier future and more abundant life for our sisters and brothers in God's family. Thank you for your part in this extraordinary effort to put our faith into action!

Growing up in Kenya: the personal impact of malaria

Pastor Alice Koech grew up in Kenya, and has several personal experiences of malaria that drive her enthusiasm for the United Methodist Church's response through Imagine No Malaria. Hear her story in her own words:

Leadership Transition: Campaign contacts going forward

Rev. Kerry Greenhill,
Field Coordinator

As we previously announced, Rev. Kerry Greenhill will complete her term as Field Coordinator on February 25. Should you have questions, need materials, or want to request a volunteer Ambassador to give a presentation after that time, please contact one of the following people:

If you...

• Need handouts or other materials: Please check the Resources page on this blog, or at ImagineNoMalaria.org, first; if you can't find what you need, contact Rev. Youngsook Kang's office, dmmassistant@rmcumc.com or 303-389-9466
• Want to request a speaker: Robin Ball, Steering Committee Co-Chair, nanas91@yahoo.com
• Need financial information (about your own giving or your church): Kristi Kinnison, Director@rm-umf.org
• Have questions about Imagine No Malaria in general: Rev. Youngsook Kang's office (she may refer you to a District Organizer), dmmassistant@rmcumc.com or 303-389-9466
• Want to share your church's story or photos from an event: Rev. Youngsook Kang's office, dmmassistant@rmcumc.com or 303-389-9466
• Are a pastor seeking tips on raising funds within your congregation: Rev. Mike Dent, Steering Committee Co-Chair, mdent@trinityumc.org or 303-839-1493
• Have questions about the science of malaria, its prevention or treatment: Becky Buxton, rebecca.buxton@path.utah.edu or 801-581-4880
• Would like to volunteer as a District Organizer (supporting churches behind the scenes), or help with social media (Facebook and Twitter): Rev. Youngsook Kang's office, dmmassistant@rmcumc.com or 303-389-9466
• Would like to volunteer as an Ambassador (giving presentations): Robin Ball, nanas91@yahoo.com

Several members of the RMC-INM Steering Committee
took part in the net distribution mission trip to
Angola in October 2012, including Rev. Mike Dent,
Bishop Elaine Stanovsky, Kunle Taiwo, and Robin Ball

Thank you to all who have taken part as leaders, volunteers, donors, cheerleaders, fundraisers, inviters, organizers, ambassadors, servants, teachers, exhorters, inspirers, or other kinds of ministers in this extraordinary effort to end deaths from malaria in Africa! Together, we are saving and transforming lives!

Training webinar now available

Today's webinar was recorded, and is now available to watch online (1 hour):

"Rev. Kerry Greenhill will teach you everything you need to know about how to raise awareness, inspire and motivate your church and your friends to contribute to save lives."

• Videos links can be found at ImagineNoMalaria.org 
• Blog links can be found at RMCBuzz.net

Campaign Transitions & Final Webinar

Campaign Update & Transition

Imagine No Malaria in the Rocky Mountain Conference continues to make progress toward our goal of saving 120,000 lives - we are now about 60% of the way there!

I wanted to let you know about some upcoming changes. My role as Field Coordinator will end on February 25, both because the position was always short-term and much of the work is now done, and because my husband and I are preparing to welcome a new addition to our family next month!

I have greatly enjoyed this opportunity to use my gifts to support such a meaningful and life-giving ministry, and I feel confident about leaving the campaign in the competent and trustworthy hands of the Steering Committee, supported by the office of the Director of Mission and Ministry (Rev. Dr. Youngsook Kang), and many wonderful volunteers.

I will post more details next week about whom to contact with questions or requests for speakers after February 25.

Webinar

We will be offering one more webinar training on Thursday, February 20, at 11am for those who weren't able to attend a training last year. See below for more details, or register here. The webinar will be recorded and posted online afterwards for those who can't attend the live event.

Imagine No Malaria - Make It Happen! 

Join us for a Webinar on February 20 

District Superintendent Melanie Rosa receives a check from
the children's ministry at First UMC of Colorado Springs

Did your church set a goal to save lives from malaria? Great!

Now what?

Rev. Kerry Greenhill will provide detailed information about what you can do to engage your church, and your community, to meet the goals you set. She will give real examples of what some churches are doing to raise money and make a difference in the world. You will also get in-depth information about the fight against this deadly disease that you can take back to your church and communities to generate excitement about this extraordinary effort. Put your faith into action and join us as we seek to end deaths from malaria in Africa.

Title:    Imagine No Malaria - Make It Happen!
Date:    Thursday, February 20, 2014
Time:    11:00 AM - 12:00 PM MST 

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 8, 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Mac®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer

Mobile attendees
Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet

Giving Tuesday reminder & Rocky Mountain Conference progress

Today, December 3, is Giving Tuesday, a day to give back to ministries and causes around the world after what is for many an intense weekend of spending on Christmas gifts. Today only, gifts made to United Methodist projects like Imagine No Malaria are being matched by the Advance, which means your dollar counts for double when you give through this site:

http://www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/Search-for-Projects/Projects/3021190

And in case you haven't heard, we are making great progress in the Rocky Mountain Conference toward our goal of raising $1.2 million toward the global effort to end preventable deaths from malaria. As of early November, we had gifts, pledges, and church goals totaling $698,000 - about 58% of the way - and we have received several more since then that we are still processing!

Thank you to all the Ambassadors, Organizers, pastors, lay leaders, and other advocates who are helping raise awareness across the Rocky Mountain region of the great need and tremendous opportunity we have to end preventable deaths from malaria in our lifetime!

Fundraising Thermometer by:
Provided by Easy Fundraising Ideas

Advent & Holiday Giving Review

If you've been following the blog regularly, you already know about most of our Advent resources for worship and study, as well as Giving Tuesday. But in the interest of putting it all in one place (with a little less theological reflection to distract you from it than usual), I thought I'd run a quick review:

If you're making Imagine No Malaria a mission focus for Advent and Christmas:

• Check out these Advent Worship & Study Resources: includes Advent candle liturgy, prayers, sermon starters, and more
• Find weekly images, videos, crafts, and other files in this folder
• Use this bulletin insert for Christmas Eve (contact me if you want to edit the wording).

Best option for giving online to Imagine No Malaria next week:

• Giving Tuesday, December 3, 2013, when all gifts made at this page will be doubled by matching funds from the Advance, up to $10,000 per donor and a maximum of $50,000 per project. (Please note that where affiliation is indicated, your gifts will count toward church and conference goals, but the matching funds will count only toward the overall campaign goal of $75 million, not individual conferences or churches.)

Christmas gift options:

• Order a teddy bear, pajama pants, or bead bracelets made by artisans in Africa, and help support Imagine No Malaria as well as other health and economic development organizations with these fun and vibrant gifts.
• Host an Alternative Gifts Fair at your church to encourage giving that honors the child whose birth changed our world by helping to save and transform children's lives in Africa. Download the inserts that describe gifts at various levels from this folder.
• Make a gift in honor of family and friends at http://imaginenomalaria.org/donate - make sure to check the box to indicate your church or conference membership. When you give through this site, you can have your honoree notified by email or regular mail of your donation, in addition to these honor cards that you can download, print, and give to family and friends.

At Christmas, we honor the coming of the Christ child who transformed our world. Will you help save and transform the lives of children in Africa by making a gift to Imagine No Malaria this holiday season?

As always, please contact me, kerry [at] rmcumc.com, with any questions or if you need help getting other resources. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a blessed entrance to the Advent season!

Giving Thanks, Giving Back

Next week is Thanksgiving, a time for celebrating the abundance of God's good gifts, especially time with family or friends, and often a table laden with rich foods. It is also a time when many people recognize how blessed they are and are moved to bless others through acts of generosity and kindness.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be generous with the gifts and resources entrusted to us, sharing with those who have less so that all might have enough.

I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.

2 Corinthians 8:13 -14

The reports coming in from churches across the Rocky Mountain Conference demonstrate that we United Methodists take seriously this call to generosity, both out of a sense of gratitude and often from a sense of God's desire for economic justice as well. Thanks to your work so far, we have already received gifts and pledges totaling $700,000 - that's 58% of our goal!

In contrast, we are barraged by messages in the media that emphasize buying and spending more than ever at this time of year, with an increasing number of stores starting their "Black Friday" sales on Thanksgiving day, or even earlier online. In recent years, "Small Business Saturday" has joined "Cyber Monday"as a significant way to kick off the holiday shopping season. Of course, gift giving can be a fun and meaningful experience; we can participate in the marketplace and still be faithful Christians. But the more we tune in to commercialism, the more difficult it can become to stay grounded in our Source and Center and to keep our focus on the deeper meanings behind the season.

However, even in the midst of this frenzy of "more, bigger, newer, better," there are ways to live out the values of God's kin'dom. Consider including Imagine No Malaria in your charitable giving this holiday season, and give a gift that will transform lives. All of the usual giving channels are appropriate (the Donate link above, which takes you to the RMCUMC giving website; www.imaginenomalaria.org; or through your local church), but we have a special opportunity to make your gift go further on "Giving Tuesday," in two weeks.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving has become one of the largest donation days of the year. Any gifts given online on Tuesday, December 3, will be DOUBLED through The Advance.

Local churches can be credited, and gifts can be made in honor or in memory of someone you love. To make your gift count double, make sure to give at this page on that day. (You can also click on the "Giving Tuesday" tab on this site, above and to the right, which will take you directly to the page.)

Learn more about The Advance at http://www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/The-Advance.

Charge Conference Season

As a pastor friend of mine posted on Facebook recently, for United Methodist clergy and church leaders, this isn't yet the "holiday season"; it's "report season"! In our connectional system, each church (or charge, usually used if a pastor serves more than one church) where a pastor is appointed holds an annual business meeting to report to each other, to the district, and and to the (regional) conference office some of the highlights and challenges of ministry in the past year.

This includes lots of statistical and other numeric reporting - budgets, attendance, membership, baptisms, deaths, and so on - but also offers an opportunity for the church to practice telling its story about how God has been at work in and through the congregation. Not just, do we have enough money and do we have more or fewer people than in January, but also, how have we experienced the power of the risen Christ in our ministries? How are we responding to God's grace in our lives? How are we growing in the call to love our neighbor through prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness? How is the kin'dom of God breaking through in our midst? And where might the Spirit be leading us in the coming year?

This year, one of the reports churches in the Rocky Mountain Conference will be asked to give is for Imagine No Malaria. District Superintendents (or their designated presiding elders) will be asking each church/charge to respond to 3 simple questions as part of their "holy business":

1. How many lives does your church plan to save? ($10 saves a life)
2. What progress have you made toward that goal? and 
3. What plans do you have between now and April 25, 2014? 

If your church has not yet set a formal goal, this is an excellent opportunity to have that conversation. (Download the Imagine No Malaria Report form here to be ready to respond at your church or charge conference.)

Churches will also have an opportunity to take up an offering for Imagine No Malaria during the charge conference. If individuals wish to make gifts or pledges, they have two options: they can give to/through the local church, or make checks and pledge forms out to the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMCUMC). We encourage churches to track pledges that will be paid off over time, but we are always happy to receive information about individual donors so we can acknowledge them at the conference level as well.

The Rocky Mountain Conference Steering Committee understands that many churches are facing financial challenges, and also that there are many worthy causes that United Methodists are asked to support. However, we believe strongly that Imagine No Malaria is a vital and urgent opportunity for all of us to put our faith into action as we join the global movement to end deaths from this preventable, treatable, and beatable disease. We can be part of making history as we empower the people of Africa to win a sustainable victory over malaria within our lifetimes, and to make a more abundant life possible for communities across the continent. I hope you'll join us!

Greeley Training Sep. 18: Confirmed

Our thoughts and prayers are with all who have lost loved ones, homes, livelihoods, pets, or belongings in the flooding this past week. May you know God's love and grace through the caring of others, even in the midst of grief.

In case you haven't seen it already, you can get updates on how churches across the affected area are doing, and how you can help, at http://rmcumc.org/COfloods.

AND, even knowing that many in the district have much more pressing concerns right now, we are going ahead with tomorrow night's training/information session at First UMC in Greeley: 6:30pm on Wednesday, September 18; address is 917 10th Ave, Greeley CO 80631.


The main roads into town (25, 85, 34) are all open, the church is high and dry, and for those who are able to get there, we will continue the work of educating, advocating, raising funds and engaging community on behalf of our sisters and brothers who suffer from malaria in Africa.

There is still room for more to join us if you have been thinking about it and are available; email kerry (at) rmcumc.com or comment here to let me know if you're coming.

Cheyenne Challenge

As an addition to last week's Progress Update & round-up of creative plans, I have to share this video made by the UMC pastors in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was the funniest thing to come through my inbox last week.

The five pastors of the four UMCs in Cheyenne have put together not just a local fundraising challenge/competition, but also scripted, performed, filmed, and edited the first in what will be a series of 3 videos in which they discuss Imagine No Malaria in character as old-time frontier folks. Enjoy, and feel free to share as an inspiration for others!

Imagine No Malaria - Cheyenne UMC Challenge

Progress Update & Creative Plans

Thanks to the churches and individuals that have given, pledged, or set goals since Annual Conference, we continue to make tremendous progress toward our fundraising goals:

• The overall Imagine No Malaria campaign has raised $53 million in gifts and pledges toward its total goal of $75 million. 
• Rocky Mountain Conference has received gifts, pledges, and church goals totaling $594,121 so far, which puts us at 49.5% of our goal! 
• This includes an individual matching gift of $50,000 from a donor affiliated with a Denver-area church, and another $45,500 committed by members of that church toward the matched amount so far!

Churches are also making plans to Advocate, Raise Funds, and Engage Community in all kinds of creative ways, including:

Cameron UMC volunteers with Kunle Taiwo, Sarah and Kristi
Kinnison, at the (Denver) South Pearl Street Farmer's Market

• Hosting Imagine No Malaria as part of their booth at the weekly farmer's market (Cameron Church, Denver)
• A knit/crochet-a-thon at Platteville UMC
• Donations from an annual Trunk or Treat event, plus a "Whack a Mosquito" activity involving beating up an old car (First UMC, Longmont)
• Benefit concerts featuring church and/or community musicians (Mountain View, Boulder; Good Shepherd, Thornton)
• A Western Slope youth camp-out where participants have to solve real-life problems as family groups based on assigned identities and circumstances faced by families in Africa

I know many other churches are planning creative and exciting activities - please email me at kerry [at] rmcumc.com to share your story, along with any photos or videos you may take!

And if you want to learn more about how to get involved, consider joining us for one of the following training/information sessions (see full list here):

August 29	Thursday	6:30pm	Hope UMC, Greenwood Village, CO
September 12	Thursday	6:00pm	First UMC, Durango, CO
September 13	Friday	6:30pm	Hotchkiss UMC, Hotchkiss, CO
September 18	Wednesday	6:30pm	First UMC, Greeley, CO

Together, we are transforming and saving lives!

Schedule of Training/Information Sessions

I'm having some trouble getting the permanent page for the schedule of volunteer trainings/information sessions to display in the header, so here's a big ol' link:

Training/Information Sessions

Hope you can join us in person this summer or fall, or perhaps even tomorrow at 11am via Webinar!

Webinar: YOU can make it happen!

Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, July 31, at 11am MDT:

Imagine No Malaria: YOU can make this happen!

It's time to GET INVOLVED!  Learn more about Imagine No Malaria. This informative webinar will begin with a detailed overview of this extraordinary effort to end deaths from malaria in Africa. You will then learn ways to engage your church and community, as well as some of the different volunteer opportunities available. (Attending a training does not obligate you to take on any specific role!)

Rev. Kerry Greenhill, Field
Coordinator (on the left!),
will present this training/
information session.

Title: Imagine No Malaria - YOU can make this happen!
Date: Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM MDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Mac®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer
 
Mobile attendees
Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet 

Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/810667062

Children saving children's lives

Rev. Dr. Leanne Hadley, Misty the Mosquito, and
Rev. Kerry Greenhill

Last week I had the privilege of visiting the final day of Vacation Bible School (VBS) for First UMC of Colorado Springs. Along with several other churches in our conference, First UMC chose to make Imagine No Malaria a mission and curriculum focus for their summer children's program - I only wish I could have had time (and perhaps a teleporter) to visit them all!

Rev. Dr. Leanne Hadley, Minister to Children and their Families, planned four days of learning, singing, and craft activities around this extraordinary effort by the people of The United Methodist church to end deaths and suffering from malaria in Africa.

Each morning, a human-sized mosquito named Skeeter arrived during the opening session to try to cut or blast holes in a mosquito net up front. On the final morning, Skeeter, with the support and encouragement of the 150 children in the sanctuary, decided not to try to bite children any more, but to become a "fruitatarian"!

Throughout the morning, children in each age group had the opportunity to work on different kinds of crafts, all of which would eventually be put on sale to the congregation through the "Imagine No Malaria Marketplace." Products ranged from tile coasters to headbands and other hair accessories, from wooden birdhouses and squirrel feeders (painstakingly prepared by a volunteer for the older children to assemble) to silverware wind chimes and hand-dyed silk scarves.

In the closing session on Thursday, guests from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo brought in some African animals for the children to see up close. No, there was no live lion in the church building, but a lizard, a salamander, and a vinegaroon (like a scorpion but spits vinegar instead of stinging with its tail) made appearances, and the children were also able to touch the pelts of a lion and a zebra that had died of old age at the zoo.

VBS participants also learned an African song to which they tapped wooden sticks (dowels) in unison to get a feel for the rhythms of Africa, and a driving dance beat with a chant of "No more mosquitoes, no more malaria!"

Rev. Hadley describes her enthusiasm for the mission:

"One of my volunteers called me a few days before VBS began and said, 'Can you imagine the day when our kids open the Gazette and the headline says, 'Malaria is No More'? They will never forget this VBS because they are truly making a difference in the world, in the name of Christ!' And he is right! You know that one of the reasons young people leave the church today is because they say it has no direct connection to real life... well, curing malaria is a direct connection to real life. I just can't wait for the day when we can tell the kids that malaria has been eliminated and that the work they did made a difference!"

Some children were going above and beyond making crafts for sale to members of the congregation, bringing in bags of change to add to the offering. One little girl made her own bead necklaces at home and brought them in to be added to the marketplace, and all of the children were bursting with pride at the chance to ask their parents to buy the items they had made. In the six days since VBS concluded, First UMC has already raised $5,143.00 through the Imagine No Malaria Marketplace!

Rev. Hadley is more than happy to share ideas, mosquito skit scripts, and stories with any church that would like to know more or adapt this approach. Of course, not every church has 150 children in VBS, or the resources available in larger congregations. But every church can find a way to introduce this mission of saving lives to members of all ages, and when presented with creativity and passion, we may find that the children are the ones who lead us to save the lives of other children! Let's find out what happens when we allow God to work through us to Imagine No Malaria and make that vision a reality!

Abundant life, abundant generosity

Fantastic pre-conference volunteers

This is "Annual Conference Recovery Week" for several staff and other conference leaders, so we'll get back into the swing of things next week, but I did want to highlight a few of the wonderful developments last weekend. To sum up, God is good - all the time!

First of all, I could not have finished preparing all of our packets of materials in time if it weren't for the help of four fantastic volunteers on Tuesday before conference. Thanks to Hamu, Darcy,  Michael, and LeAnn for your great - and fast - work!

Becky Buxton, our scientific
expert on malaria

Dozens of people stopped by the Imagine No Malaria resource table in the display area to ask questions, collect materials, and sign up to volunteer or get more information. My thanks go out to our Steering Committee members, especially Robin Ball and Becky Buxton, who helped staff the table so I could eat and take a break occasionally!

CCYM selling cute & colorful mosquitoes (the fashion
accessory of the year, according to Bishop Elaine)

The Conference Council on Youth Ministries made pipe cleaner mosquitoes that they then sold for $5 each, raising $638 for Imagine No Malaria! Also, the Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry invited participants to vote for their favorite campus ministry by making donations, and they raised another $175.18 for our work in malaria prevention, treatment, education, and communication! (The Wesley Foundation at UW in Laramie won, in case you were wondering!)

Robin Ball, Steering Committee
Co-Chair, with the banquet centerpieces

About 65 people volunteered as Table Captains (or Co-Captains) for the all-conference Missions Banquet on Friday night, making it possible to set up centerpieces, programs, "prayer nets" and bookmarks, handouts, and pledge forms in a very short time period, also making sure that anyone who entered the room could see where there was still room at a table. Thank you for helping us practice gracious hospitality and keep things running smoothly and on schedule!

Rev. Gary Henderson, Executive Director
of the UMC's Global Health Initiative

 Rev. Gary Henderson gave a powerful and inspiring keynote presentation about the success of Imagine No Malaria so far, both on the ground in Africa, and among United Methodist churches in the United States. We hope to have video of that presentation available in a couple weeks - stay tuned!

The all-conference Mission Banquet on Friday night

Somewhere around 700 attendees at the banquet engaged in conversation about how to carry the energy and passion for Imagine No Malaria back to their churches and communities, and made pledges of prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. It'll take some time for us (Kerry and the Steering Committee) to follow up with everyone, but we are thrilled by the support and commitment of the lay and clergy members of the Rocky Mountain Conference.

That support and commitment was made concrete in the abundance of gifts and pledges collected in the banquet, which totaled $40,188.61! In addition, Imagine No Malaria will receive half of the Bridge of Love offering from Saturday morning, which means that our total raised for Imagine No Malaria during annual conference is nearly $50,000, or 5,000 lives saved in just three days!

Rev. Kerry Greenhill
(Field Coordinator)
with a human-size mosquito!

I am so thankful and awed by the movement of the Spirit during our time together, and by the This is not just second-mile giving, but third- or fourth-mile giving for many who already give tremendous amounts of time and energy to the work of the kin'dom of God through the church.
outpouring of generosity from conference participants. Clergy and lay members to annual conference are asked to give to several offerings from Thursday to Sunday, usually from their own wallets and checkbooks (unless a church has been organized enough to plan ahead and send funds with their delegates).

I believe that this work, to prevent unnecessary deaths and suffering from malaria, particularly among children and pregnant women, is truly what God desires from the Body of Christ. All who have received the gift of abundant life have an opportunity to receive blessing in the act of offering a blessing to others through their generosity. Thank you to all who recognized this opportunity and are joining in this extraordinary effort with the people called United Methodist around the world!