New Year's Resolutions, or How to Save Lives in 2014

Happy New Year! Are you making any resolutions for 2014? The first day of the year always seems like a good opportunity to declare your intentions to be more healthy in mind, body, spirit, relationships, finances, and other important areas of life.

If you're looking for ideas on how to help proclaim God's love in the coming year, or want to share with family and friends what it means to be a United Methodist committed to putting faith into action, here are 10 ways to support Imagine No Malaria in 2014 - let me know in the comments if you take on one or more of these, or if you have other suggestions!

How to Save Lives in 2014

1. Schedule a monthly donation to Imagine No Malaria (make sure to check the box to indicate what church you're affiliated with). Remember:

• $10 Buys a life-saving insecticide-treated bed net
• $20 Pays for the cost of food and treatment of anemia in a pregnant woman with malaria
• $50 Provides malaria medication to treat ten adults
• $100 Covers the cost of an anti-malaria campaign in a local school
• $200 Trains Traditional Birth Attendants in malaria prevention and treatment
• $500 Provides all the resources for a one-day community leader training for 35-40 people on malaria prevention
• $28/month over three years adds up to a pledge of $1,000 that will save 100 lives - that's a whole community!

2. Send an email to your friends and family, telling them about the threat of malaria in Africa, what Imagine No Malaria is doing about it, and why you are supporting this cause. Invite them to join you in saving lives.

3. Like Imagine No Malaria - Rocky Mountain Conference on Facebook and follow @RMCbuzz on Twitter. Share or retweet a post at least once a month.

4. Host a screening of A Killer in the Dark, the documentary about the United Methodist Church's work to fight malaria in Africa. Invite friends, neighbors, coworkers, or church members to watch with you and discuss afterwards.

5. Talk to your pastor, Sunday school teacher, small group leader, or other church members to find out what your congregation is doing to support INM, and offer to help.

6. Make pipe cleaner mosquitoes with your own children or the church youth group. Sell them for donations (suggested: $5 each or 3 for $10) at church during coffee hour/fellowship time or as part of a bake sale or other event.

7. Contact your Senators and Representative in Congress to let them know that you support continued federal funding for global health work, including the President's Malaria Initiative. Tell the staff person you speak with that you are United Methodist and you are doing your part through Imagine No Malaria, and you hope the US government will continue to do its part to end this unnecessary source of suffering in our world.

8. Talk to leaders in your school, civic groups, local government, hospitals/clinics, or other congregations in your community to find out if they would like to partner with your church in saving children's lives in Africa.

9. Help your church leaders plan and put on an event that invites the whole community to come together in support of Imagine No Malaria. Possibilities include a basketball tournament, benefit concert, fundraising dinner, silent auction, knit-a-thon, variety show, or any creative option that will give people a chance to have fun while learning about malaria and giving generously.

10. Pray each week for those who suffer from malaria, for those who have lost loved ones, for the doctors, nurses, and community health workers who bring healing and hope, for those who are working in communication and advocacy, for improvements to infrastructure and social systems that will make health care more accessible for more people, and that Imagine No Malaria can be a powerful witness to God's desire for abundant life for all people as we help end deaths from malaria in Africa in our lifetime.

Thank you for whatever step you can take to help make abundant life more possible for our sisters and brothers in Africa. Together, we are bringing hope and healing to millions of people: a great testimony to the Good News of God's love made known in Jesus Christ!

A Prayer for Christmastide

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Yes, the one big day of gifts and feasting is over for most of us, but in the Christian calendar, Christmas lasts for 12 days, until we celebrate the arrival of the wise ones with Epiphany on January 6.

If you haven't seen it yet, make sure to check out this great brief video created by Imagine No Malaria staff in Iowa, Missouri, and Holston Conferences - consider showing it in worship this Sunday or next! As we keep our hearts and minds focused on the gifts of Christmas in the coming days, I offer this Prayer for Christmastide:   

God of blazing galaxies and blades of grass,
     Creator of worlds and healer of wounds,
we give you thanks once more for the gifts of Christmas:
     For Jesus, the baby who grew up to proclaim your blessing on the poor
          and your boundary-breaking plan to redeem all people by love;
     for Mary and Joseph, who risked security and social standing
          to say yes to your invitation to parent that Holy Child;
     for the shepherds, and all who work and watch by night,
          who were awake to hear the angels’ chorus
          and were willing to go and see what they had been told;
     for the Magi, who were wise in the ways of heaven and earth,
          paying attention, bearing gifts and returning home by another way.
Open our ears to hear your voice
     proclaiming wonders and new worlds being birthed;
open our eyes to see your signs
     blazing brightly overhead or quietly resting in mother’s arms;
open our hearts to new ways of loving, new ways of living
     that continue the gift of the Incarnation
     by letting your Word of Love become flesh in us once more;
open our hands to reach out in generosity and care,
     to work for justice and to touch with compassion,
that the world may know you are still Emmanuel,
     God-with-us,
     living within and among us
     in this time and place.
In the name of the babe in the manger,
     our Friend and Teacher,
     Healer and Savior,
     Jesus the Christ,
     we pray.
Amen.

Rev. Kerry Greenhill ©2013

May Christ be born anew in your life this year!

The UMC and the Global Fund: a unique voice at the table

Bishop Bickerton Reports on UMC Leadership Role
at the International 4th Global Fund Replenishment Conference,
December 2013

Pittsburgh Area Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, chair of the UMC's Global Health Initiative, shared the following report and his statement from the Global Fund Replenishment Conference with United Methodist Church leadership.  He shares it now with leadership in the Imagine No Malaria Campaign.

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

On Monday and Tuesday of this week I had the privilege of representing the people of The United Methodist Church at the 4th Global Fund Replenishment Conference in Washington, D.C.  This conference gathered under the theme “No Time to Lose: Sharing the Responsibility to Save Lives.”  This conference gathered representatives from across the world to share their commitment to the ongoing global fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.

During the conference, these representatives sat at tables, each taking their respective turn in making a pledge from their organization.  China made their pledge.  So did Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, France, India, and the Netherlands.  Country after country took the microphone and made their pledge for the 2014-2016 cycle.  It was then that Nafsiah Mboi, the Indonesia Minister of Health and the Chair of the Global Fund Board said these words, “I now call upon the representative from The United Methodist Church.”
 
Our church sat with government and private sector representatives as the only faith-based partner at the table in the collaborative fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria.  There is no doubt that there are other faith-based organizations that are working to eliminate killer diseases.  But we are the only ones that are pledging our resources, both financial and personnel, in a joint fight with governments and the private sector. 
 
After a while in the pledging conference, persons began looking at their cell phones and notes.  But when the United Methodist Church was named, all eyes turned our way.  It was a different voice, a different organization, a different pledge of commitment.  There is no doubt that as a faith-based partner, we play a critical role on the world scene in this ongoing fight to eliminate killer diseases.  We may not have the pledging capacity of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  We may not have the power of a large country.  But what we do have is an understanding of the local communities and villages that benefit from this collaborative effort.  What we do have is a relationship with people through traditional birth attendants, rural clinics, and hospitals.  What we do have is something a government or a private sector contributor does not have: the trust of the people.  Often we underestimate our worth.  We will not eliminate the killer diseases on our own.  But today it was very evident that the killer diseases will not be eliminated without us.  We are an essential piece in the puzzle of making the world a healthier place for all God’s children.

Below are the remarks I was privileged to share on your behalf and on behalf of all of our people.  In the midst of ongoing conflict and controversy within our church and throughout the world, there is a unifying effort taking place which requires everyone’s participation, even ours.  Today I was proud to be a United Methodist Christian.  As I left the meeting today I said a simple prayer, “Thank you God for letting me be a part of such a great church.”  I hope that this can be your prayer as well.
 
The Journey Continues,
 
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton

Global Fund Replenishment Conference

Washington, D.C.

Pledging Remarks

Let me say a genuine word of gratitude on behalf of the people of The United Methodist church to the Global Fund for the opportunity to participate in this very important conference.

The United Methodist Church – with eleven and a half million members in the United States, Africa, Europe, and the Philippines currently has a campaign which is a holistic approach to fight malaria called “Imagine NO Malaria.”  Our goal is to raise $75 million dollars for this fight against malaria.  Part of the proceeds from this campaign is going to strengthen our United Methodist hospitals and clinics in Africa.  Another portion is going to the Global Fund.  The United Methodist Church has already contributed $8.1 million dollars to the Global Fund.  Based on the anticipated successful fundraising campaign of $75 million dollars, today The United Methodist Church is pledging another $19.9 million dollars to the Global Fund over the next three years.  This will bring our total contribution to $28 million dollars.

The United Methodist Church is the first faith-based organization to directly support the work of the Global Fund.  We are fully aware that collaboration among the governments and private sector partners around this table is a key in this fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.  None of us can eliminate these diseases of poverty on our own.

The United Methodist Church has developed health initiatives in Africa for more than a hundred years.  We provide clinics, hospitals, and community-based health services without regard to race, religion, or political creed.  This has been our calling and it is why we believe that support for indigenous health systems and infrastructures, especially on the continent of Africa, is essential to the success of the Global Fund.

As a church, we place great importance on community and faith-based health organizations and advocate for their role in the fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria.  We are convinced that strategies developed on a national, or centralized level must also integrate and involve the local level, where solutions are often created and generated by local communities and people.  We want to make sure that partners such as local churches, mosques, temples, self-help groups, and schools are involved in meaningful ways in a country’s health coordination and service delivery.

Our financial commitment to the Global Fund is an affirmation of the efforts of faith-based organizations in the fight against HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria.  Churches and mosques exist in the smallest, most remote villages of sub-Saharan Africa.  Often they have no road access or electricity.  Yet, the church is there providing a significant presence and influence.  We are extremely committed to activating these community entities to support the Global Fund as well as national efforts to fight the diseases of poverty.  We believe that The United Methodist Church is in a unique position to see the challenges from both a global and local perspective, which is why we joyfully contribute to the Global Fund and also continue our church and community-based health services. We are committed to the promotion of the Global Fund in our churches around the world and continue to stand as a ready partner in delivering health services to the people who need it most.

More than 40% of the health infrastructure in Africa is run by faith organizations.  It is only in close cooperation with those systems that the Global Fund can make a difference.

I would ask all of the Global Fund sponsors and donors to work with the faith-based organizations and the civil society in eliminating deaths from HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria.  We are convinced that a collaborative effort is the right way at this place in history.  It is in a spirit of hope and partnership that we continue our pledge of $28 million dollars.

Thank you.

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

What we have accomplished

Since Imagine No Malaria first launched in 2010, we have funded anti-malaria programs and public health infrastructure in the areas of education, communication, prevention, and treatment in 16 countries in Africa. Just in 2012-2013, 12 United Methodist conferences in Africa have received grants to fund training, nets, medications, supplies, and more.

A new handout, the "Snapshot of Activity," breaks down not only how much we've raised and how it is being spent, but how the grants are made in ways that ensure accountability and sustainability.

It's important to note that much of the $60 million that has been committed to the overall campaign consists of goals set by annual conferences and local churches: while we are confident that these funds will come in as promised, they are not yet in the form of cash in hand that can be spent out.

Download the Snapshot of Activity for all the details, including a success story from Sierra Leone, and share with your family, friends, neighbors, and congregation how their gifts continue to be put to good use to save lives and transform communities across Africa.

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.