Why participate in the World Mission Offering?

1. YOU CAN TAKE PART IN GOD’S TRANSFORMATIONAL WORK

“I’ve been on mission trips to Costa Rica, Kenya, Thailand, and Myanmar, and it has opened my eyes to the needs of the world and the work of International Ministries’ global servants,” says Brian Romanowski, pastor of First Baptist Church of Mahomet, Illinois.

In 2019, eleven church members traveled to Costa Rica (see photo, below) for their first international mission trip together as a church, working alongside IM global servants and partners, including Sue Hegarty and Ruth Vindas). As First Baptist prepares to participate in this year’s World Mission Offering, Brian says, “Giving generously to missions is a necessity, because the Great Commission is the driving force of our discipleship individually and as a church. It’s a blessing for us individually and as a church to have relationships with our global servants, because when we hear their stories and the ways that God is using them to transform lives where they serve, we can feel as if we had a part in that work, even though it’s God who is doing the transformation. God allows us to participate in what he is doing, which blesses our church and inspires us to get involved in our own mission activities where we live and beyond.”

2. WE CAN CONNECT YOU WITH THE PART OF THE WORLD OR MINISTRY AREA WHERE YOU WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

In Minnesota, Sharon Boekhoff is the mission chair at Woodbury Baptist Church. While this suburban church has supported the World Mission Offering for many years, in the last two years they have greatly expanded their support of global servants, and their total giving to International Ministries more than doubled as they added several global servants to their mission budget. Why?

“Growing up in a small town, I remember the church bulletin board had pictures of several missionaries and a map of where they served. In 2014, I met IM Global Servants Debbie and Kyle Witmer at a missionary conference where they were being commissioned to Thailand. We have stayed connected ever since. As a result of our friendship, I began providing some support for the Witmer family.”

Through the church’s Leadership Board, Sharon suggested the church consider supporting more missionaries, and the church’s pastor Rev. Dr. Greg Cooper connected Sharon with IM Donor Advisor Marc Kirchoff. “Marc has been an amazing resource. I’m so thankful for his willingness to provide information, and his answers are so quick. He provided a book with all the global servants, their main focus, and where they serve. I met with a friend and we determined what causes were dear to our hearts and then searched the book for missionaries who matched our interests. The board approved our choices and so we have expanded our missionary support to those individuals.”

[You can find a list of all of IM’s global servants and learn more about their ministries here. You can read more about IM’s Ministry Priority Areas here.]

3. GOD WILL USE YOUR INVESTMENT IN CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE, TOO

Last October, as Court Street Baptist Church in Maine promoted the World Mission Offering to a congregation that had decreased during the pandemic from one hundred to fifty people it was difficult to see how they might reach their goal of $4,500. But as the church shared the stories of IM’s global servants, they not only met but exceeded their goal in just a few weeks, giving a total of $5,733 to world mission through IM. “Our church has a history of mission support,” says Lorna Hansen, the church’s mission advocate (pictured below with Court Street’s mission board).

Lorna made sure the church received WMO materials, and the church shared “mission moments” every Sunday in October, encouraging everyone to pray about how they might support the World Mission Offering. God used the church’s investment in mission to change lives both in other countries and within the congregation.

“I believe our support of cross-cultural mission over the years prepared us as a church when refugees from Africa began attending our services,” Lorna says. “We were ready to welcome them, listen to their stories, and support their needs as they settled in a different culture. We see our lives blessed as we bless others.”

Trouble accessing resources, or questions about the World Mission Offering? Email wmo@internationalministries.org. Would you like help from a donor advisor? Email Zofia Dripps, Associate Executive Director for Mission Advancement at zdripps@internationalministries.org.

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