Missions Team

There are some exciting ways to serve coming up! The Missions Team is excited with the many opportunities to serve others in the next few months. There are local, foreign, financial, & hands-on opportunities for all ages and for everyone.

In September, we collect the Frances Brown offering that supports SBC Michigan missionaries & camps. If you wish to contribute, indicate ‘Frances Brown’ on your check or offering envelope.

In September we will also collect much needed supplies for our local mission focus, Hope Clinic. This collection will be in place of our annual Christmas Adopt-a-Family project to meet their more urgent needs. Place your donations in the boxes in the Welcome Area. Hope Clinic is in need of the following items, many of which can be found at Sam’s or Gordon Foods: toilet paper; toothpaste; shampoo; conditioner; deodorant; dish soap; all-purpose cleaning products; feminine products; Size 4 & 5 diapers; Styrofoam plates with portion dividers; plastic forks/knives/spoons; disposable bowls; rice; noodles; instant mashed potatoes; commercial size salad dressing; sugar/sweetener packets; coffee; #10 Bulk cans of corn, green beans, carrots, &/or fruit.

On October 10th, look for Faith in Action Saturday for a chance to serve our community and each other in many different ways. More details to follow.

Lastly, in less than 6 months our church will be making a trip January 16 to 23, 2010 to Nicaragua to work with Billy & Bette Loft of Latin American Ministries! We will be working with the kids there while they are out of school and completing a work project of either building a church or fixing up the school. The trip is open to anyone who is in 8^th grade or older and will cost about $1000-1200. Our goal is to fundraise at least half of this for each person who wishes to go. If you wish to go, a non-refundable deposit of $350 to reserve your spot on the trip & purchase your plane ticket is due by September 1, 2010. Please see DeAnn VanSickle for details (dvansick@umich.edu) .

In September, Dawn Guikema is organizing a garage sale to raise funds for the Nicaragua trip. So get started cleaning out your closets, basements, and garages to donate to the sale! More details to follow.

Yearly Giving to Missions through....

Cooperative Program (SBC) - Through our church's contributions to the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention we support the largest mission force in the world, outside of the Catholic church. More than 10,000 missionaries in more than 140 countries, six seminaries, hundreds of hospitals and community centers, including the Hope Center in Detroit are all supported by our church's missions giving.

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering - Each year our church collects several thousands of dollars to this offering. The annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is named for the Southern Baptist missionary, Lottie Moon, who served in China. This offering is received through Southern Baptist churches each December. Traditionally these gifts are sent from the local church to the state convention.

The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering - is much more than an offering envelope and an annual emphasis. The offering is a tangible expression of how lives are changed by the power of the gospel. When people give to the offering, they know that their monies will be transformed into ministry supplies and missionary salaries. They know that those missionaries and supplies will help others hear the message of Christ and respond in faith to His salvation. Time and again our missionaries relate how their work is impacted by the offering. They know that behind each penny given, there is a Southern Baptist who believes in what they do, and are affirming the need to equip them to share the gospel with those who need a Savior.