Offerings and MMDC Collection

Laity Session: John Kofi Asmah School

IGRC laity will receive an offering during the Laity Session on Wednesday. The funds will be used to furnish the newly-completed John Kofi Asmah School in Monrovia, Liberia.

In 2008, conference laity voted to build a school in the West Point neighborhood of Monrovia. Beginning with an offering of more than $11,000, churches and individuals continued to give throughout the following year raising the total to more than $20,000. Using other means of funding, construction was able to begin and the building was completed this spring. For the first time in its history, the impoverished neighborhood of 70,000 people has a school that includes both junior and senior high classes.

The classrooms are ready but the supplies are not. About half of the required desks have been purchased, but another 250 are needed. How many desks can your church fund? Please share this story with your congregation, and by any means at your disposal collect funds to send with your Lay Member to the Laity Session of Annual Conference. If we can build a school, we can certainly raise the money to furnish it. Any funds raised over the amount needed for desks will be used for clean water for the school or other needs that the Liberians deem vital for that ministry.

Wednesday evening offering: New Hope Church, Liberia

The Wednesday evening offering, taken during the Memorial Service, will assist with the building of New Hope Church, also in Liberia. The congregation of New Hope UMC found themselves as refugees in the Monrovia area after fleeing their home areas for safety during the civil war. Because they wanted to worship in their own vernacular, the Bassa language, a small group of refugees began to meet regularly for worship services. The congregation soon outgrew the home in which they worshipped and then moved to two rental spaces until finally purchasing land in the Paynesville area.

The main structure of the church is erected. The 2011 Ordinand team worked to finish concreting the once dirt floor. However, $40,000 is still needed to completely finish the church. Currently, most members of the congregation are market women barely making only enough to feed their families at the end of each day.

Thursday morning offering: Africa University

In 2012, the Illinois-Great Rivers Conference paid 100 percent of their apportioned share of funding to Africa University. The University is profoundly grateful to the local congregations of the Illinois-Great Rivers Conference for their apportionment contributions to the Africa University Fund.

Enrollment at Africa University is at an all-time high. The current total population of 1634 students is 42 percent higher than it was for the 2010-11 academic year.  There are 23 African countries represented in the student body. At Africa University, male and female students are almost evenly balanced—something that bodes well for increasing the participation of women in decision-making and leadership roles in Africa.
Your offering will be helping to provide scholarships to students. The Africa University Scholarship Fund (Conference Advance Special 6980) is a way to assist students in realizing their dream of a college education.

Friday evening offering: Ordinands' trip 

Each year, newly ordained clergy take part in a saturation experience aimed at forming and shaping them with a global perspective. Ordinand trips have been to several places around the globe and the offering helps to support and provide financial resources for the trip. Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton will be joining the Ordinands on a trip to the Holy Land in February 2014.  This offering will be taken during the Friday service of Ordination and Commissioning. 

Saturday morning offering: Tom Brown Scholarship

For nearly 25 years, a special offering has been taken by the Illinois Great Rivers Conference and one of its predecessors, the Central Illinois Conference, for the Tom Brown Scholarship at Wiley College, one of the denomination's Black Colleges. Rev. Brown, who passed away in 1986, served many years as chief usher of the Annual Conference session and was a trustee for Wiley College.

In 1987, the Central Illinois Conference voted to fund a special scholarship in Brown's name and a special offering has been taken every year since then.

The offering will follow the address of the Black College Fund Student Ambassador on Saturday morning.

Collection for Midwest Mission Distribution Center

The Midwest Mission Distribution Center is asking lay and clergy members to consider bringing items for layette kits:

Items requested are:

  • Gowns or sleepers – sizes 3 months to 24 months
  • Cloth Diapers - prefolded or plain (no disposable diapers)
  • Receiving blankets – 30” X 30” or 30” X 32”or 32”x 32”

Persons may drop off their collected items during Annual Conference at the MMDC truck. Personnel will be at the truck to receive the items from 1 p.m. Wednesday to 1 p.m. Friday.