Giving Tuesday - Dec. 1, 2015

On Dec. 1, United Methodists will once again come together to support the work of General Advance projects and missionaries on UMC #GivingTuesday. And once again, every gift made online through The Advance at www.umcmission.org/give on Dec. 1, 2015 will be matched up to $1 million. - Click here for more information.

Click here for a bulletin insert.
Click here for the #GivingTuesday toolkit for churches.
Click here for #GivingTuesday FAQs

Some projects for you to consider for your support: 
Alabama Rural Ministry - #721001
Red Bird Missionary Conference - #773978
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) - #999895
United Methodist Volunteers In Mission (UMVIM) - #901875
Imagine No Malaria - #3021190
Tanzania Ministry - Church Construction and Development - #3021923 (or Eric and LIz Soard, Tanzania)

 

Ministry Spotlight

The Ark

The Ark has been a ministry in Panama City Beach for more than 40 years. Noah’s Ark was formed as a retreat center for The Alabama-West Florida Conference. Now they are simply know as “The Ark,” and have converted both facilities and its programming to meet new needs in the community. Since 2012, they have been developing three new ministry directives: a coffee shop, transitional housing, and international student housing. They are committed to combating homelessness and human trafficking in their area. Thousands of people have been impacted by the ministry of The Ark over the years, and they look forward to continuing this legacy by providing new connections to the community. Click here to see a video about their ministry; click here to see their updated website.

 

Upcoming Events

River Region Alternative Gift Fair

Looking for a meaningful Christmas gift to give?
How about a gift that gives hope in our community?

If you are looking for a meaningful gift to give this year, don’t miss the River Region Alternative Gift Fair. An alternative “gift” is a charitable donation which will fund a specific need in our community through one of the Fair’s 34 participating nonprofit groups. Starting at $5, you may honor your family, friends, colleagues, teachers, or clients by giving construction materials, medical supplies, children’s books, food, and more, to our neighbors in need. The Fair will be held from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, December 5, 2015, at the Cloverdale Campus of Huntingdon College, 1125 East Fairview Avenue, Montgomery. Online shopping will be available from Tuesday, December 1st, to Tuesday, December 8th—with gift cards and envelopes mailed to online shoppers on Thursday, December 10th. For more details, visit www.GiveHopeRiverRegion.org.

Live Nativity - Frisco City, AL

Celebrate the Birth of Christ with the people of Frisco City as they host their 6th annual ten-station drive through event December 11 and 12. Click here for more details.

Disaster Response (ERT) Training

Be prepared to respond to the next disaster. Click on a date for more information, or visit www.awfumc.org/erttraining.

November 21, 2015 - Dothan
December 5, 2015 - Auburn
December 5, 2015 - Spanish Fort

UMVIM Team Leader Training

Learn about becoming an effective team leader. Click on a date for more information, or visit www.awfumc.org/umvimtraining. 

January 23, 2016 - Eufaula First UMC

COSROW Retreat

January 22-23, 2016, Blue Lake Assembly

The AWF Conference Commission on the Status and Role of Women presents "2 are better than 1". Keynote speaker: Rev. Meghan Kelley.

Beyond these Walls 2016

January 28-30, 2016, Powder Springs, GA

Mobilizing, revitalizing, and equipping congregations through "best of the best" missions teaching and training so they can fulfill their divine calling - making disciples of all the nations.

Click here for more information.

Save the Date

Robert Lupton, author of the transformative book Toxic Charity, will be visiting the Alabama-West Florida United Methodist Conference to help change the conversation about ministry with the poor. He will be speaking on two separate occasions:

March 5, 2016: Daphne UMC in Daphne, Alabama
March 6, 2016: Aldersgate UMC in Montgomery, Alabama

All are welcome to attend as we discuss ways we can make lasting impact in our communities. For more information, contact Laurel Blackwell at laurel@awfumc.org or 334.524.3652.

 

Across the Conference

Missionary Itineration

Alex and Brenda Awad

The Awads will be retiring soon after serving for over two decades as missionaries at Bethlehem Bible College. Between December 3 and 11, 2015, they will be visiting churches in the Alabama-West Florida Conference. They are available to speak to small groups, UMW circles, mission committees, Bible studies, community groups, and large groups. To get your church or group on their schedule, contact Susan Hunt at susan@awfumc.org or 334-356-8014.

Click here to see a video of the Awads talking about their experiences as missionaries.

Joel Ncahoruri

Joel Ncahoruri is a missionary serving in Cameroon. He will be itinerating through Alabama-West Florida March 29-April 6, 2016. Contact Susan Hunt at susan@awfumc.org or 334-356-8014 to get your church name on the list of places for him to visit. 

QuadW Internship

The QuadW Missional Internship is a paid summer internship for college-age young adults. Interns are deeply immersed in relationally serving a local community in the name of Jesus, while in the context of living and practicing spiritual disciplines together. The internship is in several cities across the U.S.  

You are invited to consider if the QuadW Missional Internship may be a part of the way God is calling you to live out your faith in ways that connect you deeply to the heart of God and the needs of others.  

Click here for more information.

Team registration for Alabama Rural Ministry's (ARM) 2016 youth mission camp is now open! 

ARM serves with middle and high school students in June and July through home repair and children's day camp ministries. They can host teams of up to 70 members at two sites in rural Alabama. Teams have already begun registering, so now is the time to make your summer mission plans! 

Team registration is only $25 until December 1, and the per person cost is only $275. Join ARM as they restore hope, build dreams, and make sweet homes for Alabama! 

Find out more today at arm-al.org/missioncamp or call Joe at (334) 501-4276 x100

ARM's summer staff applications are also available. Click here.

 

Across the Connection

Haiti

Haitian families uprooted by the 2010 earthquake, and largely unreached by earlier humanitarian efforts, are now getting new homes thanks to their own labors and assistance from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and its partners in Haiti. Read more here.

South Carolina Disaster Response

South Carolina has slowly moved from relief to recovery. Thank you for listening and not self-deploying to the region. Over 90 different organizations responded into the state. Many were uninvited and created additional chaos for survivors and state agencies; an organized response is always better.

There is still much work to be done both in relief and recovery. To register your team for future deployment (with or without ERT badges), call 1-800-390-4911 or email screcovery@umcsc.org. Click here for the website with much more information.

Young Adult Mission Opportunities -
Global Mission Fellows

Young adults have several avenues of service, both in the United States and around the world, through the "Generation Transformation" Program of the General Board of Global Ministries.

Global Mission Fellows - 2-year mission, ages 20-30
Global Justice Volunteers - 2-month mission, ages 18-30
Mission Volunteers - flexible mission service, ages 18 & up

 

Other Opportunities

Exchange Students

Now more than ever, it is important to understand the world beyond our borders. Families in our area can do just that by becoming involved in a global cultural exchange through the Aspect Foundation. Interested families can participate by volunteering to host an international high school student for a semester or academic year.

Aspect Foundation students hail from nearly 30 different countries but all share the same dream – to experience the American way of life. These students, who would arrive in August, are aged 15 to 18 and have a wide variety of interests and abilities. They are chosen on the basis of maturity, grades, and language skills.

Host families can be married or single, with or without children. Host families are responsible for providing room, board and a loving home environment for the student. In return, host families and exchange students learn about another culture firsthand, and gain a second family for life! Potential host families can choose their own student by viewing student profiles on Aspect Foundation’s website at www.aspectfoundation.org.

For more information about Aspect Foundation and how your family can have the cultural adventure of a lifetime, contact Melissa Porter at 214-405-1817 or melissa_sperry@hotmail.com, the Aspect Foundation national office at 1-800-US-YOUTH, or visit www.aspectfoundation.org.