Smaller Church, Giant Vision (Part 1)

Irene King

How do you raise $100,000 for missions in one weekend when you’re not a mega-church with thousands of members? This question might daunt many pastors, but leadership at a medium-sized church in Temecula, CA, is very creative and innovative in their approach to mission fund raising.

They proposed: Let’s have a “Party with  a Purpose” and invite our friends and community to donate gifts we can raffle off, or auction off. Let’s inspire our congregation to give gigantically.

So they threw a two-day party with games, food, and give-aways. Eight invited ministries staffed information tables. These eight organizations would receive any party donations collected.

GRN was blessed to be one of those eight, and four of our staff participated in the “Party” which followed church services both Saturday evening and Sunday morning. The particular focus for GRN’s booth was the Tumi Tiger Project. Kings and Garmos handed out books and brochures about the ministry to everyone going past, with special gifts for kids. They had many meaningful conversations answering questions about what GRN does. The hit of the day was Tumi himself. Many party goers caught the vision of providing

the cuddly guy with his message of hope, comfort and the love of God to Ukrainian children. One grandma said, “Can I get one in English? My granddaughter needs this” and another said, “Here’s $30, an anonymous gift to the Tumi fund.” Over 50 people took a flyer with the QR code so they could read more about it.

What fun it was to see so many believers truly excited to give to missions in this creative way. The children’s department sponsored a bake sale. Even little ones went around, showing off goodies and gathering money for the missionaries.

What about your church? What creative ways could you come up with to become co-laborers in God’s Kingdom work?  Or to grow the young and old at your church? Getting young adults and even children involved in the kind of teamwork it takes to support mission endeavors reaps an immediate harvest, as well as benefits the future of your church and the cause of the Great Commission around the world.