1. Why does our congregation need to reserve Mission Match funds before we raise new money to be matched in our congregation?
|
There are at least two reasons why you need to reserve Mission Match funds before you begin to raise new money in your congregation that you want to have matched.
|
The first reason is to be sure Mission Match funds are available to match with your congregation's new money. When Mission Match receives a request, it temporarily sets aside the requested funds while Mission Match makes sure that the congregation and the project qualify. Then Mission Match notifies the congregation that the requested amount has been reserved. When the congregation tells members that Mission Match will match their donations, the congregation can be confident that if they raise the new money, Mission Match funds are available.
|
The second reason is to be sure the congregation's request meets Mission Match guidelines. When Mission Match receives a request, it carries out a basic due diligence process. First, it confirms that the request comes from a functioning congregation that will use the Mission Match money for the stated purpose. That's one of the reasons that the congregation is asked to send a recent Sunday bulletin with its letter of request. Second, Mission Match confirms that the project the congregation has selected meets the Mission Match guidelines. These steps need to be taken before the congregation can let members know that Mission Match funds are available.
|
2. What kind of organization is "Mission Match"?
|
People in your congregation might want to know what kind of organization Mission Match is. A simple phrase you can use in your publicity is, "Mission Match is a project of empty tomb, inc., a Christian nonprofit organization that encourages increased missions giving in historically Christian congregations."
|
3. Is there some logical way to approach all the need in the world?
|
As far back as 1972, and first published in 1984, staff at empty tomb were exploring the idea that there is great potential for impacting global need in Jesus' name, and there are logical ways to approach the problems. One solution they came up with is the Yoking Map®. Christians in each county in the U.S. are "yoked" with a specific area of the world. The suggested outlines would spread the billions of potential mission dollars throughout the nations that have the greatest word and/or deed needs. More information is available on the Yoking Map page on this Web site.
|
4. Can any impact be made on stopping, in Jesus' name, the deaths of so many children under five years of age?
|
Recent studies have shown that over two-thirds of the deaths of under-5-year-old children could have been prevented by interventions available and affordable for widespread use today. Areas that can make significant improvements include: 1) sanitation; 2) health intervention; 3) hunger or malnutrition interventions.
|
Detailed information can be found in articles first presented in the Lancet medical journal. You can access studies on child survival through this Web site.
|
