Opening the Windows of Heaven

Stories of the World Missions Offering

In 2011, nearly 500 churches gave to the annual World Missions Offering (WMO). Enjoy the following stories from a few of those churches.

Stan Bunch, Good News FWB Church, Chitré, Panama - $200

Missions is a vital component of the Panamanian Association of Free Will Baptist Churches. Each year, the national missions committee sponsors a nationwide mission conference, as well as district and local conferences. This effort has resulted in the churches in Panama being extremely missions oriented in doctrine, giving, and thinking.

Because of this emphasis on a national level, taking the Good News FWB Church toward involvement in the World Missions Offering was a relatively simple step. Each Sunday we have a three- to five-minute missions moment for prayer and to keep local church planting efforts before the people. Each year we promote a faith promise commitment in the life of every church member as well as periodic special missions fundraisers.

In past years we have used the coin banks, asking everyone to bring them on the designated Sunday. Interestingly, most members wanted the take the bank back home with them for the next year’s offering.

In Panama, we believe in supporting missions, largely because our churches and believers are the result of missions efforts. The vision statement on the front of the Good News’ Sunday bulletin reads, “Our vision is to be a church that starts new churches in Panama and around the world where the gospel is not being proclaimed.” If we fail to keep that vision statement, we really have no right to call ourselves a church, nor do we have a means of justifying our existence. The local mission committee will continue to promote missions, annual fundraisers, faith promise commitments, and the WMO.

Mike Mounts, Harrison FWB Church, Minford, Ohio - $4,565.26

We began planning the WMO in our January 2011 board meeting. I suggested we promote it the first Sunday of February through the last Sunday of April (WMO Sunday). We set a goal of $2,000.

Since the church pitted women against men in a contest for missions in 2010, the board suggested we try it again. So, I asked a husband and wife to serve as team leaders. They are outgoing, enthusiastic, and have a heart for missions. And the excitement began.

The first Sunday, we showed a DVD clip that explains the coin banks, and we presented our goal of $2,000. I also mentioned the contest and introduced the team captains. We made the coin banks available, actually handing them out. Of course, extra banks were available. We provided separate containers up front in which to put our coins, cash, and checks!

The team captains took alternating Sundays to motivate and encourage their team to support the World Missions Offering. Our ladies even composed and performed three WMO rap tunes that were fun and in good taste.

Although we had separate teams for the sake of competition, our captains brought us together each week, reminding us the purpose of the WMO is to reach the world for Christ. Somehow, through the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit, the WMO really caught fire, and we exceeded our goal by $2,500!

Brent Patrick, Trinity FWB Church, Bowling Green, Kentucky - $8,193.73

“You can’t out-give God!” Many people proclaim this and time after time it proves true. For Trinity Church, our realization of this biblical truth started in January and culminated on Easter Sunday, April 24, 2010, in the form of the World Missions Offering for Free Will Baptist International Missions.

After sluggish giving in 2010, with a token amount of money given to missions, the Lord impressed upon me that we were not doing enough. Without any fanfare or special marketing program, we embarked on the simple, but timeless and powerful truths of Malachi 3, challenging ourselves to tithe and to extend our missionary outreach far beyond current levels. Each church family was asked to not only tithe, but to also increase their tithe amount by 20%. In addition, our church’s financial designation to missions was set at a level 3.5 times previous allocations. What happened next can only be explained as God being true to His Word (Malachi 3:10).

In the course of three months, the following financial blessings came:

• A $5,000 check from a lady in the community who does not attend our church. Her husband passed away before Christmas, and we gave her daughter Christmas gifts through an Angel Tree ministry.

• A $500 check from a lady who attends another church in the state and is friends with a family in the church.

• A $500 check from a family that attended Trinity a few years ago. They visited the church from out of state and wanted to help support the church’s ministry.

• A small cash amount from a lady who stopped by the church one day and felt impressed to give an offering.

• In all this time, the church was faithful to tithe, and the budgetary shortfall from 2010 was overturned by a budgetary surplus that did not include the above gifts.        

Further, as part of our increased emphasis on giving to world missions, the church budgeted $2,500 to the World Missions Offering.

In March, a church member came to me and said he had just received an unexpected bonus at work and wanted to contribute $1,500 of that bonus money as a matching gift to the WMO. Excited about what God was doing, we set a church goal of $5,500 for the World Missions Offering. After the church’s budgeted amount was added to the church offering and the matching gift, the final numbers yielded $8,200! To say the least, it was a glorious moment!

Our motivation from January to Easter was to allow God to prove Himself as He says He will in Malachi 3:10. Let me assure you, He did, and He continues to do so!

Jhon Fredy, Villalba FWB Church, Villalba, Spain - $1,160.86

Feeling very grateful for all the mission work done in Spain, we decided, as a church founded by the Mission, to support the work of the Mission, devoting a quarter of the offerings of our regular mission support for the World Missions Offering of International Missions. It is a small contribution, but it was our church's response with eagerness and love. If it were possible, we would give more. This response shows that we believe in you. We ourselves are an example and fruit of your dedication to the Lord's work in world missions.

Our desire is not only to give one year; we want to do the same thing in the first quarter of 2012, and whenever else we can, we will give. It will always be an offering given with much gratitude, respect, and love.

We pray God's work will prosper wherever in the world the Mission is working. Please receive warm greetings from the Free Will Baptist Church of Collado Villalba, in Madrid, Spain.

Jerald Bass, Generations FWB Church, Joplin, Missouri – $1,057.50

The key to promoting the WMO in our church is creating an environment that keeps missions and a lost world a consistent part of the conversation. Each week in our service, someone gives a two-to three-minute presentation of a country from the book Operation World, shares prayer requests, and then leads us in prayer for that particular country.

Making missions a part of our financial discussion is another way we emphasize the importance of world missions. We support denominational missions and our association mission conference in our budget. In our fundraising, 25% of all the money we raise for future capital projects is set aside for a capital project around the world. I am a firm believer that we will not be effective in local evangelism if we are not also intentional in reaching the world with the gospel.

Finally, at least a month before the WMO, we hand out Change the World coin banks to every family and begin showing a clip from the WMO promotional videos at the beginning of each service. We encourage every family not just to give, but to pray for God’s direction in their giving and to lift up the names of our missionaries before Him.

The churches above vary in size, demographic, resources, and location; but they share a common commitment to the Great Commission. Gifts to the World Missions Offering benefit all the ministries, missionaries, and international partnerships of International Missions. Share the gospel with unreached peoples. Give to the WMO this April.

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Tips for Participating in the World Missions Offering

If your church has never participated in the World Missions Offering, you might be asking, “Where do we start?” Follow this simple plan for a successful campaign.

• Provide a scriptural context. Some members may have a limited understanding of the need to take the gospel around the world. Recognizing that every Christian has an obligation to share the truth of Jesus’ grace will encourage them to talk to their neighbors as well as send others to tell the nations.

• Assemble a team. Don’t think one person must be responsible for everything. Engage a team to brainstorm ideas to promote the WMO in your church and to implement ideas.

• Determine the scope. Will we just focus on a World Missions Offering? Will we have a month-long emphasis? Do we want to build up to emphasis month with monthly missions moments? Should we plan a missions banquet? What can we do in children’s church?

• Promote, promote, promote. IM offers assistance in promoting the WMO. Order coin banks, WMO videos, offering envelopes, and other supplies. Some are free; some have a small cost attached. Find resources at fwbgo.com.

• Pray. Bathe your WMO in prayer. God moves in hearts as His people pray. Consider participating in the WNAC Pre-Easter Week of Prayer for International Missions.

• Encourage. Recognize your congregation’s efforts to promote the offering. Praise them for their participation. Celebrate together.

• Evaluate. What went really well? What would we choose to do differently if we were to start over? (There’s always next year.) How can we improve? Did we start planning early enough? How can we incorporate a missions emphasis throughout the year?

For more information on the 2012 WMO, visit the International Missions website: www.fwbgo.com.