A vital mission program is key to the health of a local congregation. First hand experience to places of service is the best way to develop a thriving vision for outreach beyond the local church. This experience is most effective in a culture other than the native culture of the participant.
For these experiences to happen, people need to travel and live in places that are outside their comfort zone of their local community. The Shirley Haiflich Outreach Mission Experience Fund is established to help people experience life and mission in a cross cultural setting. A study trip or work camp give people an opportunity to experience life in a setting different from their own. From past experience, this has led to a passion for mission.
Interested persons would make application to the Endowment Committee with a recommendation by the Missions Committee of the Akron UMC and by the pastor. First time recipients would be eligible to receive up to 100% of their travel, and room. Second time recipients would be eligible to receive up to 50% of their travel and room.
Upon completion of the experience, the participant(s) will report to the Missions Committee as to the possibility of church involvement with the projects visited or the site where they worked. Also a presentation.will be made to the Akron UMC. Communications will be made with the Warsaw District Board of Global Ministries so there will be opportunity to share in other churches in the district.
It would be expected that the projects visited will supported by the United Methodist Church as recommended by the North Indiana Conference Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Women or General Board of Global Ministries.
Only the income, as determined by the Akron UMC Endowment Committee, will be used to fund these experiences. If the annual income is not allocated, it to be added to the corpus of the fund. At the end of five years if the funds are not used by the local church, the income will be made available to the Warsaw District Secretary of Global Ministries for use in funding Warsaw district work camps and mission experiences.
Initial Corpus – $6,000
Goal – $20,000 in five years from inception
Suggested Sources and process of reaching goal:
1. $2,000 plus now in hand
$6,000 in pledges already committed
$8, 000 Total initial amount
2. An amount contributed, from the AUMC Endowment Fund and money that can be raised by the Committee over the initial 2 year initial funding thrust.
Final fund amount depends on how much Endowment will sign on to.
Akron United Methodist Church 